These days it's pretty hard to ignore the sense of impending doom we're constantly bombarded with from all angles. News stations warn of economic collapse, pandemic flu strains, foreign wars, terrorism and nuclear arsenals. It's real enough that it's scary, but to top it all off, there are new movies released every year that depict mankind's fast-approaching demise in painstaking detail.
I'll admit, it's fun to see what people might do when placed in survival situations. Who will go psychotic? Who will keep it together? Who will betray humanity for their own personal gain? It's all very fascinating. Perhaps most fascinating, though, is how many ridiculous ways popular media has come up with to kill off the human race. Here are a few common ones for you to chew on:
1. The Asteroid / Comet / Meteor Impact: Well, this one was done to death that one summer that Armageddon AND Deep Impact came out. Honestly, both movies sucked royally. Is it better to watch Morgan Freeman as President or Bruce Willis as an oil-drilling space cowboy? I can't decide. Still, as far as world ending disasters go, this is probably my least favorite. Firstly, the options to deal with said threat are extremely limited. The world only has a handful of people trained to fly into space, and they're supposed to obliterate an object that's potentially the size of an entire state? Seems pretty unlikely that anyone could succeed. It's also not a fun thought since there actually ARE rogue asteroids out there with planet-killing potential. In this scenario, it'd be best for the whole world to simply bend over and kiss its collective ass goodbye.
2. Killer Weather: Seriously? The Day After Tomorrow was more a way to show off cool special effects than it was to show how humans would adapt to a new ice age. When the cold hit, what was their strategy? Let's see - bundle up, and stay indoors? Jake Gyllenhaal ended up taking advice from a real expert on the cold - a homeless man from New York who insulated himself with newspaper and advocated the burning of as many library books as possible. That's the spirit - when the world is over, let's burn as much literature as we can! Ultimately, all I gathered was
'When it's cold, humans need to...stay warm. Oh, and everyone should head to Cancun'. Here's an idea: the colder it gets, the more hockey we play (of both the ice and tonsil variety). Take that, you satanic weather patterns!
3. The Alien Invasion: Independence Day, War of the Worlds, and any number of books and tv shows have covered this topic, some better than others. Unfortunately, they all unfold in a fairly similar fashion. First the aliens either infiltrate, then invade, or just invade outright. Then they indiscriminately kill people in a variety of fun, explosive ways. Eventually, some lay person (i.e Jeff Goldblum, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson) notices the aliens are susceptible to something completely ridiculous that makes them easy to defeat, like
water (quite the twist, M. Night Shamallamalan), and the aliens are defeated by roaming packs of children with Supersoakers. Let's not forget the completely realistic idea that the whole world
unites against the alien menace. Will the end of the world really bring people together? No. It'll just lead to more finger pointing.
4. Zombie Apocalypse: In terms of plausibility, zombies are the least likely way we'll all die. However, the depictions of how humanity survives, or doesn't, in the Z-Day scenario actually feel pretty authentic. Generally, the films that chronicle zombie infestations focus on normal, every day people rather than world leaders, military types and scientists. It's here that we get to see the police officers, retail workers, and truck drivers. Perhaps worst of all is that zombies are us. For every human that falls, a zombie rises. There's no saving them and no avenging loved ones. All people can do is flee, hide, defend themselves and try not to freak out. There's no magic asteroid nuking, no adapting to the cold and no massive vulnerability besides a gunshot to the brain. Your only hope is to survive another day, or die trying. Besides, I'd feel safest with Ving Rhames.
If you had to choose, what type of apocalyptic situation would you try to survive?
Comments (121)
I choose 2. Killer Weather
I'm all for the asteroid/meteor/comet impact. Oddly enough, I've been thinking this situation through for the past few years (since I first read Lucifer's Hammer) and could definitely survive it (provided the impactor did not land in my immediate vicinity.
Of course, just to be difficult, I'll say that Earth won't end for another several billion years, when the Sun enters its red giant phase and potentially engulfs us. Not to worry, though, because our oceans would have boiled off long before then and left Earth a completely uninhabitable, burnt wasteland.
4.
I hope NONE of this ever happens, and if any of these things do-I want it is fast and over quick...#3 The Alien Invasion. That would be my choice. I will welcome our new overlords and hope I make a great pet for them, so to be treated well.
I've thought about this. Zombie apocalypse ftw.
I'm terrified of four happening. I'm scared shitless of anything zombie related ever since I watched Dawn of the Dead when I was eleven. I've always thought rabies were like a very mild case of being like a zombie. :p.
zombies.
I really do not want the world to end in nuclear war (even though it's not mentioned here, I do think it's the most likely way for our world to end.)
I think of the ones mentioned, I would prefer either the killer weather or the alien invasion. The idea of something smashing into the planet creeps me out, and spending my time hiding from zombies would suck, too, since you can't really get rid of them.
by my wrath. jk.
I've always said that, during the zombie uprising, I'd be one of the few people already prepared, so I go for #4, Zombie Apocalypse! Sure, I'll eventually get eaten, but I'll be damned if I don't reach at LEAST one of the last one thousand survivors before I'm bitten.
Zombies. Hands down.
"Wait, what? The world's been overrun by zombies?" *McCormick ponders for a moment*"Alright, I'll be there in a minute."Zombie. At least you can shoot them with guns fairly easy and stuff. The rest of the scenarios you are likely just running for cover all the time.
I think I'd like to die by meteor. It's easy, natural. Everyone dies. The end.
But . . .
If I was a bad ass, I would totally go for the Zombie Apocalypse. Then I could feel awesome about myself if ever I saved someone from living their lives as a flesh eating monster. Ego boost, ya know? <_<
Zombies. There's always that one person whose blood cannot be infected with the zombie madness. So I'll just go kill him and take his blood ;)
nooooooooooooooooo
Alien Invasion. I would try to sneak onto the ship and have some nice Alien hide me and drop me off at the next planet they weren't destroying so I could go explore space.
I'd have to brush up on my fighting techniques, but I'll have to choose the zombie invasion. Terrifying yet awesome. Bad weather? Asteroid? That's too boring. Alien invasion might be interesting. I still choose zombies, though.
NONE! I honestly hope that everyone just drop dead.
But if i have to pick on i would say killer weather
2.
How would I want the world to end? I dunno, but I hope I'm right smack at the center of it.
1. Meteor you say? I'm hitching a ride to ground zero.
2.Killer weather perhaps? I'll strap a lightning rod to my chest and head for the flattest piece of land I can find.
3. Aliens (ok seriously?). Send me up there on the first nuke we launch.
4. Zomb-ocalypse? Ok, this may be the only one where I don't wanna get obliterated immediately. I've always wanted to hit a zombie in the face with a shovel (but after I do that, who knows).
Point is, I don't wanna limp away from any of this. Plus it gives me a head start on the qeue for the line into Heaven... because you KNOW it's gonna be packed.
That is why games like resident evil help provide you with survival skills maybe I need to look in on investing... Personally I would rather it not be the end of the world. lol
just as long as it's quick.
my own version of zombpocalypse, in which, instead of everyone going crazy and killing each other, they go crazy and SEX each other, to the point that everything else is neglected and human society is left in shambles. i should stop now, my idea is actually even more complex.
#1 would be preferable for me. #4 would be my least favourite.
zombie apocalypse !