Finnegan ... Go Back to Sleep

A long, long time ago, I had the wacky idea of turning James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake into a SF novel. The premise: His big bad book isn't a metaphor—it’s literally true. The human race really is a collective mind in a deep slumber. Like the sleeping Red King in “Through the Looking Glass,” our Big Self slumbers—and dreams it’s all our Little Selves. The literal notion: the maddening complexity of early cities overloaded, crashed and fractured the collective mind. But, thanks to the Internet and other emerging technologies, Finnegan’s starting to wake up again. (I had a great opening scene: All the nuts in Central Park pushing shopping carts and muttering to themselves start hearing the SAME VOICE—and begin dancing around in coordinated movement worthy of Busby Berkeley.) 

Cute idea, no story. So I shelved it. But hell. On second thought, maybe it’s not fiction after all …

I reached this conclusion after watching live feed of the Kavanaugh hearings the other day. Being lazy, I randomly clicked on the first vid that popped up. The vulpine FOX news is what I get. Dr. Ford is giving her testimony. Live. Below it, users are making comments. Live.

These flashed by at tachistoscope speed. I get a vague impression of hatefulness, but it’s too fast to read. So I did a control-a, control-c, and copy and paste a massive chunk. 

And it reads like this …

​she is a polished liar, she got grinded on as a teen, by a teen. welcome to the real world. Real victims laugh at this amount of abuse.

why is she reporting this now 30 years later

By telling lies she got everything to gain but nothing to loose.

​He sexually assaulted her and she said hi!?

​Jesus, please bring truth and expose every lie.

So are we ready to believe Ellison's girlfriend

AND I NEVER CALLED THE POLICE!

​[[ (( FAKE NEWS ]] ))

​liar liar pants on fire

​she's a nutcase

​YES: I WILL CONTINUE TO LIE!

why would you say hello?

did the rumors start before safeway?

​coffee! where is my coffee

Wait wait.....I'm just seeing this. Republican's can't speak but Democrats can grand stand? How is that fair and equal?

She thinks this is funny AF

LEFTIST TALKING POINTS WHILE A GOOD MAN IS BEING SLANDERED TO KEEP HIM FROM RESTORING THE REPUBLIC

OH YEAH RIGHT HE JUST HAPPEN TO BE THERE LOL

Sandoval​yep she was paid off but her lying sin will find her out, you can't hide from God.

And on and on it goes. Just like that.

It’s like reading the stream-of-consciousness of a hateful Molly Bloom. They aren’t watching the testimony and forming conclusions. Their conclusions are fixed, and it’s the iron grid that frames their experience.

These viewers are of one mind. It’s a group mind, a mob-mind, a hive-mind. And that collective mind is clearly insane.

Now, the villagers have thronged the public square. They're carrying pitchforks and torches, and they're pissed. Dreamtime is over. It's time to do some damage.

Because Finnegan is waking. The giant is blinking his eyes, stirring in his coffin, and ready to leap up and start stomping. 

I'm starting to think this Internet thing is not such a hot idea.