4 ms·

The book is set in the 2020s. Prior to the events of the narrative, America has devolved into a third-world country because of a pandemic disease and the effect

The book is set in the 2020s. Prior to the events of the narrative, America has devolved into a third-world country because of a pandemic disease and the effects of climate change. Butler’s predictive capacity unfortunately seems quite well-developed.

ekianjo 6y ago
that seems completely off the mark. If anything, a rich country has a lot less to worry about climate change than poorer ones, because they are by definition a lot more resilient to changes.
- ben_w 6y ago
  By what definition? I think the richest are the most precariously positioned. The poorest economies are primary production — farming, fishing, mining, not fundamentally dependent on anyone else; then come industrial economies, which take the inputs from the primary sector and add value, but they are dependent on that primary sector to exist; the richest are service sector dominated, but no amount of software developers, patent lawyers, investment portfolio managers, or private tutors can make up for an absence of food (or steel, but that’s not a direct part of this, only a potential indirect if the people with the steel use the steel to get the food and deny it to the rich).
  - adamsea 6y ago
    Unfortunately many of the countries which will be hurt the most by climate are in the Global South, which is generally poorer. Also IIRC the US produces a lot of food so I’m not sure how on-point your breakdown of poor / rich economies is. Plus let’s recall it’s the rich countries which have been the proximate cause of global warming :). That said I do agree with you that rich countries are vulnerable as well.
    - richajak 6y ago
      After living in several developed and developing countries, I think both sides will suffer. For first group, any disruption of food supply chain will be disastrous as it depends on extensive logistics and large food manufacturers. It was evident during the recent coronavirus in meat packing factory. As for second group, it is largely about flood, drought, other natural disasters. Harvest will fail, starvation, etc. It can also be second / third degree of impact, eg riot, hyperinflation, civil war, etc. A bit paranoid, due to recent geopolitical and coronavirus situation, I have asked my parents to be plant some important crops and vegetables in our suburb land. The probability is very low, however I do not want to die of starvation in that hypothetical situation.
      - adamsea 6y ago
        > After living in several developed and developing countries, I think both sides will suffer. I do agree, and, apologize if I painted with overly broad brushstrokes. I do think food supply issues will be a bigger issues in poorer countries. To use the coronavirus as an example again, while I haven't read in depth, I've seen various news headlines talking about starvation rising in the world right now because of covid-19; and increased hunger in the U.S. It affects everyone, but the poor the most. But yeah I feel you; I too take my food security less for granted than I have in the past.
- claudeganon 6y ago
  In the context of the story, American elites still remain incredibly wealthy, but the rest of the country is vastly impoverished. The main character is from a family that are among the last remnants of the “middle class.” She lives in a gated neighborhood, but one that relied on neighborhood-level self-protection and is ever more surrounded by the peril of homelessness and street violence. The wealthy live in full protected cities with private security and corporate sponsors. Essentially, the masses of poor are left to suffer the effects of the chaos around them, while the wealthy are safe and cloistered. This hardly seems wide of the mark with regard to contemporary America, let alone if things turn for the worse.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
IAmGraydon 6y ago
There is no pandemic disease in The Parable of the Sower.
- claudeganon 6y ago
  I thought there was reference to it in the description of that chaos that precedes the story, but I may simply be misremembering what constituted the “Pox Years” of the book.
vixen99 6y ago
'Because of'? What about the effect of an extreme political polarity that one would have to believe in miracles to imagine could ever be resolved? Meanwhile China is the country with the highest percentage of the population who say they are totally in favour of the goverment. Same prediction, different cause. Anyway, climate change and pandemic are universals.

ekianjo 6y ago

that seems completely off the mark. If anything, a rich country has a lot less to worry about climate change than poorer ones, because they are by definition a lot more resilient to changes.

ben_w 6y ago
By what definition? I think the richest are the most precariously positioned. The poorest economies are primary production — farming, fishing, mining, not fundamentally dependent on anyone else; then come industrial economies, which take the inputs from the primary sector and add value, but they are dependent on that primary sector to exist; the richest are service sector dominated, but no amount of software developers, patent lawyers, investment portfolio managers, or private tutors can make up for an absence of food (or steel, but that’s not a direct part of this, only a potential indirect if the people with the steel use the steel to get the food and deny it to the rich).
- adamsea 6y ago
  Unfortunately many of the countries which will be hurt the most by climate are in the Global South, which is generally poorer. Also IIRC the US produces a lot of food so I’m not sure how on-point your breakdown of poor / rich economies is. Plus let’s recall it’s the rich countries which have been the proximate cause of global warming :). That said I do agree with you that rich countries are vulnerable as well.
  - richajak 6y ago
    After living in several developed and developing countries, I think both sides will suffer. For first group, any disruption of food supply chain will be disastrous as it depends on extensive logistics and large food manufacturers. It was evident during the recent coronavirus in meat packing factory. As for second group, it is largely about flood, drought, other natural disasters. Harvest will fail, starvation, etc. It can also be second / third degree of impact, eg riot, hyperinflation, civil war, etc. A bit paranoid, due to recent geopolitical and coronavirus situation, I have asked my parents to be plant some important crops and vegetables in our suburb land. The probability is very low, however I do not want to die of starvation in that hypothetical situation.
    - adamsea 6y ago
      > After living in several developed and developing countries, I think both sides will suffer. I do agree, and, apologize if I painted with overly broad brushstrokes. I do think food supply issues will be a bigger issues in poorer countries. To use the coronavirus as an example again, while I haven't read in depth, I've seen various news headlines talking about starvation rising in the world right now because of covid-19; and increased hunger in the U.S. It affects everyone, but the poor the most. But yeah I feel you; I too take my food security less for granted than I have in the past.
claudeganon 6y ago
In the context of the story, American elites still remain incredibly wealthy, but the rest of the country is vastly impoverished. The main character is from a family that are among the last remnants of the “middle class.” She lives in a gated neighborhood, but one that relied on neighborhood-level self-protection and is ever more surrounded by the peril of homelessness and street violence. The wealthy live in full protected cities with private security and corporate sponsors. Essentially, the masses of poor are left to suffer the effects of the chaos around them, while the wealthy are safe and cloistered. This hardly seems wide of the mark with regard to contemporary America, let alone if things turn for the worse.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

IAmGraydon 6y ago

There is no pandemic disease in The Parable of the Sower.

claudeganon 6y ago
I thought there was reference to it in the description of that chaos that precedes the story, but I may simply be misremembering what constituted the “Pox Years” of the book.

vixen99 6y ago

'Because of'? What about the effect of an extreme political polarity that one would have to believe in miracles to imagine could ever be resolved? Meanwhile China is the country with the highest percentage of the population who say they are totally in favour of the goverment. Same prediction, different cause. Anyway, climate change and pandemic are universals.