See more articles, reviews, fiction and poetry, including more of my writings, at group blog PLUTO'S REALM.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Post-Oil Man

I sort of have mixed feelings about this guy, sent to me by Jim. The artist, whom I've never encountered before, is James W. Johnson. This guy is certainly a mild version of what's bound to be going on within the next century, but if it takes a cartoon to get people to understand or even be interested in what's right before their faces, so be it.


I was always fascinated by dystopias like Brave New World, 1984, Dhalgren, etc. Even the most illiterate of the population have seen Mad Max and its ilk; Dark Angel was one of my favorite series of the last great gasp of network TV at the turn of the century. The population of the post-apocalypse was always pretty much the same, the quality of its representation depending on the author, but the cause was always different.


The cause of the end of civilization as we know it is now apparent: overpopulation, as stimulated, aggravated and made possible by Peak Oil, soon to be dealt with the way nature has always dealt with excess; by massive war, famine, disease, misery and death. As optimistic as some of my fellows are, there is no way to straighten the situation out without unprecedented human suffering. Most of the earth's population will have to die off, and the time frame is too short for any kind of population management, which has been fought against by morons for several generations now until it's too late.

The point at this point is not to save humanity; it's to prepare oneself to deal with the inevitable. The efforts made by the guy in the video won't last him long, any more than hoarding and the most strenous efforts you can make now can prepare you for the worst. In the war of all against all, nothing can survive, not even the strongest and the fittest. It's a battle to see who starves last. The current Oil Wars are only the most obvious sign.


All my efforts the last few years just enable me to see more clearly, and I can't filter it with wishful thinking any more. Just enjoy the fact that we've seen the high point. All those Jetsonian future utopias will never happen; we're almost as hi-tech as we're gonna get. Yeah, we'll have niftier cell phones. But the real things that could've been done in the previous generation that could've considerably lengthened the arc of the curve of human culture -- such as population management, rational and conversative planning for the earth's energy future, and political realism -- weren't. And it's too late now.


Maybe this is one reason I've lightened up on the Bush Cabal and the neo-fascists these past months. It really doesn't matter. The Republican losses in the last election may or may not slow the descent into hell, but the brakes are made of cotton candy and the roller coaster is already on the downhill track. So hang on and prepare to hit bottom, probably within the lifetime of current generations.


Have a good weekend.



3 comments:

Gareth Young said...

Always interesting to speculate, and the posting is one of the more entertaining I've seen in a while. But click through and take a look at the news ... EPIC

Kalki Weisthor said...

That's fascinating stuff; definitely in line with the world William Gibson foresaw. It seems quite credible and likely to me, although you have expertise in the tech involved, and I don't. And scary as hell! I already miss the days of responsible news. With the media coming completely under the thumb of either the government or commerical powers, the unconscious control of the masses seems even worse. It's a big brain without a conscience.

Of course the underlying question still exists: Without power, or food or the time/luxury to maintain it, what happens to the internet? It seems our lives are changing, just to be jerked back to square one.

Just wondering, is the history up til 2007 accurate? I'm not familiar with the Google grid (if it exists, we're on it right now.

cosmicdust said...

Have been a regular at your blog...I have even linked you up!!!

anyway, you have been tagged and I hope you will do the meme...This is a follow-up to KC's tagging me up!!!

Cheers and keep writing and inspiring us!!!