What Can Mad Max Teach Us (Part 1 Mad Max)

Of all the post apocalypse movies made or to be made the Mad Max movies are the most well known. These movies have put the Australian film industry on the map, and made Mel Gibson a household name. They have been copied imitated and referenced in dozens of movies video games and pop culture. But what can these movies teach us about survival in a post apocacalyptic world?

The Beginning Of The End

In Mad Max things haven’t been destroyed, just yet but they are on the razors edge of it. The cause of the apocalypse in the movies is from the lack of resources primarily oil that leads to nuclear war and devastation. This is something that all of us should take a good hard look at considering how quickly we are consuming the resources of this planet. Governments around the globe are already carving up the map for the next major war, a war not of ideas but to secure water, farm land and that ever so important oil.

Lack Of Authority

As things are crumbling those that have been entrusted to protect us will have an increasingly harder job. Mobs and gangs will emerge, at first to loot stores and steal supplies, and later to carve up their own territory. In Mad Max the gangs are taking control of the roads choking off and terrorizing those on it. This isn’t too far off from armed gangs taking to the streets either in cities or towns and taking control. The police and military will have so many fires to put out and not nearly enough man power to be truly effective. Eventually their numbers will dwindle, most will die, others will desert. The next time you watch Mad Max take a closer look at the police station, you probably never paid much attention to the number of empty desks, and all the paper that’s thrown about, it’s a clear sign of a lack of morale and man power.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Even though things are falling apart many people will go about their day to day business right up until their face to face with a mushroom cloud. This is going to be a major shock to their system, and many simply won’t be able to cope, after all how many of us are prepared to live without Xbox, mac and cheese, internet porn, or even soap for the rest of our lives. This is shown throughout most of the movie, people are at diners, going to clubs and doing normal day to day things despite the fact that things are going down the toilet at mach speed.