I'm writing this from a
damp, hot and sticky campsite in North Devon where my children have
gone feral and I have given up hope of ever seeing civilisation
again. It is times like this that my thoughts fall, not unfairly, to
dystopian fiction. There is a dystopic, end-of-the-world saga in my
head somewhere which is currently arguing with itself over what
format it wants to be; comics? Novels? Long form spoken word podcast?
I try to leave it alone to sort itself out but occasionally I have to
top up the brain with a dram of research. It's no tea party, I can
tell you. I once started a dissertation on dystopias in film, but
abandoned it after the viewing got too bleak (I chose sitcoms
instead). I've read books on the apocalypse and novels that depict
the end of humanity. Key titles would be Z for Zachariah, Brother
in the Land and any zombie related title. But it's the
non-fiction research that really freaks me out.
Out there in the world are a community of people with one thing in common; a fervent belief in the end of the world as we know it - or TEOTWAWKI as it is handily abbreviated online. These people call themselves Preppers, as in, being prepared (probably ex-scouts taking the motto to the extreme, I dunno). They arm themselves, they stockpile tinned goods, they place caches of ammo and gold in secret places and build huge underground bunkers in their back gardens.
There was a time when
we were all Preppers of course. The aforementioned novels play on the
idea that the world would soon be bombed to hell by warring nations
and the little people would be the ones having to make the best of
life in a never ending nuclear winter. Indeed, I am of a generation
that can distantly recall the testing of sirens in the street. Some
may even remember the next-to-useless duck and cover advertisements
that 'prepared' us all for a nuclear warhead dropping on our heads
(thinking about it, they were entirely useless).
The modern day Preppers
are a tad more organised, and mostly distrust the governments of the
world to advise them. The cause of a modern TEOTWAWKI is less clear;
terrorist action? Climate change? The big money (if you'll pardon the
expression) is on a massive financial collapse on a global scale,
driving people onto the streets and making scavengers of us all. The
Preppers in this instance take their families and dive underground,
where their state-of-the-art bunkers have air and water recycling
systems, big screen TVs and a massive amount of tinned goods. (If
you're interested, the Netflix series Doomsday Bunkers is an
eye-opener)
The real thing that
shocked me about the Prepper community is how much sense it made.
While some are clearly delusional, some Preppers have science and
reason on their side. Keeping a can of petrol in your car? Makes
sense. A small stash of bottled water and food? Makes sense. Wrapping
tin foil around your head to drive out the electronic signals? Okay,
makes less sense, but I stand by the first two. Hey, it wasn't long
ago that the UK government issued a leaflet to all households on how
to prepare for an emergency. How many still have it and have the
emergency store they recommended?
Remember this? |
And going underground
for 6-12 months? Sounds partly like hell, but the writer in me kind
of likes the idea. Imagine the writing I'd get done! I could read all
those books I'd been meaning to read! And no facebook and clickbait!
Preppers stock their bunkers with libraries and DVDs, but if you're a
real reader like me, what do you choose to take with you into
Armageddon? I'm reminded of HG Wells' Time Machine, where the
time traveller takes just three books with him to the future, never
to return. What would you take?
The reason all this
appeals to me as a writer? I like the idea of world building. I want
to create a society from the ground up, and to start anew. Isn't that
what we all do when we write a story? We create leaders, hierarchies,
enemies and allies. We create friends and support systems, as well as
challenges and disasters. The real reason people like dystopic
fiction is because it provides us a glimpse into a world which has
had to start again.
Now if you'll excuse
me, I have to go and stop my sons from going full-on Lord of the
Flies.
;¬)
4 comments:
Brilliant - where do U buy your book?
Entertaining post. Another Sassie, Nick Green, has written a brilliant 'preparing for Doomsday' trilogy, starting with The Firebird Project.
Has anyone watched 'Eden'? Doesn't give me much hope for rebuilding society after Armegeddon. I think every bunker should have a stock of cyanide capsules. Why repeat all our mistakes all over again? Accept the inevitable. The ants have won.
Great post, Dan. Enjoyed it. :)
Thanks for comments Susan, Sharon and Polly. Polly- If you mean where can you buy my books, try danmetcalf.co.uk/books.
Susan- Yes I'm halfway through Eden and like the way C4 have actually recruited skilled people and not just gone the big brother route and drafted in strippers and bodybuilders to make the screen look pretty. (although they definitely went with 'young and handsome is best' when picking the castaways. I'm a sucker for anything like this.
Post a Comment