X-Message-Number: 2728
Date:  Sun, 08 May 94 12:42:29 
From: <>
Subject:  CRYONICS Re: Picket Fences

Hi, All.

I saw the episode of Picket Fences, too, and I was also pleasantly 
surprised.  In fact, I would say that it was the most balanced, best 
presented fictional treatment of cryonics that I have ever seen.  
(Apparently, the writers did something that almost no one, with the 
notable exception of L.A. Law, has done before in writing about 
cryonics for a network show, i.e., they *studied* Alcor's literature 
and paid attention to what we have to say.)

Having seen Picket Fences a few times now, their fair treatment of 
the topic probably shouldn't have surprised me.  They have a knack 
for taking complex ethical issues and hashing them out via their 
main characters.  The show never seems to have an ax to grind, and 
is devoted mainly to illustrating the fact that most of the hard issues 
people are grappling with these days are not black and white, but 
gray.

And this episode was no different.  They did an excellent job of 
coherently discussing the moral and ethical implications of cryonics. 
  (Rather than focusing on the technology itself.)  What I especially 
liked was that they used a doctor (Tom Skerritt's wife--don't 
remember her name off the top of my head--who is a main character 
on the show) to convey most of the deathist thinking.  (It's not 
natural.  It's not God's plan.  When it's your time, it's your time.  
Etc.)  She was emotional and distraught, and the notion of freezing 
the kid very obviously upset her.  

That it was a normally hyper-rational *doctor* who was clinging to 
these ambiguous, vague, irrational notions highlighted very well 
how quickly our rational faculties tend to break down when we are 
thinking about death.  And I think that showing a human falling 
prey to this sort of irrationality might do more to get people who 
are already thinking about cryonics to give it some more thought 
than a direct frontal attack ever could.

All in all, we have much cause for satisfaction with this show, 
regardless of the judge's final ruling.  I think the average American 
is well aware that The Opinion Of The Court is far from infallible 
these days, and that they will therefore be much more influenced by 
the discourse leading up to the ruling that the ruling itself.  And, at 
least with people who are inclined to think, this means that cryonics 
probably came out the winner.

Congratulations to us all!

Derek Ryan


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