“Survival” or “development” stories have always fascinated me, and this one has already been done in various guises, mostly science fiction .. as this one is, but haven't seen it in quite the form that follows. If anyone has, let me know. (“LOST”, perhaps?)
The basis is that of 200 people selected at random; dumped with nothing but the clothes that they wear and happen to be carrying at the time, (100 on each) onto two similar, undeveloped, fertile islands with everything that a civilisation would need to thrive and prosper. The details of size, climate and terrain have yet to be worked out, but the North Island of New Zealand (prior to any sort of human occupation) would serve as an ideal model. The islands are to be at the same latitude, about 200 kilometers apart, across open ocean.
The “random” bit is created by a spaceship(?) circumnavigating the world randomly “uploading” from every country and continent, age range between 6 and 60, one pass for 100 males, one for 100 females – none of whom have any recollection of what happened between the instant of “upload” to the time that they “awaken” on the Islands, but do remember their “past life”.
The bit that fascinates me as a challenge for the imagination is that - on one island the male/female ratio is to be 10 males/90 females. On the other island the ratio is 90 males/10 females. The spaceship beings take no further control, or interest in the project.
So, for any writer/philosophers with time on their hands.
There are many possibilities/combinations of ability and personal possessions that could be selected for these “First people” - but under these ratios, it would be interesting to see which group eventually works out how to survive and prosper. One outcome is probably obvious, but ain't necessarily so.
7 comments:
From what I know of people, the 10 percent male/90 percent female would probably have half a chance, cuz the men would divvy up the women into harems. That has worked in the past. When there are 90 men and 10 women, those gals are gonna run for the ocean and swim till the sharks eat them whole.
Ah, but that's the "easy" answer, Anne .. Will have to call the islands "F" and "M" .. or on island M 90% of the males would probably kill each other off fighting over the females .. but these are not "monocultures". Alters the dynamic slightly.
.. and yes, I agree that the community on island F would reach "stability" much sooner than island M, but at this point am trying to figure out what might logically transpire over the Verrrry looong term.
The harems thing would work I think.
Todays women think that they are better to us in all ways, but just turn a hundred of them loose on an island and see how they fare.
Turn a hundred men loose on an island and see how they fare. I'll bet you that the men will survive for a lot longer.
Turn a hundred men and women loose on an island and if they take their proper roles they will last the longest.
But please, don't give me fifty American women to try to survive with on that island.
"Proper" roles, Billy B? Tch tch .. am trying to be serious (sort of).
Methinks the most difficult bit would be "casting" the 200, and then in the "division" between islands, in that it would be difficult to be truly random without some sort of author bias.
Had thought of using Guurgle Images .. i.e. second page third line down .. tried it with the words "Australian male" and ended up with Keith Urban mmm, OK will go with that .. heh, and then Kerrie Biddell with "Australian female" whoo hoo.
Really interesting Davo, given human curiousity. How long before they're looking for what's over the horizon and the intermingling/invasion of both islands begin?
Ah, was wondering when someone would think of that. Quite a long time actually, remembering that while there would be the odd scattering of kitchen knives, axes and more than likely handguns in the initial stages, there would be no infrastructure to sustain them.
It's my guess, though, that once the blokes on Island M sorted themselves out, they'd be the first to build a boat and go exploring.
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