Challenge #01903-E079: Forced AdaptationsteemCreated with Sketch.

in #fiction6 years ago

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If you don’t want someone to push a button, do NOT label it *‘Do Not Push’ * and whatever you do, do NOT make it big or red. -- TheDragonsFlame

It is rare, indeed, that the introduction of a species causes a revolution in the way that the Galactic Alliance runs its standards and practices. Humans were one of the few who did that in large strides. For centuries or longer, many other species adapted to the standards, rather than forcing change on the standards themselves.

For centuries, the emergency button was big, red, and shiny, and had the current GalStand words for Do Not Push in big shiny letters. So that all crewmembers could see it and avoid it. Galactic Society quickly noticed the Wet Paint Effect and changed it to a much smaller button under a glass window with a lock.

After way too many human crew literally smashing through to the button in question, it was changed to a solid panel in emergency colours with a mechanical lock. And a saner crewmember had the key deliberately hidden on their person.

Humans are kind of reckless that way.

Buttons are completely removed from the ERT booths, replacing them with a simple nook with a scanner to read the summoner's ID. The rest of the booth would only open after the automated warning played. Hefty penalties for misuse were the only things that could discourage a human from frivolous usage.

The caveat, of course, being that the occasional heavily-wounded human will drag themselves, bleeding, into a med-station. Unsure that their degree of injury qualified as a 'real emergency'. And all the PSA's and cute mnemonics in the civilised universe will not stop them.

Otherwise, most Humans are adaptable enough to deal with everything else. It's helping others adapt to Humans that has turned out to be the long-term problem.

[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / grandfailure]

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That's why we are humans. To push big red buttons and destroy ourselves.

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