Will the fictional world and law of Judge Dredd become a future reality?

[Judge Palmer]

Before you laugh and scoff at my statement really look and think at what it actually says.

As we know the fictional world of Dredd is based around Mega City One, a huge fictional city-state covering much of what is now the Eastern United States.  Mega-City One evolved out of a growing urban conurbation stretching from Boston to Washington, which took form in the 21st century to cope with the escalating population crisis in America and - due to the high crime rate - led to the introduction of the Judge system. Mega-City One was one of three major areas to survive the nuclear war in 2070, due to an experimental laser missile-defence system built not long before. Quickly growing outwards, Mega-City One swelled to hold most of the population of the East Coast, reaching 800 million by the end of the century. This population was halved by the Apocalypse War of 2104.

In London during the 15th century the population was approx. 6000 to 7000. The population in London today is approx. 7.5 million. With an ever increasing population due to advances in medical science enabling people to live longer as well as influx of immigrants, space and housing is at a premium. Already our own government is struggling to cope with the current economic crisis, cut backs are being enforced everywhere from the NHS through to our police and armed forces. With technology and computers doing even more of the work that humans have done before is it really unrealistic to think that in another 100, 200 or even 300 years our societies and laws may mirror that of fiction. Even if we have further world wars that may or may not use nuclear/chemical weapons against each other, as the most dominent and resilient species on the planet we most probably will still survive this rather than eradicate ourselves completely so will continue to populate the planet for many more thousand of years to come.

What are your thoughts on this?

[JOE SOAP]

Well if the oil supply is dwindling -as now currently published, Saudi reserves 40% overstated etc.- and other resources, food, water having passed peak too, the era of cheap energy is over and I would say no to a Martial law type judicial system happening. It may happen for a short window if wars escalate but it won't last and ultimately a contraction of resources will result in a dissolving and break up of urbanisation, infrastructure and a reclamation of the countryside to serve local needs rather than international mercantilism. Technology relies on energy and production to progress, without that machine behind it progress will slow-down for a while until there's a readjustment.

The resource reduction, which is now a reality, will be unable support a city-state where a large number of civillians reside, a governmental centre or business centre may exist with it's own police-force et al but it's power will be less significant. Technology relies on energy and production to progress without that machine behind it progress will slow-down for

The current banking/governmental forces behind the world-wide money drain know that oil is the only real reserve currency and when that's gone, it's collapse or the revealing of things we don't know about.

Of course all this could change if the energy problem is overcome by some otherwise unrevealed power source but that's too much conjecture for now.

[TordelBack]

The main barrier to the law of Judge Dredd's world is the impossibility of creating a caste of highly trained incorruptible celibate lawmen.  As Twilight's Last Gleaming and Cadet showed, it's intrinsic belief in the Judges that allow the system to continue.  When that belief wavers - as in the latter part of Tour of Duty - things start to slide back into anarchy.  Without that basic faith in the system on the part of the citizens, it can't continue.  All government is ultimately about consent.

[JOE SOAP]

If you look at the current demographics for the US they reflect similar demographics -many are worse- of the USSR before collapse including the increasing gap between rich and poor. I don't see any Mega Cities/police states developing there at all, not for any long period of time, the reverse is likelier. It's also a country less equipped socially/inclined to deal with a contaction or break-up such as happened to the USSR.

The Russians all ready had a culture of barter/communitarianism/brotherhood/farming that allowed their communities to overcome total economic collapse in the 90's. The US has little, if any of these qualities, but it has guns and paranoia and plenty of each instead and needs WalMarts, McDonalds and foodstamps just to survive so the idea of states requesting to secede is only the start of a declining world influence and contraction.

[JOE SOAP]

The main barrier to the law of Judge Dredd's world is the impossibility of creating a caste of highly trained incorruptible celibate lawmen.  As Twilight's Last Gleaming and Cadet showed, it's intrinsic belief in the Judges that allow the system to continue.  When that belief wavers - as in the latter part of Tour of Duty - things start to slide back into anarchy.  Without that basic faith in the system on the part of the citizens, it can't continue.  All government is ultimately about consent.

but give them a house with flatscreens and porn/beer and they'll wield a daystick, no problem

[TordelBack]

We call that 'the Maria principle'.

[Judge Palmer]

The main barrier to the law of Judge Dredd's world is the impossibility of creating a caste of highly trained incorruptible celibate lawmen.  As Twilight's Last Gleaming and Cadet showed, it's intrinsic belief in the Judges that allow the system to continue.  When that belief wavers - as in the latter part of Tour of Duty - things start to slide back into anarchy.  Without that basic faith in the system on the part of the citizens, it can't continue.  All government is ultimately about consent.

But many stories of Judges being corrupted or faced with corruption have been written so going back to the real world there would always be a possibilty however well trained a person was as a Judge that it would happen. Maybe we won't have a police state but I still believe we will have less control over our lives as society and the law within it changes. We already have our lives watched and scrunitised by the thousands of CCTV cameras operating throughout the U.K. For the law and society to change signifincantly it would have to take an enormous amount of social and political upheaval for it happen and lack of resources in the future such as oil could be that catalyst that starts it all....

[JOE SOAP]

We call that 'the Maria principle'.

Care in the community, Italian style.

[Jared Katooie]

Population skrockets, resources dwindle. Brutal totalitarian govenrments form to maintain control but inevitably society collapses.

Surviving tribes squabble and scavenge until the inevitable.

[JOE SOAP]

Maybe we won't have a police state but I still believe we will have less control over our lives as society and the law within it changes. We already have our lives watched and scrunitised by the thousands of CCTV cameras operating throughout the U.K. For the law and society to change signifincantly it would have to take an enormous amount of social and political upheaval for it happen and lack of resources in the future such as oil could be that catalyst that starts it all....

Energy/Resource reductions are more likely to result in a lack of central control coherence than any strain of central Fascism/Timarchy though. It's when you control the means of production/energy that power centres form, you need to have that 'power' in controlled reserve to allow you to form the society you want. Since the age of cheap oil is over those type of political paradigms won't live.

[JOE SOAP]

Population skrockets, resources dwindle. Brutal totalitarian govenrments form to maintain control but inevitably society collapses.

You need to have control of an  available energy, an accessible resource that's easy to get, to keep that kind of political control and your equipment running, it won't happen with such a large disgruntled world-population.

[Something Fishy]

Well that was all a cheery thing to read first thing on a Monday.  

So, how long before this collapse happens?  In my lifetime (which might only be about 25 more years due to having Dads problems) or my sons?

[Judge Palmer]

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?  

[Tiplodocus]

No.

[mogzilla]

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?  

yep,i think soap's outed himself as scojo with the multi posts!