A Quick Journey Through 1970s Apocalypticism

By JacobSloan on February 24, 2011 in News 23

Paleofuture Blog, which look at predictions and visions of the future as previous generations imagined it, has a video feature examining the colorful weirdness of apocalyptic doom-and-gloom in the 1970s. In that decade, frightening documentaries such as Future Shock and The Late Great Planet Earth caught the zeitgeist by foretelling the fast-approaching destruction of humanity at the hands of overpopulation, dehumanizing technology, Communism, ancient prophecies, and natural devastation. Viewing these works today, they are a reminder that the world probably isn’t going to end, and we’ll make it through to tomorrow.

Apocalypse, Cold War, Documentary, Futurism, History, Overpopulation, Pop Culture

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that1guy

The 70s wasn’t that long ago. we still got plenty of time to fuck it all up
- America
  
  lets get to it then!
that1guy

The 70s wasn’t that long ago. we still got plenty of time to fuck it all up
WhiteRose

I would have agreed with this before facebook put basically the entire middle east in chaos…. the world moves faster than you can blink an eye. The one thing I recall liking about AOL email was the un-send button so if I sent a stupid email before someone read it I could delete it. Times have changed…zoom zoom zoom
WhiteRose

I would have agreed with this before facebook put basically the entire middle east in chaos…. the world moves faster than you can blink an eye. The one thing I recall liking about AOL email was the un-send button so if I sent a stupid email before someone read it I could delete it. Times have changed…zoom zoom zoom
mrtastycakes

“Future Shock” was not really apocalyptic.
mrtastycakes

“Future Shock” was not really apocalyptic.
JoiquimCouteau

“Viewing these works today, they are a reminder that the world probably isn’t going to end, and we’ll make it through to tomorrow.”

More likely, I think, their timing was a bit off, and tomorrow comes today
- Simiantongue
  
  But tomorrow became today yesterday and it’s going to again and still nothing has happened. Are we sure we know how to work this thing properly, can someone spin a dial or something?
  - dj shadow
    
    Tomorrow never comes Until its too late.
Lgolos

“Viewing these works today, they are a reminder that the world probably isn’t going to end, and we’ll make it through to tomorrow.”

More likely, I think, their timing was a bit off, and tomorrow comes today
Lgolos

“Viewing these works today, they are a reminder that the world probably isn’t going to end, and we’ll make it through to tomorrow.”

More likely, I think, their timing was a bit off, and tomorrow comes today
O. Spengler

That was a dumbed-down look at 1970s anxiety.
O. Spengler

That was a dumbed-down look at 1970s anxiety.
http://www.victoriangothic.org Haystack

If you’ve read up on the Cuban Missile Crisis you know just how close we did come to an apocalypse. This is a fun example of how bad people are at predicting the future, particularly those who inhabit the bestseller lists, but it’s not an argument for complacency.
http://www.victoriangothic.org Haystack

If you’ve read up on the Cuban Missile Crisis you know just how close we did come to an apocalypse. This is a fun example of how bad people are at predicting the future, particularly those who inhabit the bestseller lists, but it’s not an argument for complacency.
- WhiteRose
  
  The world has changed a lot since then…. the world is more broken than ever before!
WhiteRose

The world has changed a lot since then…. the world is more broken than ever before!
Simiantongue

But tomorrow became today yesterday and it’s going to again and still nothing has happened. Are we sure we know how to work this thing properly, can someone spin a dial or something?
http://www.facebook.com/michael.j.lonkouski Michael J. Lonkouski

I love this site!
http://www.facebook.com/michael.j.lonkouski Michael J. Lonkouski

I love this site!
dj shadow

Tomorrow never comes Until its too late.
America

lets get to it then!