Monday 19 May 2014

Dreamcatcher


As soon as I walked away from the polling station, I began to question what I’d done. I’d just put my cross next to the candidate from the independence party, the right wing group who wants the UK out of Europe, the group whose leader says he doesn’t want to live next door to Romanians or hear foreign languages on public transport. I’d just voted for the type of right wing thuggery I’d despised all my life, the bigotry and hatred party. And this wasn’t just a protest vote, it was more than that. I believe in what they are saying, I do believe that there are too many immigrants coming to the UK, that those eastern Europeans are coming over here stealing our jobs. As I walked to the pub I reflected on this, how had I drifted from red to blue? Where had my radical, socialist former self disappeared? How had it come to this? I couldn’t quite put my finger on when this change occurred; I mean it was only 6 months ago I was throwing a tissue box at my television in disgust at some right winger talking about immigration. So somehow, somewhere  in the 6 months my politics had  completely flipped around.

Jase was already in the pub and had bought me a pint of Guinness. We clinked glasses and I took two healthy mouthfuls. Just what I needed after a long week - a beer and a chat with an old friend. Of course I didn’t tell him how I’d voted, I was too embarrassed for that. I might be becoming an old bigot on the inside, but I’d never tell the friends I grew up with. Instead we talked rugby, women and apps.
‘Hey have you used that Dreamcatcher app?’ I asked.
‘What’s that?’ He said.
‘It’s an app that you set when you go to bed, and its supposed to influence your dreams. Somehow it senses when you are about to go into dream mode and plays ambient music or something to encourage you to dream in a certain way.’ I showed him the app on my phone.
‘Get out of here, that can’t work, what a load of nonsense,’ he said
‘No seriously, download it, it’s great, I’ve been using it for about 6 months. Brilliant it is. I’ve been having the weirdest, wackiest dreams. I don’t know how it works, but it does.’
‘Nah sorry, I just can’t see it.’
‘Well lots of people would disagree with you. It’s the 3rd most popular app in the UK.’
Jase put my phone back on the table.
‘Try it.’ I said again but I could see from the look on his face he never would.
‘How do I know it is not feeding me some adverts or something?’
‘Don’t be daft.’ I said ‘You’re always looking for a conspiracy.’
Jase smiled and we changed the subject.

I didn’t care what Jase said, he was always negative, a real non believer but
 I liked my Dreamcatcher app and set it up as I climbed into bed that night, knowing that the app combined with alcohol made the dreams even better. But that night something strange happened. I dreamt of being back in the pub with Jase. Our conversations went back and forth but it was the same two lines over and over again.
‘6 months I’ve been using it’
‘How do I know it is not feeding you some adverts or something?’
‘6 months I’ve been using it’
‘How do I know it is not feeding you some adverts or something?’
‘6 months I’ve been using it’
‘How do I know it is not feeding you some adverts or something?’
But then Jase changed, it was still his clothes, his body but his face had morphed into that of the leader of the Independence party that I’d voted for earlier in the day.
‘6 months I’ve been using it’
‘They’re  coming over here stealing  our jobs.’
‘6 months I’ve been using it’
‘They’re  coming over here stealing  our jobs.’
I woke myself  up. Was there a voice in my room?
‘They’re  coming over here stealing  our jobs.’
It wasn’t Jase’s voice or the leader of the party it was coming from the phone.

6 months I’d been using it. 6 months of sub-conscious propaganda from the 3rd most popular app in the UK - no wonder the independence party had  just swept the Euro elections.

5 comments:

  1. who knows how much stealth marketing has the influence on our brains...

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  2. Omg... Your archive story manager is being such a sluggard again. This one was an archive story exactly two weeks ago, on May 5. I will find myself another archive stiry for today.

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    Replies
    1. Well my previous one got the hump with me. This new one is not up to scratch. DO feel free to suggest a different archive story.

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  3. Got a hump with you? How come??? You are such sweetness:-) would not hurt a fly.... I had 'a lottery' and my finger lay upon the Ventriloquist. I remember it very well and then the debate in the comments section was hot! That is a smart story.

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  4. Got the hump with you??? how come? You are such sweetness! You would not hurt a fly, would you? Ok. So I had a 'lottery' and my finger lay upon the Ventriloquist. Such a smart story - I remember it well and the debate in the comments section was so hot!

    BTW if you did not like the Polish Eurovision song this year, you might like the last year's one. Here is the link to the video clip of this song. i suggest switching iff the sound ( the Eurovision contest has long stopped to be a musical contest and this music might offend your ears). But I am sure you will absolutely love the video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rr1DSgjhRqE

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