What if you were the last people on earth?

[Guest]

I read a book a few years ago that had an interesting scenario. There was a nuclear war and most of the world was contaminated with radiation. There were two naval vessels left relatively free from fallout contamination. They sail through the south sea's trying to find anyone alive by radio but could not raise anyone. Their radiation meters kept them moving away from the contamination. Finally they settle on an island. The population was made up of about 50 women and 200 men, all from the ship's crew. The men and women naturally started to pair up but no women became pregnant. As a group, they decided that the women would sleep with every man on a rotating basis to try and find a pair that was not sterilized by the radiation. Would you agree to this? How would you handle the process? In the book everyone had an assigned time. It depended on the woman how often she would mate.

 

[Guest]

Count me in, Peaks. When do we set sail?

 

[Earthgoddess]

Hhhmmm, what if you were only attracted to a certain few...what if the ugliest person was the fertile one???Yikes,too much to think over...now if I could pick my 200 males-Roger how do you like sailing?

 

[Weird Harold]

This is actually a fairly common theme in science fiction. I know of at least five books off the top of my head that would fit High Peaks' description, and two short story anthologies that are collections of variations on the theme.

EG,
If the fertile woman was the ugliest one, I think a new standard of beauty would soon develop. We are still hardwired with insticts to preserve the species above all else.

If the fertile man turned out to be the ugliest one, I think the same thing would apply.

A common variant on your question in some stories, and to me a more important consideration is the fertile male being a sadistic bastard. I've seen a couple of short stories where he was bad enough that hatred overrode the instinct for species survival and an abused woman killed off mankind's last hope.

I tend to agree with the general consensus of science fiction authors that no matter how distastfull the pairing, the danger of inbreeding would force some sort of societal structure that made sexual promiscuity a virtue. Either organized and controlled for a evenly balanced genetics, or a free-for-all sort of orgy based matriarchal society where knowing the precise parentage is not only irrelevant, but forbidden.

 

[Guest]

A couple o' bottles o' absynthe and I'll soon find me sea-legs, EarthGoddess. Hahr-Ahr!! Then maybe I'll go in search of your buried treasure, me hearty.

Long Dong Silvah
x (marks the spot)


By the way - whose turn is it to crack the "sea men" / "semen" gag?

Oh, go on then - I'll do it.

Is the reason the women can't conceive 'cause all the "sea men" fell overboard?

 

[Cyra_3]

Wow, all that sex and no guilt? I'm up for it.

 

[Earthgoddess]

Harold remember the pig faced Outer Limits-where the doctor's were trying to correct that poor woman's features...it may have been an Alfred Hitchcock Presents but at any rate...
There was a feminist sci-fi where the breeder male was so terrible they kept him on life support just to extract his sperm. I feel shallow for assuming ugliness would be a problem...vile human behavior would definitely be a worse problem...What if the only fertile ones were homosexual-could survival of the species precede sexual orientation and the right to chose?
Roger come here and let me climb your mizzen mast-maybe I should varnish your fore deck...hoist me aloft matey...let me show you the true meaning of sea legs...

[This message has been edited by earthgoddess (edited 06-05-2000).]

 

[Weird Harold]

oops. Stupid fingers strike again.


[This message has been edited by Weird Harold (edited 06-05-2000).]

 

[Guest]

Up Periscopes!

 

[Weird Harold]

Originally posted by earthgoddess:
Harold remember the pig faced Outer Limits-where the doctor's were trying to correct that poor woman's features...it may have been an Alfred Hitchcock Presents but at any rate...

What if the only fertile ones were homosexual-could survival of the species precede sexual orientation and the right to chose?

I dimly remember the pig faced episode, but don't remember if it was Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitckock, or one of the other science fiction anthology series. There were a lot of Twilight Zone wannabes for a while. Most only lasted a few episodes.

The homosexuality issue is another that has been addressed by various authors with equally various predictions of how things would work out.

The most recent book I've seen with this theme, is Nimisha's Ship by Anne McCaffrey. It's a lte 98 or Early 99 copyright date and should be available in your local library. I think it was just recently released in paperback also.

 

[Guest]

WAHEY!!! I just spotted the Golden Fleece!

(Are classical refernces allowed in these naughty nautical exchanges?)

 

[Guest]

That last post of mine works better if you read it straight after Up Periscopes!

 

[Magic Merlin]

Originally posted by Weird Harold:
I dimly remember the pig faced episode, but don't remember if it was Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitckock, or one of the other science fiction anthology series. There were a lot of Twilight Zone wannabes for a while.

By God, people! You don't remember one of the most important disturbing episodes of Twilight Zone.

It was Twilight Zone, I say..The Twilight Zone....

Roger, please get your new world order in line here. The future of the human species is resting on your shoulders bud.

Hi Earthgoddess! <waving> Hey, Roger buddy <also known as the last of the Jedi Knights>
Hi Weird Harold <leader of this new world order>

Sorry guys, didn't mean to get excited there. But I sat on the sidelines long enough, just waiting for one of you to say the Twilight Zone.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Originally posted by Cyra_3:
Wow, all that sex and no guilt? I'm up for it.

Just all that sex!!!

da Chef

 

[Guest]

Naughty nautical humor, where else can you get that?!

Originally posted by roger simian:
Count me in, Peaks. When do we set sail?

All ashore that's going ashore. Cast off the lines, full speed ahead. The Love boat is setting sail! (hmm, I don't want to be Captain Stuebing, or Horatio Hornblower, Long Dong Silvah is taken) Call me John Paul Bones, I have not yet begun to f___.

Originally posted by earthgoddess:
Hhhmmm, what if you were only attracted to a certain few...what if the ugliest person was the fertile one???Yikes,too much to think over...now if I could pick my 200 males-Roger how do you like sailing?

Ok EG you can pick the first 10 men but I'm the captain and I go or I scuttle the ship.

Maybe the bag over the head method should be enforced for the esthetically challenged faces. Rules of conduct would definitely be strictly obeyed.

This is a common theme in science fiction but not a lot of common answers here.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by Cyra_3:
Wow, all that sex and no guilt? I'm up for it.

Now that's the kind of mind set we need sailor! (Salute)

In the book there were a lot of crew members that jumped ship rather than participate.

There would be a process of natural selection going on.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by Weird Harold:

A common variant on your question in some stories, and to me a more important consideration is the fertile male being a sadistic bastard. I've seen a couple of short stories where he was bad enough that hatred overrode the instinct for species survival and an abused woman killed off mankind's last hope.

Anyone disobeying the "no sadistic bastard" code of conduct will be keel hauled. If he is fertile, well, there are ways to deal...

 

[Gingersnap]

Okay thats Roger(luke skywalker), and High Peaks. Okay where is MADDOG and Lasher. Come on guys line up. Riding that train high on ummmmmmm sea men..... Let us pull out the firecrackers and the streamers and lets get produce!!!!!!! 1 2 3 ORGYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

Ah-ha! Knew I could rely on the Snapster to rally up the troops. You'll need a proper seafarin' name, though, nautical girl. Felatio Hornblower, or something like that.

 

[Raindrop]

something about the whole scenario sounding oddly appealing until I realized I might have to sleep with someone I feel no attraction towards.....

 

[Weird Harold]

Originally posted by raindrop:
something about the whole scenario sounding oddly appealing until I realized I might have to sleep with someone I feel no attraction towards.....

One common scenario in these types of stories is the rules made to insure that the women 'catch' as many times as possible during their fertile years.

That usually winds up meaning that not only are the women reduced to 'brood mares', but they're required to have intercourse with a designated male (or males) whenever they're ovulating whether they feel 'in the mood' or not.

It seems to me that it could be a man's definition of Heaven, and a woman's definition of Hell.

 

[Raindrop]

Good point!

Real quicky I should mention that when I said "something I feel no attraction towards, I wasn't specifically talking about looks... this is important b/c to me there has got be to no bigger turn off then a man with an acute lack of intelligence
brrrrrrrr!!!! (no offense to anyone)
WH... loved your posts on this board btw

-raindrop

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by raindrop:
something about the whole scenario sounding oddly appealing until I realized I might have to sleep with someone I feel no attraction towards.....

Aye, there's the rub. The whole thing sounds erotic at first but to be successful it would have to be done very clinically I'm afraid.
WH you know your end of the world scenarios!

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by Weird Harold:
One common scenario in these types of stories is the rules made to insure that the women 'catch' as many times as possible during their fertile years.

That usually winds up meaning that not only are the women reduced to 'brood mares', but they're required to have intercourse with a designated male (or males) whenever they're ovulating whether they feel 'in the mood' or not.

It seems to me that it could be a man's definition of Heaven, and a woman's definition of Hell.

Let me say this from personal experience about having trouble conceiving as a couple. It isn't a lot of fun for the man to have to perform on demand either. Watching the calendar and trying to time the event really takes all the spontaneity and romance out of intercourse. I would not classify it as a man's idea of heaven. Compound that with the pressure of saving man from extinction Yikes!

 

[Weird Harold]

Originally posted by High Peaks:
WH you know your end of the world scenarios!

I've been reading Science Fiction for about 40 years. Most of the first quarter of that period was at the height of the Cold War. Apocalyptic visions of doom were the heart of the genre in the late fifties and early sixties. I've read probably thousands of different scenarios.

Anybody remember the movie Omega Man starring Charleton Heston?