Eric_L
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2002
- Messages
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- Real Name
- Eric
I just finished reading the book Alas Babylon by Pat Frank for the second time, the first being when I was about twelve. I was pleased to have remembered much of it, and more pleased to rediscover much more.
Since I closed the book I've been thinking alot about what things would be like today had the story been historical rather than fictional.
One would first have to presume that there was no nuclear winter, so bombs were few and far apart enough to avoid it. The book was released around 1959, so there is much that would have changed in history, wihtout the USA/NATO and USSR as major players...
A few thoughts I've had;
1) The children in the story would now be nearly sixty years old! (if they were still alive)
2) China would own Taiwan, and possibly Japan
3) There would have been a worldwide depression and food shortage with the loss of Ukraine and US food lasting decades. Agricultural countries would have immense wealth comparable to oil producing countries.
4) Israel would probably occupy much of the middle east per a modern manifest destiny. (Would they have 'adopted' any surviving US carrier battle groups?)
5) Brazil would be the manufacturing capital of the western hemisphere.
6) The US would only now be developing roads zig-zagging between hot areas connecting new port towns to the interior.
7) The USA would be a confederacy of CZs, mostly independant from each other, connected only by good will and tradition.
8) 50 years old would be a high world average lifespan.
9) Cancer rates would be off the charts. Aids would be unheard of - either undiagnosed, misdiagnosed as radiation poison or never spread by patient 0.
10) no Cell phones, microwaves, digital clocks, velcro, cd players or even walkman were ever made.
11) Dominant world powers would be China, Japan (if it kept China off their land), Israel and Brazil.
12) Warlords would run Africa and parts of the middle east. Iran would own Iraq (if it were not occupied by Israel.) Packistan would be at the mercry of India.
13) Most movies would come from Bollywood. (shiver!)
14) Global warming would be blamed on radiation instead of emissions.
15) There would be no war on drugs, since there would be no hughe US market to sell them in.
16) No internet, PC or Home theaters would exist! PANIC!
I thought it'd be fun to see others speculate on what the last 40 years would have looked like post Alas Babylon...
Since I closed the book I've been thinking alot about what things would be like today had the story been historical rather than fictional.
One would first have to presume that there was no nuclear winter, so bombs were few and far apart enough to avoid it. The book was released around 1959, so there is much that would have changed in history, wihtout the USA/NATO and USSR as major players...
A few thoughts I've had;
1) The children in the story would now be nearly sixty years old! (if they were still alive)
2) China would own Taiwan, and possibly Japan
3) There would have been a worldwide depression and food shortage with the loss of Ukraine and US food lasting decades. Agricultural countries would have immense wealth comparable to oil producing countries.
4) Israel would probably occupy much of the middle east per a modern manifest destiny. (Would they have 'adopted' any surviving US carrier battle groups?)
5) Brazil would be the manufacturing capital of the western hemisphere.
6) The US would only now be developing roads zig-zagging between hot areas connecting new port towns to the interior.
7) The USA would be a confederacy of CZs, mostly independant from each other, connected only by good will and tradition.
8) 50 years old would be a high world average lifespan.
9) Cancer rates would be off the charts. Aids would be unheard of - either undiagnosed, misdiagnosed as radiation poison or never spread by patient 0.
10) no Cell phones, microwaves, digital clocks, velcro, cd players or even walkman were ever made.
11) Dominant world powers would be China, Japan (if it kept China off their land), Israel and Brazil.
12) Warlords would run Africa and parts of the middle east. Iran would own Iraq (if it were not occupied by Israel.) Packistan would be at the mercry of India.
13) Most movies would come from Bollywood. (shiver!)
14) Global warming would be blamed on radiation instead of emissions.
15) There would be no war on drugs, since there would be no hughe US market to sell them in.
16) No internet, PC or Home theaters would exist! PANIC!
I thought it'd be fun to see others speculate on what the last 40 years would have looked like post Alas Babylon...