#kornbluth

[unfortunatetheorist]

Why did nobody BREAK the Sugar Bowl? (NCT, that can apply to Book Canon, I guess)

One thing that has been intriguing me lately is the thought of someone breaking the Sugar Bowl - on purpose.

For example, what if Lemony said "Enough is enough!" to Beatrice, outside the Opera House and just hurled it towards the ground? Or if Beatrice decided that this power can not be in the hands of 1 person and takes away the power altogether?

Well, let's collate some facts about the Sugar Bowl to try and determine why this is im/possible:

The Sugar Bowl, and whatever may be inside it, is UNDOUBTEDLY the V.F.D.'s most powerful asset. Tiny, schism-causing little... so-and-so.

The Sugar Bowl is so powerful that it's too much power for one person to wield alone. Maybe Beatrice's original plan was to rotate the volunteer who has it? Work out a secret timetable or something?

The Sugar Bowl has split the organisation, but weirdly, somehow, keeps it together. The Sugar Bowl represents the unity of the V.F.D., how they were once a powerful organisation where everyone got along fine, and are now two sides and a morally grey area... or even non-existent, ad Lemony foreshadows/mentions in THH:P2.

So those are the facts. And in terms of characters, there's only one person who has had AMPLE opportunity to do this - Lemony. He's had the bowl for the longest out of everyone, post-schism.

But here's what I think:

The V.F.D. is obviously an extremely rich and powerful organisation, which is why there's always a fortune to be stolen, be it Baudelaire, Quagmire, Spats, Kornbluth, Winnipeg...

So:

THEORY: Given their riches and assets, if Lemony broke the sugar bowl, V.F.D. could very possibly have gone to WAR.

They have the time, resources and brainpower to make nuclear (or worse) weapons of mass destruction.

This is why no-one, not even Lemony in all of his depression and anger, broke the sugar bowl - it's too big of a risk, not just to members but to the organisation's secrecy. If ANYTHING happens to the bowl, whoever has it knows that Esmé would gather a global army to get it back. And if Esmé makes a big deal, it. Goes. Public.

¬ Th3r3534rch1ngr4ph, Unfortunate Theorist/Snicketologist

[spacemerchants]

THE SPACE MERCHANTS // Frederik Pohl & C. M. Kornbluth Cover // Adrian Chesterman Penguin // 1979

[scifi2feature]

[spacemerchants]

SEARCH THE SKY // Frederik Pohl & C. M. Kornbluth Cover // Adrian Chesterman Penguin // 1979

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Les hablé brevemente de la iniciativa americana y de la patria. Les ofrecí un mundo abierto al saqueo, y luego la posibilidad de robarnos todo el universo. Sólo era necesario que los esforzados pioneros de Fowler abrieran el camino. Les ofrecí una brillante imagen de una fila de planetas explotados por sus únicos propietarios: los hombres de negocios norteamericanos que habían creado la grandeza de la civilización. Les gustó muchísimo. El aplauso fue ensordecedor.

Frederik Pohl y C. M. Kornbluth, Mercaderes del espacio, 1953.

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El arte de un propagandista consiste en convencer a las gentes sin que éstas se den cuenta que las están convenciendo.

Frederik Pohl y C. M. Kornbluth, Mercaderes del espacio, 1953.

[cfcfcfcf]

Hester había sido educada en un ambiente profundamente moral, donde se reverenciaban las Ventas, y le era imposible cometer un grave crimen comercial, como romper un contrato de trabajo sin reaccionar terriblemente.

Frederik Pohl y C. M. Kornbluth, Mercaderes del espacio, 1953.

[cfcfcfcf]

El esnobismo les impedía dar una versión real de las vidas y pensamientos del pueblo consumidor. O trataban de ocultarse a sí mismos lo que habían sido en otro tiempo.

Frederik Pohl y C. M. Kornbluth, 'Mercaderes del espacio', 1953.