There are some good points in this article by Jeffrey Tucker regarding the recent Mad Max movie – Fury Road. When I watch “post apocalyptic” movies such as this I roll my eyes at the vision: total lawlessness and chaos and violence. However, I remind myself that this is one person’s vision and imagination. I immensely enjoyed the imagery, the grittiness, the cars (which were all real as were most of the incredible car stunts). It was a fantastic joy ride.
Yet, there was a part of me that cringed at the thought that after the earth and resources were ravaged (as Tucker points out, most likely by the state) that people would be under the thumb of a ruler…again.
As mentioned in the article when there is no food or water, people will lose it. I won’t rehash Tucker’s points but add to them with this: Pre apocalypse, there was still likely a majority of people who worshiped the state and that carries over into the post apocalypse. As long as people continue to believe in the great superstition that others have the right to rule over them, to blindly follow orders, then tyranny will continue to have the upper hand.
Immortan Joe controlled the people by monopolizing the resources. Really, this is a simplified, brutally graphic depiction of the state. If we could see the state in its true form it looks like Immortan Joe and his mindless minions that do all the dirty work to keep Joe in power. It’s no different than our current reality. As long as there is a great number people who will blindly follow orders at the bidding of their masters, governments can crumble over and over again but people will continue propping up a ruling class until their belief in authority is once and for all snuffed out.
“I’m not scared of the Maos and the Stalins and the Hitlers.
I’m scared of the thousands of millions of people that hallucinate them to be “authority”, and so do their bidding, and pay for their empires, and carry out their orders.
I don’t care if there’s one looney with a stupid mustache. He’s not a threat if the people do not believe in “authority”.”
― Larken Rose
