What if the Coronavirus kills off 50% of the world's population, and the US's pop was 60% decimated?

[BaldEagle1991]

What if COVID-19 was just a brutal as Thanos's snap in Avengers, where 50% of the world died from it, how will the political implications of that be?

[Mike Thick]

Implications are broader than the typical "someone nukes SOTU and Congress is gone" scenario. Like, the largest political units are probably scattered city-states at that point

[BaldEagle1991]

Implications are broader than the typical "someone nukes SOTU and Congress is gone" scenario. Like, the largest political units are probably scattered city-states at that point

Something tells me the bigger states like Texas, California, New York, and Florida will absorb their smaller neighbors by that point.

[Adjective-Statement]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

[BaldEagle1991]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

Shoot

[Adjective-Statement]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

Shoot

Understand you're hypothesizing the most lethal disease in human history. Read about the societal impact of Black Death to get a good idea of what that does to survivors. We would all be very pragmatic and very cruel- and the president eating two scoops of ice cream when everyone else gets one wouldn't even register to us as a problem. The facade of liberalism in this country would fade very quickly.

[Alben Barkley]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

Shoot

Understand you're hypothesizing the most lethal disease in human history. Read about the societal impact of Black Death to get a good idea of what that does to survivors. We would all be very pragmatic and very cruel- and the president eating two scoops of ice cream when everyone else gets one wouldn't even register to us as a problem. The facade of liberalism in this country would fade very quickly.

Most if not all of what you described is not very “pragmatic.” Religious fundamentalism certainly wouldn’t be. Didn’t stop the Black Death, wouldn’t stop this plague either. And it makes no sense why slavery would be brought back. Honestly feels like you’re just going for shock value by making a list of the most terrible things possible without actually thinking it through or rationally explaining why it would happen.

Really nothing you say is very realistic. Yes, the Black Death caused some people to think it was a curse from god, and some of them blamed Jews or went around flagellating themselves. But that was the Middle Ages. And even then, the clock wasn’t turned back centuries. People recovered and moved on, despite the fact that as much as two-thirds of the population of Europe was wiped out. If something similar happened today, it would undoubtedly be a massive crisis, but it wouldn’t cause us all to revert to a savage state all of a sudden. It wouldn’t undo centuries of progress and cultural change. Frankly the depiction in the Avengers movies is more realistic than what you describe.

[หมูเด้ง]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

Shoot

Understand you're hypothesizing the most lethal disease in human history. Read about the societal impact of Black Death to get a good idea of what that does to survivors. We would all be very pragmatic and very cruel- and the president eating two scoops of ice cream when everyone else gets one wouldn't even register to us as a problem. The facade of liberalism in this country would fade very quickly.

Most if not all of what you described is not very “pragmatic.” Religious fundamentalism certainly wouldn’t be. Didn’t stop the Black Death, wouldn’t stop this plague either. And it makes no sense why slavery would be brought back. Honestly feels like you’re just going for shock value by making a list of the most terrible things possible without actually thinking it through or rationally explaining why it would happen.

Really nothing you say is very realistic. Yes, the Black Death caused some people to think it was a curse from god, and some of them blamed Jews or went around flagellating themselves. But that was the Middle Ages. And even then, the clock wasn’t turned back centuries. People recovered and moved on, despite the fact that as much as two-thirds of the population of Europe was wiped out. If something similar happened today, it would undoubtedly be a massive crisis, but it wouldn’t cause us all to revert to a savage state all of a sudden. It wouldn’t undo centuries of progress and cultural change. Frankly the depiction in the Avengers movies is more realistic than what you describe.

In fact, didn't European society accelerate after that point?

[Adjective-Statement]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

Shoot

Understand you're hypothesizing the most lethal disease in human history. Read about the societal impact of Black Death to get a good idea of what that does to survivors. We would all be very pragmatic and very cruel- and the president eating two scoops of ice cream when everyone else gets one wouldn't even register to us as a problem. The facade of liberalism in this country would fade very quickly.

Most if not all of what you described is not very “pragmatic.” Religious fundamentalism certainly wouldn’t be. Didn’t stop the Black Death, wouldn’t stop this plague either. And it makes no sense why slavery would be brought back. Honestly feels like you’re just going for shock value by making a list of the most terrible things possible without actually thinking it through or rationally explaining why it would happen.

Really nothing you say is very realistic. Yes, the Black Death caused some people to think it was a curse from god, and some of them blamed Jews or went around flagellating themselves. But that was the Middle Ages. And even then, the clock wasn’t turned back centuries. People recovered and moved on, despite the fact that as much as two-thirds of the population of Europe was wiped out. If something similar happened today, it would undoubtedly be a massive crisis, but it wouldn’t cause us all to revert to a savage state all of a sudden. It wouldn’t undo centuries of progress and cultural change. Frankly the depiction in the Avengers movies is more realistic than what you describe.

These changes would be brought on by the collapse of the global economy.

In fact, didn't European society accelerate after that point?

The Renaissance was caused by the flight of Greek scholars to Italy from the Byzantine Empire and the rise of banking families who supported the arts, not pandemic.

[หมูเด้ง]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

Shoot

Understand you're hypothesizing the most lethal disease in human history. Read about the societal impact of Black Death to get a good idea of what that does to survivors. We would all be very pragmatic and very cruel- and the president eating two scoops of ice cream when everyone else gets one wouldn't even register to us as a problem. The facade of liberalism in this country would fade very quickly.

Most if not all of what you described is not very “pragmatic.” Religious fundamentalism certainly wouldn’t be. Didn’t stop the Black Death, wouldn’t stop this plague either. And it makes no sense why slavery would be brought back. Honestly feels like you’re just going for shock value by making a list of the most terrible things possible without actually thinking it through or rationally explaining why it would happen.

Really nothing you say is very realistic. Yes, the Black Death caused some people to think it was a curse from god, and some of them blamed Jews or went around flagellating themselves. But that was the Middle Ages. And even then, the clock wasn’t turned back centuries. People recovered and moved on, despite the fact that as much as two-thirds of the population of Europe was wiped out. If something similar happened today, it would undoubtedly be a massive crisis, but it wouldn’t cause us all to revert to a savage state all of a sudden. It wouldn’t undo centuries of progress and cultural change. Frankly the depiction in the Avengers movies is more realistic than what you describe.

These changes would be brought on by the collapse of the global economy.

In fact, didn't European society accelerate after that point?

The Renaissance was caused by the flight of Greek scholars to Italy from the Byzantine Empire and the rise of banking families who supported the arts, not pandemic.

It at least didn't stop it and weren't the banks and Greeks a major influence since the late 1000s?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

All I know from this scenario is that I’d owe ForumLurker an apology.

[BaldEagle1991]

All I know from this scenario is that I’d owe ForumLurker an apology.

Why?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

All I know from this scenario is that I’d owe ForumLurker an apology.

Why?

For making fun of his overreaction to the virus so far. If it killed off half of the world there’d be an egg on my face. Or coffin

[CookieDamage]

Our government is one of the best equipped to survive an event like that. Cities are depopulated and people start falling back on the land, creating low-tech localized supply chains. We would likely be looking at a period of global cooling. Expect pogroms against Asians to have occurred by this time, which would make them convenient scapegoats in a famine. A new wave of piety might bring Christian fundamentalism back in a big way. Expect a populist, probably someone from the military, to triumph over frivolous representatives and courts. The U.S. will then try to secure important assets around the world. There will be a race to secure nuclear weapons from fallen governments to ensure hegemony.

Basically, turn the clock back a few centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if chattel slavery became acceptable again as this new American society matures.

Shoot

Understand you're hypothesizing the most lethal disease in human history. Read about the societal impact of Black Death to get a good idea of what that does to survivors. We would all be very pragmatic and very cruel- and the president eating two scoops of ice cream when everyone else gets one wouldn't even register to us as a problem. The facade of liberalism in this country would fade very quickly.

Most if not all of what you described is not very “pragmatic.” Religious fundamentalism certainly wouldn’t be. Didn’t stop the Black Death, wouldn’t stop this plague either. And it makes no sense why slavery would be brought back. Honestly feels like you’re just going for shock value by making a list of the most terrible things possible without actually thinking it through or rationally explaining why it would happen.

Really nothing you say is very realistic. Yes, the Black Death caused some people to think it was a curse from god, and some of them blamed Jews or went around flagellating themselves. But that was the Middle Ages. And even then, the clock wasn’t turned back centuries. People recovered and moved on, despite the fact that as much as two-thirds of the population of Europe was wiped out. If something similar happened today, it would undoubtedly be a massive crisis, but it wouldn’t cause us all to revert to a savage state all of a sudden. It wouldn’t undo centuries of progress and cultural change. Frankly the depiction in the Avengers movies is more realistic than what you describe.

This. Especially on slavery returning which is unrealistic. The closest analogue to slavery in mid-14th century western Europe was serfdom, and the black death may very well have hastened serfdom's decline and even that of feudalism, which was already on the way out.

[bagelman]

That would be bad. In fact, it would downright suck.