The time period after the apocalypse, the post-apocalyptic if you will, is viewed as a potentially nightmarish, mad-max world by most.
Not all are within this camp. If you are one of those who won’t be left behind, or if you are completely disaffected or out of place with the modern world the potential death of 90%* of the worlds 7 billion or so individuals, may seem a bit theoretical: the death of a child is a tragedy – the death of billions a statistic…and all that. And sad to say, although I am a very sensitive soul, I must admit that the potential for over 6 billion deaths does not paralyze nearly as frequently as the possibility of losing endless hot shower privileges.
One way Survival Fiction deals with the depressing notion of portraying the death of many people is through the use of the “Convenient Flu”. Generally somewhere along the lines a flue epidemic will hit the starving numbers to cut down the population in the neighborhood. This allows the novel to quickly pass into the “living in the ruins” phase without the problem of starving people living in the ruins. This conceit is found in James Kunstler’s World Made by Hand, Susan Beth Pffeffer’s Life as We Knew It, and everyone’s better living through acorns survivalist tome, Jean Hegland’s Into the Forest.
This of post-Apocalyptic holiday can be found in the Steely Dan classic Black Friday –with Black Friday referring to the bad luck of Friday the 13th and Apocalyptically associated with the crucifixion occurring on a Friday- not a post-Thanksgiving shopping Holiday.
…When Black Friday comes
I'll collect everything I'm owed
And before my friends find out
I'll be on the road…
Gonna do just what I please
Gonna wear no socks and shoes
With nothing to do but feed
All the kangaroos
When Black Friday comes I'll be on that hill
You know I will
When Black Friday comes
I'm gonna dig myself a hole
Gonna lay down in it 'til
I satisfy my soul
Gonna let the world pass by me
The Archbishop's gonna sanctify me
And if he don't come across
I'm gonna let it roll
When Black Friday comes
I'm gonna stake my claim
I'll guess I'll change my name
It is very odd to be cheering on the collapse of the world, but there is obviously a strain within our society, and certainly the preparedness community, that does.
* exact % of those left behind various with denomination: please refer to your denominations user manual for specific inclusion/exclusions guidelines.
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