People went to church, drank tea, went out boating long after the first cylinder landed. I'm reminded of a British WWII propaganda poster urging citizens to "Keep Calm and Carry On."
During the weekend of the landing, it appears that Britain, for the most part, did just that. In London, the narrator's brother describes nothing more than a "vague feeling of alarm" as late as Sunday. Things were calm enough for him to go to a concert that night. I was especially amused when the narrator, after the aliens landed, after first contact, after people had started dying, left his wife to return the (dead) inn-keeper's dog cart. Granted, I'm not anything close to an expert on British culture, but all of this feels very British to me. Whether on account of the time or place, Wells's imagined response to a Martian invasion would be very very different from our own today, in an age in which we are so primed for panic.A book about privacy I read last semester, The Naked Crowd by Jeffrey Rosen, pointed out different cultural attitudes toward bureaucratic control. Rosen notes that "Americans are more suspicious... of expert administrative bodies," especially compared to the "'pleasantly authoritarian' culture" of countries like Canada or Britain. I found evidence of this trust for government all over WotW. The brother brings up a newspaper report that "reiterated assurances of the safety of London and the ability of the authorities to cope with the difficulty..." Over and over again, people repeat the expectation that their government will simply blow up the Martians in their craters, and they really seem to believe it.
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I'm not sure if I would say this kind of reaction is "British." The reaction of people simply going about their daily lives represents the pre-science fiction era. In 2010, we are sort of used to the idea of of aliens invading, and by that I mean we have a bit more fear than the individuals in the book had. I also think thought that the point of the relaxed response is to further the idea of humanity's arrogance. This is yet another enemy that will be vanquished eventually.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, the idea of "Keep Calm and Carry On" is something that all government try to push in times of crisis. For example, during this recession the U.S. government has been telling people the same basic thing. Keep Calm. Keep Buying.
You press on a good point about the British WWII Propaganda Tim. I do not think there is anything wrong with drinking tea, while the Martians are chilling on the plains near London. It all has to do with peoples' expectations.
ReplyDeleteUntil WW2 wars were fought at the frontiers (or some form of battleground), by the military men with breaks every now and then to sing Christmas carols. Civilians were not targeted and they were not part of the actual battle. WWII shattered people's expectations and brought something that was not anticipated by the civilians...violence in its rawest form, making WWII the bloodiest war in human history.
Keep calm and carry on? That was no longer possible.
One main reason why people in Canada and Britain rely on their governments compared to
Americans is because of the available social safety net. An outside shock (i.e. economic crisis or an attack by the Martians) on these welfare states can crumble down the whole built structure on which system is built. Funny part is...same is true with the US. When the recession came around, reaction of the States signified a slow melt-down of the global economic system.
Structures/systems will remain vulnerable to exogenous shocks until the day agents learn to fight for their existence.