Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Modern Day Soma?
In this modern day and time, many celebrities, athletes, and everyday people use some type of source to fulfill their needs. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the society is infatuated with soma. They consume soma when they feel depressed, sad, or just feel the need to unwind a little. The society wants to feel no pain, and would do anything to keep from experiencing pain. Could it be possible that energy drinks, and drugs may be our modern day soma?
When we turn on the television, there are many commercials that promote energy drinks. The commercials try to convince the audience that the product will make you feel less drowsy and more energetic. Before a game, many athletes drink Gatorade, and Powerade to increase their energy level. In Brave New World, the society takes soma to fulfill that same need. Energy drinks are used to keep your intensity up whether you are getting ready for a game or staying up during work hours. Coffee is also a type of soma. People take it to stay awake, not knowing that it is mildly addictive. The amount of caffeine in coffee draws a person to want it daily. Although energy drinks are not as poisonous as the soma in Huxley's novel, they are still very addictive and are consumed by everyday people.
Everyone uses some type of source to boost their energy needs. Some people exercise daily to boost their energy. One of most deadly ways to boost your energy is to consume drugs. People use drugs to keep from becoming depressed, or sad. In the news, you hear about legalizing marijuana, and how doctors may now prescribe it to their patients. In Brave New World, as John's mother was dying in the hospital, he realized how much power soma had on the society. They consumed it whenever they could, and did not care about the effects it had. In these modern days and time, drugs are taken by many people. They are addicted to it, and are blinded by what drugs are doing to them. People take drugs to get away from the world and feel good. Soma and many drugs are similar because they are both addictive, and poisonous to the body.
Energy drinks and many drugs are similar to soma because of the feelings they bring to people, and how addictive they can be. In this modern day and time many actors, musicians, athletes and everyday people take some type of substance to fulfill their needs. Could it be true that there are modern day soma's in this day and time?
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When soma was first mentioned in the book, I wasn't sure exactly what it was. But, as I continued reading I realized most of the things that you pointed out. This 'soma' that the people of Huxley's world are comsuming, is maybe a type of drug or stimulant. They take it to avoid any feeling other than happiness and it is distributed on a daily basis. Soma is looked at as a positive thing, and people like Bernard Marx, who don't take soma, are considered weird. In our world, most people look down on drugs or stimulants to produce feelings of happiness, while in Huxley's world, anything that will cause one happiness should be consumed as much as it can be.
ReplyDeletefrom WEBMD: "The most pronounced rise was in older children aged 13 to 18, however. In that group, use of ADHD drugs more than doubled -- from 2.3% in 1996 to 4.9% in 2008. Researchers said that reflects a greater understanding that kids often don't grow out of ADHD and that symptoms can persist through adolescence and even adulthood. Overall, about 2.8 million children received a prescription for an ADHD medication in 2008, according to the study."
ReplyDeleteRegarding the analogy between Soma and Sports/Energy Drinks, i would have to disagree. Sports drinks mostly affect the body, hydrating and replacing electrolytes, but they leave the mind untouched. Energy drinks may affect the mind by making more alert and reducing fatigue, but unlike Soma, they do not change the mind or its emotions.
ReplyDeleteDrugs and alcohol however, I believe are a different story. Soma, like drugs and alcohol is used as an escape from harsh emotions. Huxley himself drew an analogy between Soma and alcohol in chapter 7, in the "Mescal" drink that Linda was brought by the savages to make her feel better.
Like Soma, peer pressure is a problem with modern day drugs. Friends can pressure each other into trying drugs just as Bernard is often pressured to take Soma. I believe that Huxley is trying to state that society puts pressure on those that are different and those that do not conform, and looks down upon people who do not do what is considered cool, even if the only reason that they do it is because they are in turn pressured by someone else.
While reading the book, I also realized that our world is much similar to Huxley's futuristic world. Our drugs, alcohol and (maybe) energy drinks provide a form of escaping from life's problems. When ever the characters in Brave New World had an anxiety attack or similar, they would always search for the "soma". Our society does exactly the same thing when facing a crisis (except we use drugs or alcohol, of course), which proves that those chemicals are in fact our modern day "soma".
ReplyDeleteHowever, energy drinks, I believe are more helpful than harmful. They provide energy to help us perform at the best of our abilities, but drugs and alcohol on the other hand, offer only a short moment of happiness and security.
Soma, in my opinion was used to block all other emotions beside happiness; soma not only kept the mass of the people happy , but also created stability. In the book whenever someone felt just the slightest bit down they where able to consume soma, and get rid of the feeling. In all honesty, we all do the same thing, but we don't use "soma"; we use music to get our spirits up, and we watch our favorite movies, we do the exact same thing, just by different means . If we where to have something that was legal, and was able to take away the pain that comes with sadness, and was socially acceptable; it would be hard not to consume it. Wouldn't you agree most murders, robberies, and other crimes are done by people who are depressed, angry, and far from happy? Soma is used to stabilize the mood of the society, but it takes away the ability to feel other emotions, I honestly don't see the harm in that. Soma does have negative effects on the body, but these negative effects are a lot less harmful then the effects of crimes on a society.
ReplyDeleteWhen first mentioned, I knew soma was a drug. Soma is used purely to keep a fantasizing feeling throughout one's mind and body. It appears to numb your senses and have a euphoric tingle in your system. However, once the dosage wears off, the person "crashes" in some way and looks to be so dependent on it that they need more. It also does appear to become addictive. I do believe we have "soma" in our society, but it is not one set thing. Hallucinogen drugs have a lot of the same effects the soma has. They both change thought, perception, and emotion on an extreme level. Television in some ways is like soma. It distracts you away from the real world and hypnotizes your brains until it is in a trance. Pornography also satisfies one's need for a pleasuring feeling that does not last long. All of these topics demonstrate how there is a variety of ways to indulge in something that may not be good or sensible. But in society, it is never an intention to have a safe and knowledge life, just to make money and function really. Because of this, it is not one set thing that could be labeled "soma-like".
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