Generational Divides

Since I’ve already written about political unions in the past, the inescapable news that the UK has narrowly voted for “Brexit”, the UK’s exit from the European Union, would seem to have me stuck retreading ground and discussing the same thing all over again, only with a slightly gloomier outlook.

However, one of the interesting things to emerge post-referendum is the demographics of those who voted; broadly speaking, the young were most likely to vote remain, and the old were most likely to vote to leave. This shows a huge divide between the generations in our society – might your fictional society have a similar divide?

Privacy

Over in the US, the Supreme Court has just approved a law change that will allow the US Government greater powers to hack and access computers and phones both in the US and abroad, something which could have huge implications for privacy. Simultaneously, new rules are being proposed which may give citizens greater control over what information is collected by service providers.

This is part of a wider discussion about privacy which has continued for decades, from the USSR’s use of informants to the UK’s “snoopers charter“. Where does a right to privacy end, and other concerns – such as security or stability – become more important?

Death

With 2016 continuing to be the year of death, losing David Bowie, Prince, Harper Lee, Alan Rickman, Victoria Wood, Ronnie Corbett, Terry Wogan, Admiral Ackbar, and what seems to be the majority of the western hemisphere, death is the one thing that all societies have to deal with (unless your society is one of omnipotent immortals, à la Michael Moorcock’s Dancers at the End of Time, naturally).

How they view death in a philosophical sense, and how they deal with the practical side, can vary wildly, and can also tell us a great deal about the kind of society we are dealing with. Is death something to be feared, or something to embrace? Is a funeral a solemn ceremony, a cheerful celebration of a life, or a clinical procedure? Let’s take a look.

Education

With the UK government thrashing around a hugely unpopular forced privatisation of the country’s entire school system, removing oversight and accountability from parents and local government in favour of opaque academy chains, it’s a good time to look at education.

Electing the Elected

Over in the US, the presidential primaries are still making news as millions of ordinary citizens vote on who may become their party’s next presidential candidate. Meanwhile in the UK, the fallout of Prime Minister David Cameron’s involvement in the Panama Papers tax scandal as well as the upcoming EU referendum is prompting some commentators to suggest that he may soon be forced to resign. Should he do so, it will be his party, not the public, who will decide on his replacement.

This highlights two different ways of electing a leader; directly and indirectly – and knowing how a leader is elected can add a new level of political intrigue to your fictional setting. Does your leader need to convince the people, or just his party? Let’s take a look.

Trials and Justice

With the United States tying itself into knots following the death of Justice Scalia and the question of whether or not there is a convention against President Barack Obama nominating a replacement to the Supreme Court, we can see how important matters of justice are to real-world civilisations. The same is true of your fictional society; what happens when one of your citizens is arrested for a crime she did not commit?

Let’s take a look at justice and judiciary processes.

Energy

In a week where controversy and argument continue to be raised regarding the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear power stations, and the world continues to debate the damaging effects of “fracking” for gas deposits, we can see how important concerns of energy provision are in the real world. The forms and methods of energy generation in your fictional world  can also play a large part in how that society works, and access to energy can make big difference to the politics of your fictional nation.

Prejudice and Discrimination

With Donald Trump continuing to make statements which many consider offensive to various groups, leading him to be branded a bigot by many, the concept of bigotry, racism and oppression is high in the news agenda and an interesting thing for us to examine here. Is everyone in your invented world treated equally, or are some groups more equal than others?

Entertainment

With Oscar season once again utterly unavoidable, it’s time to talk about entertainment and the entertainment industry.

All civilisations have their own form of entertainment, whether that be television and movies, to Star Trek‘s holodecks in more technologically advanced societies, to simple campfire stories, mummer’s plays, and that moon in Firefly where they juggle geese. What kinds of entertainment you build into your world is very telling about how that culture works, and is well worth us examining it here.

Health and Healthcare

In the last few months, the battle between Jeremy Hunt and the entire medical profession regarding the unworkable contracts he is set to impose unilaterally on NHS junior doctors has continued to rage. Many see the contract as a deliberate plan to cripple the NHS, funnelling ever more services towards the private healthcare providers which the Health Secretary has links to. Meanwhile, across the pond, Senator Bernie Sanders is pushing his single-payer health plan as a replacement for Obamacare, and a major plank in his presidential bid.

With that in mind, it seems a good time to talk about medical care.