38. A Room in a Disused Bunker (Later)
The room is now crowded. About 50 men and a few women chat in small groups, glasses of wine or bottles of beer in their hands. The conversations are lively.
Rows of chairs make a semicircle around the table, behind which four men are seated, facing the audience.
JACK, to the audience
Gentlemen, ladies, please sit down.
Everyone sits down. Those who do not have a chair remain standing behind. The conversations die away.
JACK
For those who do not know me, my name is Jack Daniels. As a delegate of the SPERM for the State of Utah, I am glad to welcome you in our good city of Orem for our third mini-symposium.
The goal of this meeting is to sketch the latest developments relating to our international activities. Three of our delegates will take the floor today. I immediately hand over to Max Jordan, our delegate for California and SPERM representative in Asia.
MAX
Hi, everyone. Today, I’ll talk about the Philippines. Unfortunately, what I have to tell is not very positive, especially since an identical phenomenon was observed in all the countries of South-East Asia where the same project was launched.
You will remember that two years ago, to dodge the treatments imposed by the authorities and father boys outside the caste system, we started promoting the emigration of women from impoverished regions of Asia to the United States and Europe. Each woman would receive two hundred and fifty thousand dollars with all travel expenses and immigration costs paid. In return, we asked each to have three children with one of our men. The contract stipulated that their pregnancies would be “natural,” meaning that they would be the result of a sexual relationship with our man. They would also refuse any external intervention on the fetus, except if their own life was in danger.
He drinks some water, before resuming.
MAX
Unfortunately, after having supported this project for two years, I’m obliged to throw in the towel: we have utterly failed.
Of the hundred and fifty-three women that we brought to the United States, eighty-eight of them have already returned to their home country, taking their children with them.
All those who still live here have been so delighted by the system that they have broken their contract with us by announcing their pregnancy and by giving birth at one of the Family Planning clinics.
Someone in the audience interrupts him.
PARTICIPANT #1, with an aggressive tone
And the money then? Did you let those bitches keep the money?
MAX
Um… We have been able to get our money back in six cases only… You see, the nature of our activities does not allow us to undertake any legal action… And recovering the money from those who had returned to their country was even more difficult.
Max drinks some water to conceal his emotion. A second delegate takes the opportunity to speak.
PETER
Excuse me for interrupting you, Max, but I’ve seen the same phenomenon in Central and South America.
Seeing that Max does not seem to want to speak, Jack says:
JACK
Go on, Peter.
PETER
Thank you, Jack. My name is Peter Gaultier, and I represent the State of Washington.
I would like to mention another occurrence that is rapidly spreading and that has severe consequences on our freedom of movement. These past two years, many men who wanted to escape the segregation they suffer here decided to start a new life in countries such as Venezuela or Uruguay.
However, their migration caused many conflicts with the local populations. In the first place, because of the money they brought with them: it created severe imbalances and disrupted the traditional economy. But more importantly, they married locally, reducing thus the number of women available for indigenous males. This led to riots, and to the murder of several immigrants with their wives and children.
Suddenly, the aggressive participant stands up noisily.
PARTICIPANT #1
I’m fed up with these projects that don’t lead anywhere. It’s war, and we have to fight, that’s the only thing that those bitches will understand. Let’s spill the blood they are so proud of!
JACK, soothingly
I understand what you’re saying, and I share your anger. However, you should know that we do not have the means to wage war against them. The time will definitely come, but until then, we have to organize our fight within the realm of our possibilities.
Very agitated, the participant heads towards the exit, pushing aside those who stand in his way.
PARTICIPANT #1, shouting
They’re playing with your balls, and all you can do is cum before a relic! I’ll show them what a bull is made of!
He disappears.
JACK, to the public
Sorry about that.
(to Peter)
Go on, Peter.
PETER
I just want to add that local authorities have introduced laws to stop what they call the “North-South sexual migration,” making it impossible for foreigners to marry indigenous girls.
MAX
The same thing is happening in Asia. In Laos for example, a law has just been passed that deprives a woman who marries a foreigner of her Laotian nationality. A few countries are even taking protectionist measures. The American government has also decided to curb sexual migration by making exit visas for men departing for these countries compulsory, and by blocking their bank accounts to oblige them to return. Of course, this doesn’t apply to women.
JACK
Thank you, Peter!
(turning towards Richard)
Our third speaker this evening is Richard Thorpe, our delegate for the State of New York. Richard, I hope you have some more positive notes for us…
RICHARD
I’m afraid not.
A reaction of disappointment goes through the crowd.
RICHARD
I investigated the so-called “farms” that are flourishing in remote places of the American continent, and that are also found in Europe and in Japan. These farms, whose official name is Natural Birth Centers, allow women to give birth outside the regular Family Planning centers.
Someone in the audience interrupts him.
PARTICIPANT #2
But why would the government create a competitor to their own Family Planning centers?
RICHARD
That’s precisely what triggered my curiosity, but the authorities remain very discreet on this subject, and I couldn’t get any official answer to this question. I had therefore to conduct my own investigation, and one thing became quickly clear: these farms — which in the meantime have grown into real villages — are strictly forbidden to men.
This led me to conclude that they are intended to create a micro-society only composed of women and children, an environment from which the male element is entirely excluded.
The public strongly reacts to these words. Richard waits for the calm to return before resuming.
RICHARD, turning to Jack
If my interpretation is correct, boys who are born in these centers will have to leave them when they reach puberty.
JACK, faking a smile
Thank you, Richard, you have delivered us the coup de grâce.
(to the audience)
But we must not lose hope. It is thanks to the technological advances of the last two hundred years, which were principally the work of men, that women have been enabled to overthrow the patriarchal society. Today, it is up to us to develop the tools that will allow us to reestablish a status of equality.
For our next mini-symposium, I would like us to work on the idea of love as a weapon. Throughout history, love has played a paramount role in male-female relationships. Curiously, love has disappeared from the social discourse today. Could love represent the Achilles’ heel of the matriarchal society?
Before we leave, I want to remind you that demonstrations are planned for tomorrow to mark Male Day. It is imperative that this day unfolds without any violence: we certainly do not want to give ammunition to those who want to censor us! I hope to see you all tomorrow.
The delegates and the audience stand up. The conversations resume, but the spirits are low.
