The Wake

Illustration by Anders Carlson

In the debate over what the apocalypse will consist of, I side with film director Richard Kelly over Al Gore, if only because I’d rather see the species implode through a combination of hyper-pervasive entertainment, mad scientists, and interfering parallel universes – à la Southland Tales – than by hearing until death the latest measurement of ever-shrinking polar bear testicles and what that means for my children.

By this I don’t mean to deny the very real effects of global warming, or even to imply that polar bears can go to hell while I watch movies. I simply ask why Mr. Gore, for a person who bears the largest grudge against the current Commander-in-Chief, would set the stage using the same fear tactics that informed the other great omen of the end in the War On Terror? I guess in a twisted way these tactics could be considered effective, but the only thing the boogey man ever taught anyone was to be afraid of the dark, something I think we can all say we have overcome.

In 2007 we were treated to an over saturation of bird flu, obesity, and spikes in other disease, along with the usual suspects of global warming and terrorism. While the media performed its usual routine, manning the flagship of hype, our scientific, cultural and governmental leaders took on a much more disconcerting role. These entities consistently suggested, right or wrong, that the status of these concerns was increasingly dire while skirting real action. For instance, Sir Paul McCartney wants everyone to give up meat because he believes it is the best way to fight global warming, while the secretary general of the U.N. Ban Ki-Moon resorts to Hollywood inspired analogies. Despite being valid to wildly varying degrees, these concerns were widely espoused, forcing grocery stores to replace the shelves of plastic wrap and duct tape with Tami flu and fostering the masochistic notion that humanity is the creator of both the hell and the hand basket.

Take the state of “health care” in the U.S., a more proper apocalyptic analogy than any Spielberg vehicle. As the only modern industrial nation without universal health care, the health economy alone in the U.S. is larger than the entire economy of either the United Kingdom or France, effectively making it the fourth largest economy in the world. Yet we are falling behind other countries in such essential measures as the infant mortality rate. Now, there are many facets as to why health care in our country is so utterly fucked, but the aspect worth noting here is the prevalence of over-medicating and fear mongering.

For example, there is a debate among medical scholars about the definition, effects, and trends of obesity. The British Medical Journal recently published a “Head-to-Head” article with two groups assessing the “hype” around this condition. Unequivocally, the statistics showed childhood obesity on the rise, but the links between childhood obesity and adult obesity and between adult obesity and mortality were unclear if not tenuous. One scholar’s findings suggest, “…as populations grow healthier, prosperous, and longer lived” they naturally become taller and yes, fatter.

Again, like global warming, childhood obesity and many other health afflictions are serious concerns. But it is the tone of the discussion that drives the often superfluous and ever-expensive treatment of these afflictions that result in a backwards-facing system and sharks off the coast of Florida testing positive for anti-depressants.

This also contributes to a disillusioned society. A recent BBC poll found that 93 percent of respondents described themselves as “optimistic” about their own current family life, while 70 percent thought other families were worse off than they used to be.

This sensibility is what author Frank Furedi describes as a “crisis of nerve.” We perceive insurmountable difficulties facing society and the planet and worry over the future while less and less creative energy is spent on the problems of the present and the small realistic efforts that can make a difference.

What is needed in this discussion is a bit of humanism to refute the prevalent misanthropy and strong, innovative leadership. There are presidential candidates who invoke a possibility of this leadership, and “hope” is a much healthier motivator than the fear we are accustomed to. Obama speaks of this most prominently and talks of reinventing AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps for us youth in an effort to repair parts of our country and the world.

In the meantime, it seems as if the end will not come with a bang but a whimper after all. It’s at least as likely as Al Gore becoming the next president.