Personal Thoughts - most post-apocalyptic science fiction - December 14, 2009

My Personal Thoughts tagged postings are about subjects related to my writings in some area such as a common theme in post-apocalyptic science fiction that is BS. Now to my Personal Thoughts on most post-apocalyptic science fiction.


A common theme I find in most post-apocalyptic science fiction is one of several misconceptions; mutations, radioactive fallout, what weapons and tech are available after the apocalyptic (whatever it might be), and how society will react to the fall and what sectors of society will slide backwards.

Now I want to start with the radioactive fallout and the urban legend of how the earth will be uninhabitable for hundreds of years, this is false for the most part, all nuclear weapons work on the same basics, they will explode in the air over the target and consume most of the fuel in the explosion, also when a nuclear bomb explodes in the air it generates less fallout. Now this is important since radioactive fallout from a nuclear bomb is different from something like Chernobyl (nuclear accident) or a nuclear dirty bomb because all of the radioactive isotopes are generated at once and only once, so that after about six weeks the area of the fallout is generally safe for travel, due to the isotopes generated being short-lived and decays exponentially relatively quickly with time. In other words it decays from something highly radioactive to something relatively safe in a mater of weeks or months. In many post-apocalyptic science fiction stories that involve nuclear war, such as the 1959 film On the Beach, misrepresents just how much of an effect fallout would have, as a roaming cloud of death. Now if you were to spread out the radioactive matter like what happened with Chernobyl then you would have a problem.

Now as to uninhabitably of the earth afterward, I really don’t have to go into to much except to look up "a year with out a summer" and you will understand the mechanics of a nuclear winter and how fast it could clean itself up.

Next is about mutations, now in most modern science fiction today, few mutations from radiation produce anything, unlike the films and fiction of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. We have become more sophisticated and usually expect a mutagen that is something like that of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. What is really possible is up to the imagination and the future. As for mutations after a nuclear war it would depend on the mutagens that would escape afterwards.

Now as to what tech and weapons would be available after a nuclear war, as to tech it would depend on how much of it was exposed to an electro magnetic burst, and what groups were to maintain technology. As to weapons most guns would be valued and anyone capable of fixing them would be an important member of a survivalist community.

Lastly on to what sectors of society would slide backwards, most people who live in a urban community would be the most effected by the loss of technology and civil services, and would be the most likely to regress to a tribal lifestyle after a significant period of time. The rural areas would be the most likely to hold on to civilization due to their remoteness to the larger urban cities and heavy reliance on self-sufficiency.

by The Guardian of Worlds.