9/29/2014
The Last Man
I found the graphic novel "Y-The Last Man" to have a quite unusual take on an apocalyptic event. The sudden death of any mammal with a y chromosome is a refreshing take on the apocalypse, not often explored in our common scenarios of nuclear dooms-days and chemical or biological warfare. In this scenario, inability to reproduce as a species brings about the apocalypse. The plot explores the possibilities of an all female society and creates an answer to the common question of "would the world be a better place without men?" "The Last Man" answers that no, society and human nature remains just the same. There are still murderous outlaws and gangs like the Amazons, the central government of the United States is still dysfunctional, there are still power-hungry military leaders that become dictators and go against the will of their people, etc. The basic human nature has not changed with the elimination of males, just the gender of the people creating the problems.The senator's wives, or the "Republicans", provide the scenario that women, just as men, will jump to dangerous decisions and act in haste and emotion, showing that *humans* have fatal flaws. This, however, is just one view on this possibility for a female-populated apocalypse. I would be interested to see how others view this scenario and see how similar it is to "The Last Man".
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"the central government of the United States is still dysfunctional"
ReplyDeleteThis made me chuckle in agreement. I think to some extent it is similar to today, but more chaotic. I would be interested to see what the situation would be for women that are already pregnant at the time of the apocalypse, but I guess if the doctor's baby died there couldn't be more male children from before the apocalypse?
One of the main points I disagree with pertaining to this selection is the fact that the post-apocalypse society can be perceived as normal, whereas I believe that it would be anything but. The first humans didn't have society, only survival instincts. When these survival instincts were honed, society became a natural progression; safety in numbers. I found the almost all female world portrayed in the book to align loosely with this thought. When an unprecedented disaster hit, survival was put first, with women fighting for whatever could help them for a week. Such is the case with the woman with the garbage truck, collecting corpses for the CDC. There were those of course which recognized the benefits of herd mentality and who stuck together, but they too were ruthless, like the early packs of humans.
ReplyDeleteAll that to say that perhaps human nature remains, as inborn instincts always will, but to say that society is something that can be sustained at only 52% operating power (probably far less), is a risky misconception.
I like your view, Dwight. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I never thought of it that way. I guess because it's an apocalypse, they shouldn't be judged for the drastic measures they took. It's not normal because it's a disaster and they were just channeling those survival instincts. It reminds me a lot of the book, "Lord of the Flies".
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