Threads is a 1984 television docudrama depicting the effects of a
nuclear war on the United Kingdom and
it''s
aftermath.
While I think they did a devastatingly good job in rendering the aftermath up to the first year or so, I''m not actually so entirely convinced about how the film approaches the full decade and beyond after the War.
Yes, there are good, even leading, theories, speculating that in the chaos and horror that follows, many of the living may well envy the dead. And yes, fuel shortages and bad harvests will force the bringing-back or rediscovery of some medieval practices and techniques.
But not everyone is going to be lobotomised by the event, and it''s probable that the more zombie-like you are, the more likely you are to keel over in the first five years. Likewise if you''re a feral orphan wandering the abandoned cities. Even without the trappings or memories of modernity, people are much better at organising themselves into small, tight-knit and internally-supportive agricultural or survival communities than the story gives them credit for. People don''t stop caring about their mothers'' deaths just because TV hasn''t taught them about mourning.
And not all the trappings and memories of modernity would be worthless. Granted, priorities would be turned upside-down, but parts of our culture are fucking brilliant, and people determined to keep the spark alive or just make the most of their lives would continue singing the Beatles by the barn''s campfire. We wouldn''t all trudge along with vacant stares - well, we would, but not for 13 years.