So I was watching
Don't Look Up the other day on Netflix. It is a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, and is peppered with celebrity cameo appearances. The movie is basically a "we have to stop this extinction level asteroid from hitting" type movie similar to Armageddon, but is a bit of a comedic, whimsical sort of movie. I enjoyed it!
Anyway, I won't tell how the movie ended, but toward the end of the movie people behaved in different ways including giant rooftop orgies, spending time with family, etc.
I've lived through a couple of end of the worlds myself (har har). I am wondering how people would really behave. So let's say NASA tells us an asteroid is about to hit Earth and will most assuredly take out everything short of cockroaches and Tardigrades...
I think the following would happen:
- A lot of people would end up going to church. People who are "religious twice a year" will run back to God or whatever deity they serve. Many people who were not originally religious would become religious on some Pascal's Wager type thing.
- There'd be a lot of conspiracy theorists insisting the asteroid is not real and there is some government-level hoax.
- I think a lot of people would kill themselves. I think for a few reasons. There'd be some people who'd be crawling with anxiety (who wouldn't?) knowing the end is quickly approaching. Many people would probably think "f it" and get it out of the way, and some people would probably party so hard that they'd accidentally overdose. Which leads me to the next one...
- Partying - One thing I can give humans credit for is that no matter what crap we're facing, there will always be some people who will bust out drinks, turn on the loudspeaker, and rock on! There'd be "End of the World" parties with End of the World playing by R.E.M.
- Memes - You better believe there'd be "end of the world" memes for Aliens to find in the space debris after few millenia or so.
- The government would have some "rich people escape plan" - It'd be on some 2012, Noah's ark crap where the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezoses would peace out!
- Some people would try to survive anyway and would be running to underground bunkers with their emergency equipment.
- There'd be a cult looking at the sky - waiting for the comet to come down. There'd be someone who'd find some two hundred year old text predicting this (which would be legit) and would say it was prophecy waiting to happen.
- The Purge level anarchy! Even though the world would be ending, people'd stop giving af about consequences. It'd be their opportunity to kill, steal, rape, rob, etc. they'd never see the inside of a jail cell and most cops probably wouldn't even be patrolling (for what?)
- Crazy risk taking - People'd be rushing to knock off bucket list stuff. Skydiving, driving 120 mph down the highway, threesomes, streaking, handgliding, etc.
- Lastly, there'd be folks who would make peace with it and keep living life the way they've always done. There'd be a dedicated nurse who'd wake up the day of the asteroid and think "Those sick children at the hospital aren't gonna take care of themselves". An old janitor who'd go in and sweep the building one last time. Military personnel who'd try their best in the ever increasing anarchy in the streets.
I think I covered all of the bases. What do you think most people would do? What would you do yourself?
