Why didn't we do anything, you ask?
We had it all. Our music, televisions, cars, MP3 players, computers, soft drinks, microwaves, blow-dryers, spray paint. We had all the conveniences in the world, and we made everyone else aware of that fact. You could walk into a store and buy goods from all around the world, brought to us on trucks and planes and boats.
But we couldn't see the blindingly obvious.
It started subtly. The corporate powerhouses began to move their workshops and factories overseas, to keep up with the "emerging global economy." Most of the time, it was just legalized slavery, with salaries barely enough to keep folk alive cloaked under the guise of "supply and demand." We got our goods cheaper, we got the management and distribution jobs for ourselves. We shipped around the goods of the world as freely as water flows down what were once the whitewater rapids.
But all those goods, all that luxury, all that hard work at other peoples' expenses, those didn't come free. It isn't easy moving megatons of product from one nation to another, let alone moving it from one coast to another. We needed transportation on a massive scale.
We needed oil.
So the next step was to find the scapegoat. We already had most of the Oil Thugs on our side, governments with varying degrees of liberty. It seemed the more oil a country had and the more it was willing to give, the less words like "tyrant" and "terrorist" were thrown around. One of the Thugs who we thought was on our side decided he wanted the oil for himself. That's the day he became a target.
There were horrible things going on because of the Thug, true. But there were horrible things going on in all sorts of places. We weren't there for Africa to "liberate" the people. It was always deemed too much of political quagmire, an unstable and volatile region that would only escalate if we disturbed the ethnic tensions.
But that's exactly what we were going to do to those nations who had the oil. It was obvious that we were running out, so fortune would have it that the Oil Thug would make a mistake. He'd been tied tenuously to a group of extremists, dangerous murderers who were as bloodthirsty as they were unmerciful. The Thug was just that, a Thug, and he was damn good at what he did. It was said that he even was amassing some mighty weapons to prepare for our attack.
So we went there to stop it all, to stop the injustice. To replace the Thug with a democracy. At least, that's what they told us. What we didn't know is that this was only the first of the Oil Wars. Even after the Thug was ousted and eventually put to death, as just about every Thug who gets confronted by his victims do, we stayed. We said we needed to provide security and ensure prosperity, and we did. To the oil fields.
But even the sweet crude wasn't enough, and we damn near bled Mother Earth dry in that field-pocked wasteland. We'd nearly sucked them dry before we realized our consumption was rising again. Some scientists were raving about emissions and peak oil and all sorts of fancy terms, but our loyal leaders assured us it was all hogwash.
And so we continued our mission against the other Oil Thugs, these men who kept all their country's bountiful resources to themselves. It was only a matter of time before we were overseeing the pumping of crude from the homes of almost all the former Oil Thugs. We were feeding our hungry, building our nation, running our highways, and pursuing our pleasures. The rest of the world be damned.
We thought we had it bad before, but it got worse than that. The first one, that was a warning. They were challenging us, hoping we'd take their bait. Hoping we'd make the mistake of pursuing them, letting them have a global voice. Letting them chisel away at our reputation, turn our addiction against us. They counted on it, and they turned the world against us. It wasn't so hard, really. It looked like we had toppled the Oil Thugs just to knock out the competition. And sure enough, when the oil began to go dry, we cut off the rest of the world's supply, keeping it for ourselves. The only ones who we'd give the oil to were the folks who would build our cars and make our toys.
So the rest of the world reacted. The damn near biggest war of them all, paling all the bloody conflicts that had come before. And believe you me, that's quite a reputation to overtake. The Last Oil War ended in the only way it could, with the one thing everyone has dreaded since the last time one of these wars started.
It was clever, really. When the destroyed the West Coast, the wind carried the fallout to the rest of the country. Then they destroyed most of the major power centers, bringing about a darkness that couldn't go away. The flashy signs and gaudy toys we had stopped working, and everyone, and I do mean everyone, was fighting one another over gas and oil. By the end of it, people were trying to jump the border into Mexico, but they were rightly upset with the proposition. Mexico had spent the last few decades building jobs and they weren't about to hand them over to foreigners.
And at the end, those who caused it were either dead, dying, or on a one-way trip to the countries that still had the luxuries. The ones that had been planning for this day, who built around it, who cut the addiction. And you know what? They were greeted with open arms.
I suppose we didn't do anything because we didn't notice, really. And I know this all sounds hard to believe, but I don't expect young folk like you to understand. It was a different time, a different way of life.
We straddled the world like Titans.
But even the Titans were destroyed for their sins.
Very nice.
*clap, clap*
No commentary needed, I'd say.
Túrin
Very nice.
Are you planning to stop it there, or do continuations in the form of post-apocalyptic speculative commentary?
I'd love to read more if you were.
Quote from: Thread EvokerVery nice.
Are you planning to stop it there, or do continuations in the form of post-apocalyptic speculative commentary?
I'd love to read more if you were.
At the moment, I'm just going to let the work stand on its own. If there's anything else that comes up that I do feel the urge to comment on, I may expand the work. Or perhaps I'll just write something in a similar vein.
Lies. :P
Quote from: JaercLies. :P
Que?
I think he's referring to the "this work stands alone" text up above ;)
Oh, right...
Excellent work.
The earlier bit reminded me of this (http://www.jibjab.com/originals/originals/jibjab/movieid/122).
How could I not have commented on this yet?
I've seen this around a few times, and I must say, it's an enjoyable read every time. I think your approach of using the postapocalypse as a method of commenting on the flaws of current events is quite wonderful, actually.
If I ever get around to sharpening a few pencils, finding some paper, and getting my butt in action, then-- with your permission, of course-- there's a possibility I might be tempted to try to turn this into a comic.
Quote from: CornIf I ever get around to sharpening a few pencils, finding some paper, and getting my butt in action, then-- with your permission, of course-- there's a possibility I might be tempted to try to turn this into a comic.
Holler at me when you do, we'll talk business. :cool: