The Jetson’s Theory

An Incredible Coincidence

I became very observant during 2020. The ongoing pandemic created opportunities for problem solvers. A legendary physician Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis came to mind quite often during this period. In 1846 women were dying from puerperal fever commonly known as childbed fever during childbirth, the good doctor set out to find an answer to why this was occurring at his hospital compared to the midwives’ clinic.

With a scientific approach, doctor Semmelweis began sifting through his theories. Dr. Semmelweis’s practice duel wielded tasks autopsying the deceased and assisting the midwives during all hands-on deck help with giving birth. This additional duty differentiated when compared to the midwives’ ward. The early understandings of contagion began to materialize. After witnessing a colleague cutting his hand on a jagged cadaver bone and dying from the same illness that befell the birthing mothers, Dr Semmelweis hypothesized the leftover cadaver pieces on his hands were the cause of the sickness.

A solution was born in which Dr. Semmelweis washed his hands in chlorinated lime water before any patient contact was made. This handwashing technique worked incredibly well and cut the mortality rate dramatically!  Washing hands before assisting in deliveries became a rule at Dr. Semmelweis practice. The Doctor made all his staff and students follow this new protocol. In 1846 the conversation about germs and handwashing as a means of sanitizing and stopping the spread of communicable disease didn’t exist. Dr. Semmelweis was a man far advanced for his time.  His idea created a stir and caused a paradigm shift which his colleagues of his time weren’t ready for. Doctor Semmelweis ‘s discovery of washing one’s hands with soap and water remains the standard precaution to this day. For his efforts and convictions Dr. Semmelweis was committed to an insane asylum where he died and was never heard from again.

“Evidence of high technology in in public programing?”

Let’s fast forward into the year 1962.  The decade of space exploration and technology entered with an iconic cartoon “The Jetsons”. Debuting In 1962 “The Jetsons” depicted a vision of 100 years into the future.  2062 was the date The Jetsons lived. It’s hard to believe that just 100 years ago from 1962 they were committing people into insane asylums for the belief that washing hands removed microbes. “The Jetsons” cartoon remains popular and ambiguous as ever in omitting the reasons why they live in sky high apartments and why their clothing looks the way it does. Design is one way of explaining humanities building construction, even clothing. There are factors to consider behind what drives design. During 2020 we once again revisited the time-tested precaution of hand washing ushered in by Dr. Semmelweis. Signs and instructions everywhere reminding us to wash our hands. With the surface of our hands being a major breeding ground for infectious diseases such as the common cold, a campaign of educating the public was underway. Did we really need reminding of such an easy task like handwashing?

Obviously to some effect we as humans forget or altogether aren’t washing our hands well enough. The process of handwashing hasn’t changed since Dr. Semmelweis’s introduction in 1846. If we are to become a futuristic society like we see in The Jetsons, then expanding on the clean surface of our hands concept through self-sanitized surfaces around us would be the obvious next step.  One of my theories about “The Jetsons universe” is they use “self-sanitizing” surfaces in their world.

Take a good look at the setting behind and around the characters, look at the furniture design and layout. There is a giant world of symbolism that exists, secret messages if you will, call them easter eggs even, but think about this…what safer way to describe and present the future of humans dominating and controlling the spread of deadly disease through high technology, than in a cartoon form?  The ambiguous storyline of The Jetsons leaves room for interpretation.  A lack of door handles in The Jetsons world seems to indicate the evolution of efficiency by means of “automatics”. There is a lack of physical touch points. A side effect of no “Community touch points” is NO Germs.  If the public doesn’t have to touch a door to open it that’s one less common area where undoubtedly germs collect and thrive. I will bring up and reference germs while comparing them to the Jetsons as I believe the reason the show doesn’t explain things is more precautionary because of lessons learned from 1846 about speaking boldly about the existence of germs.

I think it’s important to state a handful of examples of Jetsons technology which have come true as of 2024. Robotic vacuum cleaners, video calls which can include “Tele health”, smart phones, smart watches, flat screen TVs, and even self-driving cars.

“PANDEMICS ARE GAME CHANGERS”

A once in a lifetime event happened in 2020 with the world shutting down for mysterious illnesses happening all around us left us wondering where can we escape to get away from contagion? Narrow bands of strong wind in the upper levels of the atmosphere, typically occurring at around 30,000 feet exist. At this height, a continuous stream of fresh and cleansing air can be found far away from the vermin and disease that exists at sea level.

Putting clues together from the breadcrumbs left by the cartoon show a blueprint is revealed to those looking at the symbolism. What’s the name of the narrow bands of air at 30,000 feet called? The Jet Stream. Getting away from global pandemics and implementing solutions created the reason for them to live high above in the clouds away from the filth and disease of the streets of highly populated areas such as modern American cities have. The attractive part of watching The Jetsons is the futuristic gadgets and technology they use in their daily lives. Safety is a prevailing force which dictates design and construction. The fire prevention act of 1974 gave us life safety codes within our buildings and spaces. Additionally, it also gave us fire prevention technologies such as smoke detectors, sprinkler systems and even fire-resistant building materials. If you look closely at any modern building, you’ll see all these precautionary measures in place and for good reason. A healthy fear of the devastating nature of fire has bought us all the way to this point. The modern world has implemented and accounted for the containment of the spread of fires. Preventing the spread of deadly fires dictates building design, clothing design and even vehicle design. If you look at the concept of the Jetsons through the lens of “A Preventive Measure”, germs are the cause of a lot of the design and architecture that is found quietly in the background of this immensely iconic and still relevant cartoon.

…to be continued!