I do not approve of the premise of the popular "Hunger Games" stories. Pitting teenagers against each other for the entertainment of the masses is just wrong. I know what you're thinking: Hey we do it all the time, it's called high school sports. Yes, but we don't force them to actually kill the opposition.
I have long been an advocate of getting old people to do government-sponsored fighting. It just makes sense to stop wasting young innocent lives and instead get really angry old guys to do the fighting with each other. Geezer Games might be a popular sport.
In his novel "Twenty Thirty" Albert Brooks envisions a society nearly 20 years in the future, where killer diseases such as Cancer and Alzheimer's have been eradicated by cures discovered circa 2014. The population of octogenarians has grown well beyond predicted lifespans. The burden of medicare and social security to support the new cadre of un-dead has bankrupted the government. Young people are forced to enter virtual indentured servitude to support aging parents. Generational conflicts inevitably evolve into open warfare between the old and young.
Both Brooks' pre-apocalyptic vision and the world where Hunger Games exist seem all too possible as our national leaders in both parties are stuck on short-term selfish concerns. It seems inevitable that the legacy we are leaving to our grandchildren is a polluted, over-heated planet, ruined economies, and the real specter of endless global conflict as a population control measure.
One of the recent reality shows (National Geographic) features "Doomsday Preppers." Folks who call themselves "Preppers" range from citizens who believe in being stocked with emergency supplies in the event of a local, short-term disaster, such as weather or other act of God, to those who are actually preparing for Armageddon or polar shifts or pandemics. Preppers are a subculture whose fears and plans have created a whole specialized market, blogs and newsletters.
As a fan of science fiction I have read numerous accounts of the post-apocalyptic future. None of them seems worth the effort of preparation to me. If I have the choice of a future, I think I would rather fight another geezer to the death for sport than to hide out in a bomb shelter with no TV or cold beer.
2 comments:
An over-heated planet will drive future conflicts and ruined economies. So what long-term actions should be taken to averet this looming disaster for our grandkids? Maybe voting-in a president who actually believes (acknowledges) the problem exists? HOld your nose if you must, but Obama and the Democrats in general are much more likely address the problem, though Republican opposition will thwart adequate remedial actions.
There is a club at Phillips Exeter Academy called Preppie Preppers. They have stocked up on cashmere sweaters, single-malt scotch, and chino pants. They also, in order to get good grades, believe in global warming.
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