10 Twilight Zone Episodes That Eerily Predicted The Future
3. The Obsolete Man
This story of a librarian’s fight against a future totalitarian regime first aired during season 2. In this society, if an individual’s function is no longer considered useful then they are declared obsolete. The obsolete individual then has the right to choose the method of their own death.
The crafty librarian played by Burgess Meredith chooses to be secretly assassinated in his apartment in front of the Chancellor and a nationwide television audience.
Right before the execution, the librarian informs the Chancellor that there is a bomb in his locked apartment. The Chancellor cowers and begs for his life before the librarian lets him go. The cowardly act gets the Chancellor declared obsolete.
The use of video equipment, such as smartphones and bodycams, to record everyday life has become commonplace. It has been used to bring down corrupt individuals like the Chancellor, expose crime, defend the weak, and right the wrong.