MovieChat Forums > Demolition Man (1993) Discussion > 'The Three Seashells' make no sense

'The Three Seashells' make no sense

posted 14 days ago by avortac4 (3665)
4 replies | jump to latest

Oh, chromosomically advantaged youth - where to start?

First, why laugh at someone that doesn't know how those things work? They are still a relatively new thing, as we have people from John (ALWAYS JOHN? Can't people in movies EVER be named something else?) Spartan's generation still alive.

They had to learn from scratch, as did probably most older people - they didn't grow up with it.

Second, it's hard to believe there hasn't been and still isn't (ongoing) overlapping. Masses can't move to a completely new, alien, non-intuitive system from an old, reliable, easy, intuitive system instantly, it takes time, and a lot of overlap. They should still be in some kind of transitioning period from toilet paper to the 3SS, as I like to shorten it (masonic 3 with SS.. great stuff again, hollyweird).

Third, many people had to learn it, and are still getting adjusted to it, so there should ABSOLUTELY be all kinds of pamphlets and guides, manuals and tutorials everywhere, especially inside the toilets themselves. There should be written instructions á la 2001: Space Odyssey or something! How does everyone learn something new and unintuitive and then completely discard how they learned it and laugh at people who UNDERSTANDABLY don't even know about it?

Fourth, they install 'knitting program' for John, 'how to use computers' for Simon, but can't install something MORE BASIC, like how the society functions now when it comes to toilets in their 'brainwashing programming'?

WHY would this important part NOT be part of their programming? As this movie tells us, this programming can be changed at any time, so there's no excuse. WHY NOT INCLUDE THIS CRUCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT A PROFOUND CHANGE?!

Fifth, 'three' anything seems cumbersome and unnecessary, even wasteful. Why three? Also, why is it limited to exactly three? Toilet paper ply amount is 'unspecified' and fully customizable. This thing isn't, so it would have to be SUPER good in all possible ways to replace such a functional and customizable system people were already used to. How is this better? Is it more comfortable? Is it more efficient? Is it more comfortable?

Sixth, going from 'general utility' like 'paper' to a VERY specific, specified, un-customizable thing seems very strange - WHY would they introduce this change? Before, everyone could buy whatever brand they wanted and use it any way they desired, but now everyone is forced to conform to the same standard.. somehow?

Seventh, are these real seashells? If so, is there a seashell farm somewhere in the ocean just to make these things? Do they have to MURDER DEATH KILL innocent sealife just so people can poop, when before, making toilet paper only destroyed nature? (Granted, trees are alive, too.. but this topic is too big) I mean, if they're real seashells, what do they feed them, and is this really more economic way? Are they discarded after use, or 'forever'?

Also, if they are NOT real, but just shell-shaped 'apparatuses' (still begs the questions why the shape and why three), they shouldn't really be called seashells at all - maybe just shells or robo-shelloids or whatnot.

Eighth - people would never call them 'the three seashells'. It's VERY slow and cumbersome to say, does not roll off the tongue easily, it's almost like a tongue-twister. People would quickly find some shorter way of saying it, like just 'shells' or 'shiz'. Not my fault the implications are vast here..

Ninth - if they are just a 'permanent' thing you never need to change or maintain, would people even ever really talk about them?

Tenth - if they are so unintuitive that you can't figure it out without some kind of guide/manual, there would be thousands upon thousands of people that either would not use them, could not use them, wouldn't know how to use them, etc. There would be 'seashell phobias' and 'seashell illiteracy' and so on. Just try to teach your grandmom how to use a tracker to create music or how to install some new software and you should see what I mean.

Also, there would be NO ONE laughing at it, because everyone would remember their OWN struggles to learn how to use them, and so on.

Eleventh - WHY laugh at someone that has been cryogenically frozen for 70 years or whatever it was? Isn't it completely UNDERSTANDABLE that someone that has basically been worse than 'living under a rock' for decades, doesn't know how this MASSIVE NEW CHANGE functions?

Twelveth - as I have mentioned before, it's basically impossible to not only create something better, easier, more intuitive/effective/etc. than toilet paper, but also to replace it fully in a society. There would ALWAYS be people that can't do it or won't do it and would find some way to use paper instead. Heck, there would be 'contraband' toilet paper and 'bootletting' of toilet paper would be big business.

Are you telling me these 'underground rebels' use seashells instead of paper?

[–] avortac4 (3665) 14 days ago

The only way something could be better than toilet paper, would be some kind of automated system where you don't have to care about it at all, and some toilet robot would do everything for you, and you would feel even cleaner afterwards.

Of course, that kind of system would hardly be called 'the three seashells', and there would be MASSIVE, massive implications again... not only from 'who cleans the thing' (it being self-cleaning would also reach other implications, like self-cleaning other things), but 'what if power goes out' or 'can you trust a robot to touch your intimate areas'...

..and of course, OF COURSE this part would lead to the whole 'sex robot' implication that would spawn a booming industry almost overnight.

This whole three seashells-business is just RIDICULOUSLY stupid, no matter how you think about it. The last thing any society should try to do is try to replace something that isn't broken, and toilet paper should be the LAST thing that would ever need replacing. There are bides and japanese toilets have all kinds of luxuries, but a toilet paper is like a typewriter; it works without electricity even in the crudest of living conditions, cabins in the woods or just woods themselves, whereas the 'three seashells'? Err..

Fourteenth - ... what do HIKERS do? What about people that have cabins in the woods? How about minimalists or people that try to live off the grid or simplify their lives and so on?

There is NO way this kind of 'replacement' could ever, EVER work. Toilet paper is just too intuitive, too handy, too easy to use and too good at adjusting to different kinds of conditions, electricity or no electricity.

I wish writers would sometimes think a bit more before they decide to implement a 'great idea', I wouldn't have to type so much..

[–] Lord Rake (4044) 14 days ago

They are just for decoration, in this future environment people think it is healthier not to wipe at all.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12876) 14 days ago

Both my brother and I read up on the 3 Seashells thing, and apparently it was supposed to be a meaningless gag to keep people guessing on how you used that in the bathroom to wipe your butt. As we all know, this movie was partially a comedy, albeit some of the jokes kinda fell flat.

[–] cv1cv (458) 11 days ago

BEWARE! Avortac4 is a troll trying to waste everyone's time with such idiotic comments. Look at his posts. He doesn't think anything in any film makes sense. His post may seem like it makes sense in the first sentence or two. But he always quickly wanders off into a completely idiotic idea, and then writes a wall of text that makes no sense. And his sole purpose is to waste your time, thinking he's cute for doing so. Don't feed the troll. If you write a comment, you're giving this troll EXACTLY what he wants. Don't comment after my comment.