Recorder: Keely Coufal

11 June 2001

So Many People, So Little Room

Overview: handout, "Reasons Why Population Matters"

Video presented: Soylent Green

Primary Objective: "vision" of the future 2C: dystopia -- the state of the world when population has exceeded the earth’s resources and human life must be sustained through "alternative" means

The movie, Soylent Green, is based on Harry Harrison’s 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! The movie is set in New York in 2022, population 40 million. Overpopulation has caused homelessness, starvation, and desperation among the masses who must now depend on the government to supply them with food, "Soylent Green Wafers." Soon, an executive of the food company is murdered, and Charlton Heston, as Thorn, is sent to investigate, but what he uncovers is the true ingredients of the Soylent green wafers: people!

Scene 1: This scene shows the mob of people in line for the wafers, and what happens when the food runs out. Scene 2: This scene shows Thorn sneaking into the food factory and discovering the truth.

Soylent Green. Dir. Richard Fleischer. MGM, 1973.

This movie won the 1973 Nebula Award for best science-fiction film.

This website includes several articles written about overpopulation, its statistics, effects, and future.

This website contains a databank of movies, including summaries, commentaries, and ratings.

Do you find this movie to be accurate in any respect? Are we in danger of this actually happening?

How is the portrayal of the Soylent Company comparable to Olivar in Parable of the Sower?

In this movie, people were allowed to choose lethal injection to escape their misery. If you lived during this time, would you choose to die?

Discussion Summary

Working off of the last class discussion we had concerning population dynamics, I introduced the movie, and stated the "vision" of the future as seen in Soylent Green. The class viewed the two scenes outlined in the handout, and I then turned their attentions to the second handout "Reasons Why Population Matters." Among the reasons were water scarcity, pollution, malnutrition, soil erosion, dying oceans, earth’s changing atmosphere and climate, endangered plants and animals, disease, migration, and civil conflict. I then turned the class’ attention to the discussion questions. I asked if Soylent Green seemed to be an accurate projection of where we are headed in terms of overpopulation.

Glenn suggested that space is well managed in places like Japan. He also reminded the class that the U.S. leads the world in overconsumption and waste. Other students included the many ways in which Americans try to preserve, but that it is not enough.

I mentioned the fact that the population has the potential to become a danger because the average life expectancy has increased; people are living longer due to advances in technology and medicine and have a better quality of life. Melissa added the idea that humans have an inner drive to survive regardless of their situation, and would therefore be less inclined to commit suicide, as Sol chooses to do in the movie.

Discussion then moved on to question two: comparing Olivar in Parable of the Sower and the Soylent Company in the movie. Several students commented that both companies are guilty of capitalizing on people’s needs in dire times. This can sometimes create competition among the government and big businesses. Michelle continues the idea of government regulation versus deregulation. Dr. White initiates that the change in environment is occurring and that the U.S. is only now willing to acknowledge it. Still, as the atmosphere changes, people will adapt to their environment anyway they can, as shown in Soylent Green.