• ameancow@lemmy.world
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    16 hours ago

    Except in the realistic version of the story, the Bell Riots lead to more riots, which lead to a militarized police state, which lead to an economic boom for authoritarian-protected oligarchy, which lead to financial collapse and the eradication of the middle-class, which lead to more tentd-cities and shanties, forced migration, rampant disease and starvation… etc, etc.

    • TheHiddenCatboy@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      I think that is exactly what happened. As others mentioned, the Bell Riots led to widespread clamouring for rights in general. Between the 2024 Bell Riots and the 2063 first contact between humanity and the Vulcans, we have, in Christopher Pike’s own words, “… the Second Civil War, then the Eugenics War, and finally, just… World War III. This was our last day. The day the Earth we knew ceased to exist. What began as an eruption in one nation ended in the eradication of 600,000 species of animal and plants, and 30% of Earth’s population. Global suicide.” And what Captain Pike glossed over? Oh gee, you could write whole books on it. Look up Colonel Green. After World War III, he went on an Exterminatus campaign. Everyone who was not 100% genetically pure, such as Augments and mutants from the war, was exterminated by his faction. 37 million deaths were attributed to him, and he was seen as such evil that an alien silicoid race known as the Excalbians made a simulation of him to understand humanity’s concepts of good and evil.

      So, yeah. The story we get is the realistic story you mentioned. If we are on the Trek timeline, we’ve got some horrible shit ahead of us. We still have the Bell Riots ahead of us (we’re actually past the point in time, but it sure looks like those writers were presentient when they wrote Past Tense Parts 1 and 2 back in 1995!), and we sure seem on course for World War III. The world sure doesn’t need Khan Noonian Singh, though. Between Xi, Putin, Kim, and Trump, we have the megalomaniac asshole niche QUITE filled!!!

      • ameancow@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        Interesting, but whatever happens in our version, nobody is coming, there are no greater powers watching, no groups in charge, there isn’t even a powerful secret cabal running things. We’re all lost children beating each other with increasingly powerful and deadly sticks until there’s nobody left standing and it all starts over.

    • StinkyFingerItchyBum@lemmy.ca
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      1 day ago

      Then human extinction, because the only people who understood complex systems died of formerly preventable diseases, resource scarcity and state violence.

      • samus12345@sh.itjust.works
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        18 hours ago

        Full extinction is unlikely. After all, we survived without understanding complex systems for hundreds of thousands of years. Every part of the planet would have to be completely inhospitable to human life for us to go extinct.

        • StinkyFingerItchyBum@lemmy.ca
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          17 hours ago

          We spent hundreds of thousands of years living and adapting slowly to everthing else in the ecosystem. As an analogy, setting up a game of Jenga, building the tower.

          We spent 10,000 years (agriculture) learning how to play jenga, slowly plucking a block or two.

          We spent 250 years industrializing learning how fast and efficiently we can take out bricks.

          We spent the last 30 years learning how to automate it.

          We’ve crossed 7 Planetary Boundaries and stressed 9.

          Most of earth’s animal biomass is humans, human’s food or our food’s food. There is very little nature left and what’s left is in the middle of the 6th great extinction..

          Now the world is on a massive militarization campaign in preparation for the inevitable conflict climate change brings at the peak of our population.

          How many more jenga bricks you think we can pull out before this tower falls?

          Every part of the planet would have to be completely inhospitable to human life for us to go extinct.

          No. We just need sufficient areas to become temporarily inhospitable. You can survive for a while in a heat wave inside your air conditioned house. Can your crops? Can pollinators? Can what little wildlife we have left? Can your AC repair man? More jenga blocks knocked out.

          Conflict over what’s left can do the rest. Remember we’re automating our destruction. What started in Ukraine with drones ends with weaponized AI.

          You ever wonder why the galaxy seems void of life? I think I know why.