Pacifiers were very common objects.
They could be found in almost every supermarket, and there were many kinds, shapes, and textures of pacifiers.
A pacifier might not seem like much. Aside from the fact that a small number of adults occasionally used them, their only purpose was to soothe infants.
Most families in the Federation had more than one child, and families with multiple children generally did not wait too long between births.
Considering that most women in these families were full-time housewives, this was perfectly normal.
So while they were doing the laundry, cleaning the house, or cooking, they needed something to free them from the "meddling" of their babies.
Pacifiers were cheap and effective. Once one was stuffed into a baby's mouth, the baby would suck vigorously without getting anything out of it, eventually falling asleep from exhaustion.
Even if the baby did not fall asleep, at least it would not be screaming nonstop.
That was why pacifiers were so important to families with infants! Sociologists had previously claimed that the excessive abuse of pacifiers would cause the age range of pacifier users to keep rising, and there had been reports that some adults used them as well.
From the perspectives of medical science and psychology, pacifiers were essentially a form of "deception." They served to provide comfort.
The medical conglomerates had consequently developed many "Starch Agents." Their primary ingredient was starch, mixed with a small amount of sedative, and they were highly effective for patients suffering from psychologically induced illnesses.
The patients would convince themselves that the stuff was useful to them, and then it would work very well...
In truth, it was not only infants and adults who needed pacifiers. Society needed them too.
Judging from the current structure of Federation society, the entertainment industry was