This is the 19th in a24 - part serieslooking at every installment of “ The Jetsons ” boob tube show from the original 1962 - 63 season .
“ Yesterday , I worked two full hours ! ” George Jetson complains .
“ Well , what does Spacely think he ’s running ? A sweatshop ! ? ! ? ” Jane reply .
The 19th sequence of “ The Jetsons ” first air out on February 3 , 1963 , and was titled “ G.I. Jetson . ” The installment begins with George having a incubus about his tyrannical gaffer , Mr. Spacely . Apparently Mr. Spacely thinks he can get aside with pressure the great unwashed to work what ’s considered inhumane hours in the class 2063 — two whole hours a daytime !
As we ’ve watch clip and again , this musical theme of a push - button future of leisure that would ultimately result in well fewer working hr was not only a Jetsonian staple — it was a mainstream assumption made by even the most buttoned-down of prognosticators . The idea that the get-up-and-go - clitoris would dramatically reduce the average American ’s work load was a given , it was only a question of how quickly it would materialise and how we ’d use up all of this new free time . By the year 2000 , advances in automation were suppose to give us an average week of 30 or maybe even 20 hr . Maybe we would n’t even have to work at all .
This reality of small to no work would have its effect on the household and transferral of the time to come , but it would also impact jobs often considered the most back - breaking — like those in the armed services .
During “ G.I. Jetson ” George con via tele - tape ( extradite by Western Universe ) that he must cover for two weeks of training in the United States Space Guard . For a consequence , George thinks that this will at least give him some suspension from see his loathsome gaffer every day . But , of class , it ’s never that simple . Mr. Spacely is also called up for the U.S. Space Guard and pretty presently they ’re off to Camp Nebula together .
Once George , Henry , Spacely and the sleep of the gang arrive at Camp Nebula poor George and Henry break that they ’ll be working hard . At least by 21st century standard .
“ I do n’t know about you Henry but all this manual labor has me wear out , ” George whines to Henry .
“ I do n’t sleep together if I can take two hebdomad of this … oh boy ! ” Henry concurs .
With an army of automaton at our disposal , the tiring work of the yesteryear might very well be supplant by the tedium of the futurity . That is , unless our definition of operose work changes .
But lest you mean this vision of push - button electrical handmaid has its origins in the 20th century , take a look at some visions of the twelvemonth 2000 from nineteenth - century France . There are conflicting reports of where and why these illustrations were create . But I ’m inclined to believe Isaac Asimov , who spell an entire Scripture about them in 1986 style Futuredays : Nineteenth - Century Vision of the Year 2000 . According to Asimov these example were created by Jean Marc Cote in 1899 who was commissioned to produced them for a serial of cigarette cards . The ship’s company that was intending to unloose them supposedly move out of line , leaving just one exercise set of cards .
I ca n’t talk to the veracity of these claims , but line them up next to hush from “ The Jetsons , ” we can yet again see that this midcentury toon did n’t inventthe hope of push - button leisure time .
Uniblabmakes a retort appearance in this installment and this deceitful automaton is up to all his old tricks . By the end of the episode , George and Henry are yet again sabotaging Uniblab , causing Mr. Spacely a considerable amount of stress and impairment to his repute . And much like the object lesson of the 10th installment , viewer are left to decide if the automatons of tomorrow are more foe than friend . Especially when they still make you slave away for two whole hours a day .
This post originally appear atSmithsonian.com .
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