Indistinction
The speaker predicts a future in which the distinction between men and women will be empty. A reactionary interpretation of this passage fueled by the politics of paranoia would likely argue that the phrase “women will still be women but the distinction will be empty” symbolizes a genderless future for humans. The reality of the symbolism is no less frightening to such a political faction. The lack of a distinction refers to the realization of gender equality between men and women.
History
History in the present is symbolized as something with a “hard spine & dog-eared corners.” This passage reflects on how history books are confused with actual history. The two, of course, are not always identical and often present alternative versions of the truth. One cannot change the history that one reads in a book if that book is the only version of the history they ever learn. History books are symbolically situated as an outdated and even archaic way to learn history which the future will correct with more nuanced approaches to learning. On a deeper level, however, the speaker is pointing out that history is not literally the factual events of the past, but only a symbol that, unlike facts, is subject to interpretation and alteration, and manipulation.
Dancing with Ourselves
The speaker is predicting a future that will remain heavily influenced by the rise of social media, the internet, and the democratization of celebrity culture which no longer requires special talents or abilities. In fact, the speaker is predicting that the current state of narcissistic self-expression in which the camera is in the selfie position by default for the intended purpose of entertaining others will ultimately reach the logical extreme in which the narcissistic display is reserved solely for our own entertainment as well.
The Standard Uranium-Neutralizing Device (S.U.N.)
This is another case of current reality being taken to a logical extreme. The history of human evolution can be summed up, in one perspective, as the relentless effort to recreate every outdoor experience possible an indoor experience. The leap from recreating a rainforest inside a restaurant to recreating the illumination of the sun inside the home may seem unlikely when it really probably just a matter of time. Nobody alive today may live to see this symbol of virtual reality come to fruition, but the odds of it eventually getting there seem pretty good.
“Popular Consensus”
The speaker directly credits “popular consensus” as being responsible for the entire population enjoying an extension of life expectancy. In this case, “popular consensus” is a symbolic code for demand (quite possibly through the threat of violence) by the less economically powerful majority for an equitable health care system that does not cater exclusively to those who can afford life-sustaining treatment.
