Ok people. Wars, nuclear powers, resource depletion, fucking asteroids, world famine, earthquakes, you name it.
Suppose: 1/1000th of the world population survived scattered arounf the globe. How do you think people would organise? Would they form small societies and cities, or would they live individualy in families? Do you think there would be states? Law? If so, what kind of law?
Anyway, here you can say and discuss your thoughts about your imagined post-apocalyptic society.
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Anonymous2011-03-12 22:16
As there would only be a few million people scattered across the world I expect states would consist of city states surrounded by supporting farmland in turn surrounded by uninhabited wilderness, perhaps a few outposts for resources like coal, scavenging abandoned towns and trading posts between city states that have contacted each other. The wealth of these city states would be far from medieval or 1st world, initially it would be like the late 19th century USA and later once basic utilities like sanitation and electricity are hooked up it would be like Brazil's with plenty of raw materials and technology tempered by labor intensive production and services.
Rule by the strongest would return including the reactionary social systems and nepotic administration needed to maintain stability, the warlords or their lieutenants would learn quickly that the more people they can attract to their city states the better off they will be, so they would most likely be very light handed in their rule and prioritize staying in power over extorting the populace. A city state of 20000 will have 200 in the "top 1%", yet there may only be one warlord, 10 lieutenants and a few 100 regulars in charge, I would expect those with political power to be diluted or coup'd by those with economic power and some kind of bureaucratic system of representation to form.
To begin with law would involve interpersonal relationships with whoever is in control and the judgement of society, later on they might emulate the previous government's law courts although I doubt anything resembling a police force with a scientific approach to solving crimes would reappear for quite some time, it would probably look something like the wild west.
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Anonymous2011-03-15 23:51
World gone to hell? Apocalypse got you down? Well there's only one thing to do. REPOPULATE!
Hmmm... post-apocalypse, people would finally get it, that power just leads to trouble. Also, living wastefully would become a sin.
Of the few people would remain, my descendants would be living in a equality based co-operative tribal society... mostly hunter-gatherer. Not a utopia: people would still get mad and hateful, or greedy and what-not, but the tribe would react in a simple, non-power based way: the person would be regarded compassionately as "sick".Folks would bring them chicken soup and sing songs of healing.
In fact, our whole period of history would be regarded as a period of "sickness".
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Anonymous2011-03-16 14:02
>>6
The mad hateful and greedy would team up and overthrow the hippies, shackling them and forcing them to pick cotton on their plantations so they can live in opulent splendor. And rightfully so because hippies are not human and do not exist to enjoy their lives.
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Anonymous2011-03-16 14:46
>>7
Ah, but then the hippies would run off to a big wide empty space (because: less population = more room for everyone) and do their own thing, where the greedy hateful folks wouldn't even know they were there.
This would probably last for at least a few hundred years.
>>7
Oh, it's the nigger/pet/Iwantmabike guy again. Guranteed value in any conversation...
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Anonymous2011-03-16 16:54
It would probably go back to the wild west. Medical supplies would go to what's left on hand to zero. People would, over time, lose immunity and die of simple illnesses or infected cuts or grazes. Food would have to be caught and killed again. Religion would weed it's way back into controlling everything. No technology. People who can perform manual tasks would be valued.
Basically everything would go to shit again.
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Anonymous2011-03-16 17:19
>>11
Regarding illnesses i think you're wrong. You don't lose immunity at the lack of medicine, your immune system grows stronger. Take gypsies for example. They live around rubbish, they scavvage all sort of shit we wouldn't touch but they hardly ever get sick. Even when they do, they usualy know how to cure themselves.
Still people would undouptably die out of silly diseases as you said.
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Anonymous2011-03-17 13:43
>>8
So that's the plan? Destroy civilization so you can spend 100 years being kicked off land by warlords and their expanding nations?
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Earthmama2011-03-17 16:32
>>13
Curses!
We've been discovered!
Quick!
Hide the earthquake machine!
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Anonymous2011-03-26 19:14
Hmm... Post-apocalyptic society
Post-apocalyptic, i.e. there has been an apocalypse. I.e. things have gone to shit, bigtime.
Meaning, most likely no internet.
No internet = no 4chan. In fact, no anychan.
Cloud with silver lining, or something? ;-)
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Anonymous2011-03-27 18:50
all nine to fivers will flip out, lose their shit and die.
gypsies will carry on as if nothing happened.
bring it on i say
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Anonymous2011-03-27 18:52
>>16
That's the spirit!
unless all the gypsies die from radiation poisoning...
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Anonymous2011-03-27 19:05
>>16
If 1/1000th of the population died the few gypsies left would most likely be on their own and join up with the nine to fivers.
>>20
in fact, i'll add to that that forever alone guy, working in IT with people he doesn't even know, buying his food from people he doesn't even know, is living faaar more like a hermit
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Anonymous2011-03-28 22:35
>>21 >>22
In order to transition from being a gypsy to a hermit there must be a difference. I did not imply gypsies are hermits, you did.
Also forever alone guy is not completely alone because he does have the occasional social interaction to buy more hot pockets at the 7/11 and he initiates the contact, so he's not a hermit.
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Anonymous2011-03-28 22:53
>>1
Society would organize itself like the Icelandic commonwealth
some of it would anyway
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Anonymous2011-03-29 19:59
6 million?
we arent recovering from that shit
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Anonymous2011-04-12 12:24
Good thread bump
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Anonymous2011-05-05 12:31
good thread bump again
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Anonymous2011-05-05 13:21
I think post apocalyptic societies, at the lack of a central globalizing authority will lead to the re-diversification of societies.
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Anonymous2011-05-05 14:18
>>25
The population was lower during prehistoric times. >>28 re-diversification of societies
Irrelevent, some tribe's custom of sticking things into their ass doesn't make them better than everyone else.
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Anonymous2011-05-05 16:27
I BET THE WASTELANDS OF BLACK AFRICA WOULD STILL BE POORER THAN THE WASTELANDS IN THE REST OF THE WORLD BECAUSE BLACK PEOPLE HAVE NO IQ.
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Anonymous2011-05-05 16:42
>>30
I BET THAT WHEN EVERYWHERE IS A WASTELAND WE WILL ALL SHOUT LIKE YOU. ALL THE TIME.