Wednesday 10 September 2014

'Hand Amnesty' (1972)

You may recall that we recently touched on crime in Scarfolk. One ubiquitous problem was 'subconscious crime', which was so prevalent in the 1970s that the council was forced to take drastic measures. Although it had complete faith in the integrity and innocence of it citizens, the council did not trust their hands. What were the town's approx. 80,000 hands doing and who were they talking to? There was no way of effectively monitoring or policing the situation.

That's why in 1972 the council offered its first Hand Amnesty and announced that no legal action would be taken against citizens if they turned in their hands to the police. A week before the amnesty date, each home received through the post a parcel containing a local anaesthetic, a miniature hacksaw (or sharp spoon, for working class families) and a raspberry lolly (as an incentive to carry out the necessary procedure).

However, many citizens were confused. If their hands had committed crimes without them being aware of it, how would they know if they were guilty or not? The average person had neither the time nor the resources to systematically surveil their own hands.

Council guidelines suggested the following:

1. If you are already conscious of your subconscious crime please take advantage of the amnesty and surrender your hands to the police. 

2. If you do not recall committing a crime, it is likely that your conscious mind is suppressing the memory of committing a crime. Please take advantage of the amnesty and surrender your hands to the police.

If you fail to comply with either 1. or 2. you will be visited by council surgeons. 

They are on hand 24 hours a day to give you a hand handing in your hands.

3 comments:

  1. That's too much "complete faith in the integrity and innocence" and lollipops for me... Dreamtime murderers always pretend that it's their subconscious mind who's guilty. Why not put it out of their brain when they're awake ? Furthermore, the police must know what's in the mind of a surgeon (council or not) at work to stop him before his so-called unconcious mind ends up a crime ! I've seen a sci-fi movie by Luis Bunuel (The Criminal Life of Archibald de la Cruz) where the police let run free a man who just killed his wife in imagination, can you picture it ? And it was only 17 years ago ! Dream control monitors could be helpfull, too ! Scientists were able to make plenty of them in the 50's, according to not-so-fictional documentaries. Well, I agree that the research budget is limited... By the way, lemon or orange lollies are cheaper these days.

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  2. That will be great news for Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Orlac.

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  3. And remember kids - never take the law into your own hands.

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