Why I Wrote Susie by John Argo

= Why I Wrote Susie =

Explanation by John Argo

Call It Social Commentary

Reaction to a True News Story

I wrote this short-short around 1995, as best I can remember in 2019. As a parent, and as a responsible citizen, I was apalled by a horrifying true news story. It is a story that occurs all too often. I'll spare you the details—read this story. As a writer, my way of venting the rage and sickness I felt at the loss of this innocent little life (seven years old) was to write a story in which things turn out quite a bit differently. Maybe, also, in some distant time or place yet to come, this story might help in some tiny way to change things for future generations. One can hope.

NHI: No Human Involved. As I post this explanation (in hope of heading off any further hysteria before the story has been fully read), I remember the original title was NHI: No Human Involved. That is in itself a somewhat controversial term or legend from police (fiction? mythology?). It cannot be a Constitutionally lawful or real term, and it can be taken in a number of ways that we don't need to explore, and take the focus away from this story. After you have read the story, think about that phrase. In short order, it was easier and cleaner just to name the story as I did. If it causes discussion, all the better. At the same time, we must remember that our solutions should be lawful and appropriate. We don't want vigilante justice; so is the scenario in Susie lawful? I don't know. But the horror of monsters like Buck among us is real.

As a society, we have to channel more energy into curing cancer, providing universal health care, and stopping predators like Buck in this story. Maybe, as we enter the dawn of the Artificial Intelligence age, there will be police like Susie out there looking for the predators. I don't know, and I'm not guessing or recommending. I was indulging in a moment of rage, expressed through my computer keyboard. As a husband and father, I am naturally going to react with a sense of pain and rage when reading about such matters. All normal men and women will feel the same sadness, anger, and helplessness, not to mention sympathy for the bereaved family and community of the victim.

As a somewhat (sickly amusing) followup, I emailed the story to a very fine guy, a friend of mine, who had just begun working at another systems development firm in town. It was his first week on the job, and he wasn't yet known by the other employees. He told me that, during a break from work, he had just opened it at his desk, and begun reading. A fellow employee happened to be walking past, stopped out of curiosity to read the first page over his shoulder, and rushed hysterically to Human Resources to demand my friend be fired.

Sometimes a story is indeed horrifying but true. It takes courage to write, and it takes courage to read. Our reaction should be mature, responsible, sane, and constructive. How can we solve the problem in a civilized, democratic manner rather than run away from reality, hide our head in the sand, and avoid the information by punishing the messenger? My story did not bring the little girl back, and I don't remember if they ever caught the monster ('Buck'). Maybe this story will make some parent extra alert in the future, and prevent what happened (irretrievably) in that true 1990s news story—it happens all too often.