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Whilst engaging in a flatulent foray on TextFiles, I came across an old short from Kurt Saxon on the topic, entitled "Killer Caravans", which covers brigand bands in the collapse of civilization. (The aforementioned author wrote a number of preparedness and related books back in the day. Much of it ranged from of debatable value to dangerously stupid. Though it is a curious cultural artifact, if nothing else. Beep-beep.)
Regardless, the concept warrants consideration; after all the history of major disasters or complete societal collapse often featured factionalization along various lines. In some cases it is simply a group of people thrown together in the midst of the chaos. However, the history, recent and in the distant past, featured chaos resulting in people organizing (and falling along) sectarian, tribal, ideological, racial, classist or some other line. Similarly, disaster and post-apocalyptic fiction (and for that matter the various mythologies that have survived in print and/or tradition until the present) are loaded with such allusions.
And of course, more to the point of Mr. Saxon's rather unartful contribution, hordes just coming together as bandits, thieves, and thugs. Fictional examples that come to mind are the "New Brotherhood Army" in Lucifer's Hammer, the bikers in Dawn of the Dead, the highway robbers in Alas, Babylon, and, naturally, the marauders in Mad Max.
Queries:
Regardless, the concept warrants consideration; after all the history of major disasters or complete societal collapse often featured factionalization along various lines. In some cases it is simply a group of people thrown together in the midst of the chaos. However, the history, recent and in the distant past, featured chaos resulting in people organizing (and falling along) sectarian, tribal, ideological, racial, classist or some other line. Similarly, disaster and post-apocalyptic fiction (and for that matter the various mythologies that have survived in print and/or tradition until the present) are loaded with such allusions.
And of course, more to the point of Mr. Saxon's rather unartful contribution, hordes just coming together as bandits, thieves, and thugs. Fictional examples that come to mind are the "New Brotherhood Army" in Lucifer's Hammer, the bikers in Dawn of the Dead, the highway robbers in Alas, Babylon, and, naturally, the marauders in Mad Max.
Queries:
- Have you deeply considered this possibility? How do you think it will shake out in the developed world, or more directly, our society?
- How have you / will you prepare for such?
- If uninterested in being part of such groups, how do you plan to protect and provide for your own? There would be a multiplicity of factors, of course.
- Is there any scenario in which you could see being part of such a group? Why and how would you square the ethics?
- In such an imagined reversion to tribalism how do you see social mores, norms, customs, and language changing?