The first time I watched the movie “Don’t Look Up,” I didn’t like it at all. But it just kept hanging around my mind. There was something about it. It could have been Jennifer Lawrence who could sit mute while staring at a camera and I would still watch, or it could have been the too-close-to-the-truth humor of the Meryl Streep character, which I love. I realized, however, it was neither of these two things. This film hung around my cortex because of the context. What if? What if a planet killer asteroid came to town. Well, depending on who wins our election over the next six months, I might welcome a mile wide rock, but this post is about a book, not a movie, so let’s get on with it. (If Harris wins the Republicans will attempt to use the court system to have the results overturned, something that is already happening, so six months is probably being too generous. Might want to buy some extra food. Sorry rest of the world, this is embarrassing.)
When I found Tommy Wallach’s “We All Looked Up,” in a local library, I thought it was the book used for the foundation of “Don’t Look Up.” Wrong. Totally different story. But the idea is much the same. Scientists miss a close-to-Earth object, turns out that baby is headed for us and we have two months to live, or not. There is a two thirds chance it hits and a one third it misses. But we come undone anyhow, as you might expect. Think back to the toilet paper people of early COVID, stuffing their F350s with enough butt wipes to maintain a battalion. Now imagine an eight-mile wide, pointy in parts, asteroid coming to say hello.
I see the Tech Bros running for their pods and bunkers while the rest of the population parties like it’s 1999.
No need to turn in that homework. Hey, know where I can score some weed? But mom, I didn’t know you smoked. I found this book completely refreshing. I know this might sound odd but I just kept thinking, “Well, maybe it’s time.” Give another species a crack at this place. The mouse that lives in my van. Ya, I think he’ll survive. He seems to be quite comfortable and is certainly resilient. The point of a book like this is asking yourself, “What would I do?” If we had a hard out in two months. I’d try to secure more food, but most likely wouldn’t change much. I’m not sure any of us would be able to change much. Society would cease to exist as we know it. Nothing would work. Food would run out. People would turn.
If you think you are going to fly to the South Pacific, sorry, you aren’t. If you think you are going to find solitude in the mountains, you won’t. Most likely, we would shelter in place. The power would stop, services too. I’m trying to set an upbeat table here people. (Reality would be far, far worse.) So, in short, get a book book, try to relax and remember, expose for the fireball. Get it, read it.
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I wouldn’t change much, either. Because if there was any world left, it wouldn’t be worth living in. Think Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” As for “Well, maybe it’s time,” I still have hope for humanity. For my son’s future. And despite the wars and politics and endless barrage of negativity spewed from the media, I regularly see beautiful acts of humanity. People being kind to one another. I hear stories from my hospice nurse wife that move me. There are still novels that inspire me. And beautiful music. I understand why some folks feel a bit of despair these days, but there is still much good to hold onto. Thanks, Dan!
Totally agree with you. There’s good in the world but the media doesn’t want you to see it. They feed on negativity, in my opinion.
Author
And it’s not just the media. Social, news in general from all sides. Negative makes more money, and agitated people buy more.
Author
I like the scene where they find the intestines on the ground behind the truck. Lovely. That sounds about right.
“Expose for the fireball” is the kind of advice I keep coming back here for.
That line cracked me up!
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Stole that from Paul Gero.
Agreed!
Author
That is a Paul Gero gem. I stole it from him, but I think he stole it from someone else.
My guess is that it would be a combination of the Covid lockdown combined with the more baroque behavior of people during the plague decades in the 14th century. Highly kinetic religious cults, orgies, bacchanals, and whatever version of burning at the stake is available. Cannibalism might come into style. I would hope that I would be heroic, like the father in The Road, but I suspect that I would loot the best wine store in town and surf out on a nice wave of Bordeaux, thinking fondly of Jennifer Lawrence.
Author
There are worse ways to go. I don’t think America is ready for heroic.
Nope, not gonna read this one. Reading Octavia Butler’s Parables trilogy that wasn’t because that brilliant woman died before the 3rd one saw the light of day… well, I almost didn’t make it through Parable of the Sower. It was raw, violent and a little too close to our current reality.
Goddamnit! There’s still so much I want to create. I know I won’t be able to make everything I want to make before I shed my mortal coil. But to have my days cut short because of assholes and liars… naw. The mere thought pisses me off. My faith in humanity got a huge boost seeing people come together after Helene. And I feel a jolt of happiness every time I read a section of the bird book. Yeah, I’m taking my sweet time with it. I’ll look up when the time comes. Pantry is stocked. Subaru is gassed up should I need to flee the zombie apocalypse. That’s literally why I bought it as I knew my cute Fiat just wasn’t up to the task. In the meantime, I’m going to keep creating, keep looking for the helpers and keep my hope alive that we make it through this alright.
During Covid lockdowns, I sewed masks for the family, finally got down to the bottom layer of the freezer and threw an unidentifiable chunk of meat, “The Unknown Soldier” into the crock pot with plenty of wine and garlic, and started making a photo book. Hoping to complete my book and have it printed before the zombie apocalypse. Will remember to expose for the fireball, and not bother to post anywhere online. I would leave a note, but young people have trouble reading cursive already. I enjoy dystopian novels- The Road, Station Eleven, The Marrow Thieves, Moon of the Crusted Snow, Cold (Drew Hayden Taylor), Seveneves, etc., but have no bunker prepared and the freezer is woefully tidy and empty. Looking to survive off the land, though salmon is not my favourite. I do like kelp and Dungeness crab. Evergreen huckleberries, raspberries, and salal in the garden. Plenty of water falls from the sky. Fingers crossed for the U.S.
Author
I love that. Unknown meat supply, cook it for unlimited time. You are missing the fireworks, loud music and rebel flags. Surely the last things some of us will see as the rabble comes to take what’s ours.
I actually worked on the making of “Station 11” during the covid lockdowns. That was a real trip…life imitating art. A big chunk of it was shot among the terminal and aprons at Toronto International Airport, nary a plane in sight…. the airport only received a couple cargo planes a day, one being the Antonov AN-225, delivering Covid supplies worldwide. A very strange time to be alive.
Author
That’s awesome. You take pics?
The 2011 film by Lars Von Trier, Melancholia, which is the name of the “rock”/planet about to destroy earth and everything on it, people being people right up to the end, petty and self centered.
Author
I keep hearing about that film. Gotta find it.
After reading the other insightful and mature comments, unlike the one I posted , I’d like to take another crack at this. Certainly, there would be breakdowns, and probably very weird ones, as there have been in the past. At the same time, John Weiss is right to point out that people often help each other in disasters. If we didn’t have the capacity, as humans, to cooperate, we’d probably have disappeared long ago. I wonder how large a role hope plays in these situations — as in, let’s get it together because we can rebuild and start over. With certain doom looming, it’d be interesting to see how strong that appeal could be. But that helpers and kindness would appear is certain. I’d guess, too, that most people would continue as they lived before the news. To amplify on what Ellen wrote, we don’t have as much time to create, make or love as we’d want. And on a really bright note, we all have a meteor headed our way with our own name written on it, but we don’t know if it will hit in two months, two years, or two decades. So yeah, better get out there and expose for the bright spots.
Author
I keep thinking of the scene in Animal House where Belushi destroys the guitar. Bunch of peaceniks sitting around and he just shatters it all. I kinda think it would be like that. I know one thing, all the YouTube guru types wouldn’t continue the charade.
My meteor is a defective Aortic valve. I’m still asymptomatic, but the numbers are headed into the range where I’ll need to decide on mechanical, Porcine or TAVR expansion device in the next 2 years. Having this looming on the horizon dulls the more immediate political mess a bit which is either good or bad depending upon how you look at things. I wouldn’t call it full willful ignorance, more zoom call mute button. My ballot is filled out, and the chips will land where they land.
That being said, I bounce between 1-3 books of substance (non-fiction) and then a glut of pure entertainment reading. I skew towards sci-fi a bit and have read just about every permutation of what “could” happen to the Earth. The more realistic of these viewpoints don’t discourage my reading. Books more in line with “Hot Zone” by Richard Preston are the ones that keep me awake at night and send me after the fiction titles for a while.
Author
I like that strategy. A little of this, a little of that. Why not? Sorry about the valve. But, they can do a ton with the heart. You gonna be fine.