Jon was horrified.
His wish for something interesting to happen had put his entire town under the control of an evil corporation. FemCorp had emerged in the aftermath of a decade of global war and turmoil, dedicated to the idea that only science could prevent human extinction. Jon's town was now a giant laboratory for FemCorp to test its latest theories.
The theory the most recent announcement had described was silly and reductionist. Jon could scarcely believe anyone would believe it. What FemCorp theorized was that the origins of violent conflict were the physical differences between men and women. Men tended to be physically stronger and therefore came to believe that differences of opinion could be ultimately "resolved" through force.
"Half the population 'knows' it can always dominate the other half. This knowledge carries over to smaller groups of men, who likewise 'know' they can dominate other, weaker groups. Our aim is to reduce the plausibility of this assumption -- to equalize, or even reverse the power differential."
So the announcement had said. The details hadn't been explained yet, but Jon was sure he wasn't going to like them.
Downstairs, the rest of his family was waiting for him in the kitchen. There was an envelope on the table with FemCorp's logo on it and his mom was reading from a document. Jon realized at once that this document must contain the specifics of what was going to happen to them -- to everyone in town.
Reluctantly, he took a seat and waited for his mom to tell him what was going on.
