X-Message-Number: 32792
Subject: Re: Marketing cryonics
From: David Stodolsky <>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:42:09 +0200
References: <>

On 23 Aug 2010, at 11:00 AM, CryoNet wrote:

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> If you want to sell a book including cryonics to women, cryonics will 
have to 
> play a secondary role. For example, a plot of the family relationships that 

> develop when a suspended husband reappears and wants his 'old' wife back, who 
in
> the meantime has remarried could be interesting.<<<<<<<
> 

> Interestingly, my proposal was based on relationships. Briefly, the story 
centres on complex family relationships. It concerns a woman dealing with 'empty
nest syndrome' initially and a stale marriage. One son wants cryonics: the 
father (a pathologist)opposes it:  mother supports son and becomes interested 
herself. The two other siblings have mixed feelings so plenty of opportunity for
discussions. The son becomes terminally ill so the final decision had to be 
made quickly, taking his other relationships into consideration. 
> 

> But ... as I say, I don't have the appropriate qualifications (fame, football,
politician, TV chef or even a model!)and the publishing market is currently 
pretty dire. Taking a gamble is a long lost art.
> 
> 
> Chrissie de Rivaz


The plot seems too centered on cryonics and not on the potential new types of 
relationship problems that cryonics could create. It seems that the same plot 
could revolve around a novel drug that cost a lot of money, for example. 
Therefore, the reader isn't presented with new types of relationship problems or
possibilities. 


It is clear the old story line of getting married and living happily ever after,
which still appears to be the main theme of many novels of this type, is 
becoming more and more unrealistic as life spans increase. It originates in the 
early biblical period when life expectation was about twenty years. So, a 
lifelong marriage would last fifteen years on the average. Due to the 1/4 year 
per year increase in life expectation over the last couple of hundred years, 
lifelong marriage is more like fifty years today. This has increased the 
apparent divorce rate and triggered new patterns of marriage. Some try to 
continue in the traditional pattern and the result is serial monogamy. Others 
adopt open marriage strategies, groups marriage, polyamory, etc. So, this is 
what I mean when I say new types of family relationships. 


As technology develops, we will see vastly extended life spans and people 
returning from suspension, either with or without previous partners. Plenty of 
new relationship combinations are available. However, in this type of story, 
cryonics and other life extension modifications would not be the central point. 
These new developments would play no more a central role then a liver transplant
would play in a modern day story. 


dss


David Stodolsky
  Skype: davidstodolsky

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