Indemnification of the Species

In an attempt to advance the stereotype of the greater sex, I call to your attention a typical journey on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, or on any roadway in America, which involves a display of unnecessary and life-threatening aggression. Try this: while traveling at a steady seventy miles per hour (use your cruise control if you have to), avoid rear-ending the slower car in front of you by glancing in your rear-view mirrors and maneuvering into the passing lane. Inevitably, a large pickup truck or SUV will appear as if from nowhere. The driver, most likely a teeth-gnashing, belligerent homo sapiens male, will mark his territory, accelerating until his teeth-gnashing grille hovers just inches above your sloped rear end, until you return to the slow lane. Next, he’ll move a few car lengths ahead of you, before returning to his previous speed, on the lookout for anyone else who might show any sign of invading his turf, the fast lane. Thus, our warring species spirals on its way to extinction. I imagine our defense department has its best boys working on a nanotech robot virus designed to temper testosterone levels, i.e., when the homo sapiens enemy male feels aggressive, say, after the homo sapiens American male has initiated an illegal war or whatever, the robot virus would gobble up testosterone in the enemy until he returns to the slow lane. Naturally, the robot virus would eventually spread to all homo sapiens, and the planet would be at peace. And maybe a little dull.