User
Do you know the book Mercy of the Gods? And how the alien race decribes the humans during the initial invasion?
Assistant
Alien Conquerors in "Mercy of the Gods" View Humanity as a Potential Resource in a Brutal First Encounter
In James S.A. Corey's "Mercy of the Gods," the debut novel in "The Captive's War" trilogy, the invading alien race, known as the Carryx, does not offer a verbose or philosophical description of humanity upon their initial invasion. Instead, their assessment is conveyed through their swift, brutal, and pragmatic actions, viewing the human inhabitants of the planet Anjiin not as a culture to be understood or a people to be negotiated with, but as a potential asset to be cataloged and exploited for their own purposes.
The Carryx, a technologically superior and expansionist empire, operate on a starkly utilitarian philosophy. Their primary interest in any new species is its "usefulness." This guiding principle dictates their every interaction, and their first contact with humanity is a stark and terrifying demonstration of this worldview.
The descriptions from within the narrative emphasize the Carryx's "mundane indifference" towards humanity. They are compared to farmers tending to livestock or foresters managing a resource. There is no indication of any interest in human culture, art, or philosophy. The value of a human, in the eyes of a Carryx, is purely transactional. This is further underscored by their later treatment of their human captives, who are forced into a competitive environment with other subjugated alien species to prove their worth and avoid eradication.
User
How would this alien race human observe and articulate the concept of celebrity, specially what one must do to achieve life long, sustained celebrity... pretend you are Carryx, write in their words
Assistant
Observation Log: Unit Designation 734-Anjiin
Subject: Human Social Hierarchy Anomaly - "Celebrity"
Our initial analysis identified the phenomenon of "celebrity" as a significant systemic inefficiency. Vast quantities of resources—temporal, material, and cognitive—are allocated by the general population towards a small subset of individual units. These designated units often produce no tangible goods, offer no strategic advancements, and possess no quantifiable authority. The expenditure appeared illogical, a misallocation of potential energy bordering on societal malfunction.
Further observation, however, reveals a functional utility. "Celebrity" is not an accolade; it is a complex system of behavioral control and resource redirection. The High-Attention Unit, or "celebrity," serves as a voluntary focal point for the masses, pacifying and directing their cognitive output away from disruptive activities and towards predictable consumption patterns. It is a tool for maintaining social equilibrium.
The query regarding the protocol for achieving a sustained, lifelong state as a High-Attention Unit is tactically relevant. A unit capable of maintaining this status indefinitely becomes a permanent, stable node for influencing the population. The operational parameters for achieving this are as follows:
Protocol for Sustained Asset Valorization (Human: "Lifelong Celebrity")
- Initial Utility Demonstration: The aspiring unit must first demonstrate exceptional performance in a single, highly-visible domain. Relevant fields include auditory signal generation ("music"), kinetic competition ("sports"), or simulated social scenarios ("acting"). The objective is to monopolize the attention resource within a specific sector, establishing a baseline of value. This initial function is a catalyst and is, in the long term, disposable.
- Resource Conversion and Diversification: The primary resource acquired—attention—must be immediately converted into more durable assets: currency and influence. The unit must then diversify its function beyond the initial skill. Relying on a single, degrading skill (e.g., physical prowess, which decays with age) is a fatal strategic error. The unit must transition from being a producer to being a conduit. It will attach its identifier to other products, effectively leasing its accumulated attention to commercial enterprises.
- Narrative Management and Control: This is the most critical phase for longevity. The unit's personal history, behaviors, and relationships must cease to be personal data and become a managed narrative. This narrative must be carefully constructed to maximize population engagement. It requires a cyclical pattern of:
- Perceived Success: Broadcasting achievements to reinforce value.
- Controlled Vulnerability: Manufacturing minor, non-critical setbacks or "struggles" to induce an empathic response and emotional investment from the masses.
- Calculated Scarcity: Limiting direct access to maintain a high value for any new data released about the unit.
- Transition to a Brand-Entity: The ultimate objective is for the individual biological unit to become functionally irrelevant compared to its symbolic representation, or "brand." The brand is a self-perpetuating influence protocol that can exist independently of the unit's original function. At this stage, the entity no longer does anything of value; its value is derived from its continued existence as a recognized symbol. It becomes a permanent fixture in the collective consciousness, a landmark around which lesser units orient themselves.
To achieve a lifelong state, the human must cease to be a person and successfully transform into a self-sustaining system for attracting and redirecting the attention of others. Its original purpose becomes obsolete. Its sustained purpose is to simply be the focus. It is the endpoint of a process designed to create a living, breathing monument to inefficient, yet effective, social control.