[anonguest]

Had an evening in with a few mates and finally got round to watching a DVD of a movie I had only previously seen snippets off/partially knew the plot - 28 Days Later.

Just like all the other zombie/plague type movies it involves a large population reduction scenario.

After the movie one of my friends casually and cynically quipped that IF there were to be some sort of non-trivial population reduction event of a more realistic kind such as flu pandemic, then after a brief 'panic' period, financial markets could well soar!? The rationale being that IF a non-trivial portion of the elderly/later aged 'boomers', in particular, were removed from society then a large number of financial burdens carried by governments, pension funds, etc would be dramatically reduced if not eliminated?

Thus, strictly lightheartedly, in keeping with the frequent 'boomer'/retiree bashing here on HPC would such an event be welcome as a form of major financial 'reset'?
(NOTE: I say 'financial' reset as opposed to 'social' reset as such an event would obviously have a large, intangible collective traumatic cost long after the event - such as WW1)

Just how much financial liability/burden would be removed - and thus ultimately result in lower taxes/etc for the younger demographic remaining?

This post has been edited by anonguest: 15 February 2012 - 11:21 AM

[Imminent_plunge]

The Black Death:

"Government and landlords tried to keep the lid on rising wages and changing social aspirations. Lords and peasants alike were indicted for taking higher wages. In 1363 a Sumptuary Law was brought through parliament. This measure decreed not only the quality and colour of cloth that lay people at different levels of society (below the nobility) should use in their attire but also sought to limit the common diet to basics. Such legislation could only occur when the government had observed upwardly-mobile dress among the lower orders. Such legislation was virtually impossible to enforce, but indicates that among those who survived the plague there was additional wealth, from higher wages and from accumulated holdings of lands formerly held by plague victims."

http://www.bbc.co.uk...impact_01.shtml

[Stainless Sam]

The Spanish flu of 1918 disporpotionately killed the younger and healthier - their immune systems reacted more violently than that of the weak and elderly, who suffered for a few weeks then recovered. The healthy died from secondary effects like pneumonia.

The closely related H5N1 bird flu is likely to perform in similar fashion when it pops up properly. So the productive will die out and those who are a " burden" on society will survive.

It will have to be something deliberately engineered to take out people like me and thereby cleanse the population, Don't say I didn't warn you.