New Worlds: Responses to Crisis

[swan_tower]

This week, the New Worlds Patreon pivots slightly from human migration and cultural contact to the question of how societies respond to crisis -- a question whose list of possible answers unfortunately includes "turn on any perceived outsiders" among its historical and present-day options. Comment over there . . .

(originally posted at Swan Tower: https://is.gd/sLMd43)

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

You might keep an eye out for blue_green_dream who is looking to create a community on resiliency in the face of current challenges.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Well, the good news is that I have not found much evidence of cannibal rape gangs in any of my historical reading. <<

While the exact details may be modern, there are many examples of roving bands of marauders historically and currently. Cannibalism is rare but rape is common.

"Barbarian" invaders of the Roman Empire were seen pretty much exactly how modern folks view apocalyptic gangs, although those where a symptom of collapse from the Roman side and a step up in organization for the outside cultures.

Here's an example of rape gangs from the Congo. This is typical of modern examples caused by government collapse and can be found in various places across Africa, the Middle East, and Central America.

Note that Africa and some other places also have roving bands of gasoline thieves, a signature group of apocalyptic settings.

>>If only so they can be the lone, gun-toting hero who mows down the monsters.<<

Amusingly my fans requested the exact opposite, so I got to figure out how to kill off most of the ablebodied white men in order to create a postapocalyptic setting full of women, people of color, queers, disabled people, etc. Yes, they survive primarily on cooperation and altruism.

>> Sometimes you can kind of see a logic behind this turn: <<

Well, it's right there in the name: xeno-phobia. A phobia is an irrational fear, or a fear of real threats taken to an exaggerated and harmful extreme. Favoring one's own group improves one's survival chances and reproductive success. Picking fights unnecessarily or blaming the wrong cause is counterproductive.

>> pre-existing prejudice: Jews in Europe were often accused of having maliciously poisoned wells <<

Now imagine how much worse the next round will be after Israel practicing genocide on Palestine. Even though Israel's actions do no apply to all Jews, that is the argument xenophobes will make -- and it's a lot more concrete than their previous fabrications.

>>Ascetic tendencies are similarly apt to get magnified.<<

Also a response to shortages, because voluntary simplicity is easier to tolerate than involuntary poverty and starvation.