Disease kills over half the world's population, what happens next?

[Dauphin]

I would have thought that it would be a good thing, as long as those killed off were the old, weak and poor - they don't really do anything for the economy.

Immigrants would be blamed for carrying the disease, which would probably mean tighter border control, which can't be a bad thing.

Best of all, it would probably reduce the risk to the environment. Fewer people consuming our natural resources would give mother nature some breathing space to recover.

Your thoughts?

[Krill]

Your sig is broken.

[Krill]

Then again it is probably just meant as an intelligent take on my own sig.

[Dauphin]

Fixé

[KrazyHorse]

which can't be a bad thing

Yes it can.

[Whoha]

Re: Disease kills over half the world's population, what happens next?

Originally posted by Dauphin
I would have thought that it would be a good thing, as long as those killed off were the old, weak and poor - they don't really do anything for the economy.

Immigrants would be blamed for carrying the disease, which would probably mean tighter border control, which can't be a bad thing.

Best of all, it would probably reduce the risk to the environment. Fewer people consuming our natural resources would give mother nature some breathing space to recover.

Your thoughts?

it would only take about 20 years to get our population back if we worked at it.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse

which can't be a bad thing

Yes it can.

Oh no it can't! [/panto voice]

[Patroklos]

The housing market gets even worse

Immigrants would be blamed for carrying the disease, which would probably mean tighter border control, which can't be a bad thing.

No, economies would be desperate for labor and begging people to relocate to their terriotry.

[Traianvs]

But we need immigrants to do all the menial labour

[TCO]

1. There is the intrinsic loss to the people. Imagine having a 50% chance of death. Also the grief wrt relatives.

2. The useful economic output lost.

3. This causing mass disruption as companies lose key workers, families breadwinners, etc.

4. The lowered value of all the spare stuff.

---------------------------------------

Counterbalancing this would be some more availability of stuff and land for remaining people. Only if it could all be magically redistributed (which is infeasible), would perhaps the poorer parts of the world be better. Richer parts would be worse.

Fvck the environment.

[Ben Kenobi]

Same as in the black death. Society as we know it collapses, and eventually gets built back up.

[Boris Godunov]

Think of all the free stuff that will then be lying around for the taking. Win-win!

[Japher]

1. Documentary it is made about it
2. Action movie about it is made
3. Spoof about the action movie about it is made
4. McRib makes a comeback

the end

[TCO]

Dolphin needs to go down a couple notches on the KH intelligence ranking scale.

[Lancer]

If half the people died then half would be alive.