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Post-Doomer Humor

Logline: This unflinching documentary delves into the gallows humor that has developed within climate scientists and collapse researchers cycles – an expression of the unprecedented intersection of facets of human experience where existential dread, attempts to mitigate impacts, sense of isolation and Kassandra syndrome come together.

DocumentaryTreatment

Introduction (7 Minutes)

  • We open on Dr. Evelyn Ramirez, a young geologist, hunched over a core sample, her brow furrowed. A news report in the background blares about a record-breaking heat wave. Her face breaks into a sardonic smile.
  • A montage follows, showcasing the stark beauty and fragility of the Earth: towering glaciers calving into turquoise seas, parched landscapes under a relentless sun. A montage of scientific charts and graphs depicting grim environmental trends punctuates the visual narrative.
  • Other cliches
  • The scene abruptly shifts. A group of scientists at a climate conference erupt in laughter. A cartoon on the screen depicts a polar bear desperately trying to hail a taxi. Text overlays: “Post-Doomer Humor: When the Future Looks Bleak, But the Jokes Still Bite.”

Section 1: Witnessing the Unraveling (12 Minutes)

  • We meet Dr. Arthur Chen, a veteran climatologist with a weary smile. Through interviews and archival footage, we witness Dr. Chen’s journey. He speaks of early optimism replaced by a gnawing sense of urgency and then, a quiet resignation.
  • He recounts the isolation, the frustration of his warnings falling on deaf ears.
  • He went through many other stages… But then, a glimmer of human connection emerges and with it and through it, a certain sense of humor evolved.
  • We see a younger Dr. Chen at a research conference in the 1990s. There’s a nervous titter amongst colleagues after a particularly dire presentation. Over time, the laughs become more frequent, more pointed. (Develop further)
  • We present the “collapse stages of grief” and the doomer, post doomer etc reactions to it.

Section 2: Laughter in the Face of Annihilation (10 Minutes)

  • Explore the link between humor and mortality. Dr. Sarah Patel, a psychologist specializing in humor as a coping mechanism, explains how laughter helps us process the unbearable. It creates distance from grim realities, fosters social bonds, and even ignites a spark of defiance.
  • A death avoidant culture has no sense of humor. -Vali
  • We see historical examples – the gallows humor used by soldiers in war, the sardonic wit of the terminally ill.
  • A climate scientist, Dr. David Lee, reflects, “Maybe laughter isn’t just a tool. Maybe it’s a way to transcend the situation, to find meaning outside the logic of utility. It’s a reminder that we’re human, even at the end of the world.”
  • A voiceover asks: “Is there a difference between gallows humor and sheer insanity in this situation?”

Section 3: Dissecting the Dark Symphony (15 Minutes)

  • We delve deep into the world of post-doomer humor, showcasing its diversity:
  • The Geologists’ Grimoire: We meet a group of geologists known for their “rock-solid” wit. Their conference presentations are legendary: “Continental Drift: How Fast Can We Tectonically Shift Out of This Mess?”
  • Various people from different walks of life: We see them talk about their fears and hopes and discuss how those inform their humor. We see how they have developed a certain “grammar” of humoring their framing of the situation, which is “hopeless but not serious”. 
  • The Sci-Fi Satire: We meet a team of atmospheric scientists known for their darkly comedic research papers with titles like “Planetary Pyre: Modeling Societal Collapse in a Warming World” and footnotes filled with self-deprecating jokes (“This research was funded by a dwindling sense of hope and a dwindling research budget”).
  • Overall, we see a lot of actual expressions of doom humor, doomerism, post doomerism, just plain old good humorous reactions of normal people to various forms of experienced doom and we try to identify their historical trajectory and geographical or socioeconomic variations.
  • Post modern irony as an expression of humor is “challenged” on the grounds of it being a modality of despair occurring from the lack of meaning. Meaning is a function of coherence (or the reverse).
  • We observe moments where scientists talk to each other in humourous ways about the possibility of the worst possible scenarios manifesting.

Section 4: The Spectrum of the Absurd (12 Minutes)

  • Explore the different strains of post-doomer humor:
    • Cynical Wit: A montage highlights the use of dark humor to critique policy inaction and corporate greed: cartoons depicting smiling politicians shaking hands with cartoon CO2 molecules, memes mocking climate-denying celebrities. We don’t like these guys.
    • Surreal Escapism: We encounter a group of ecologists who in the 2000s created fantastical art installations – a giant inflatable iceberg chilling in a deserted shopping mall, a satirical “Museum of the Anthropocene” filled with relics of a bygone era (plastic bags, gas guzzler cars). We kindo of see the value of escapist moments from time to time but we stand critically against escapist lifestyles. We need to connect with reality and connect with the pain stemming from expecting and prefiguring with our actions THE EVENT, whatever chronogeometric form that takes. Surreal.
    • Way more epistemologically accurate analytical categories and better ways of organizing and presenting this material will be decided after the research has concluded.
  • A voiceover asks: “Does humor help or hinder communication with the public? Can genuine change come from laughter in the face of oblivion?”
  • We return to Dr. Lee. “The future is uncertain,” he says, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “But laughter reminds us that even in the face of collapse, there’s still beauty, there’s still connection. It’s a way to reclaim a sliver of agency in a world seemingly spiraling out of control.” Agency will be discussed in the next doc, it is a big topic.

Note: The doc will not take an absurdist point of view. It will be filled with metamodern sensitivity and a confident awareness of the paralyzing seriousness of the situation. It will discuss further various stances that one can take in times of collapse. 

Section 5: The Gallows Humor of a Collapsing World (10 Minutes)

  • Enter Dr. Anya Petrova, an anthropologist specializing in societal collapse. She reframes post-doomer humor as a collective adaptation, a dark coping mechanism for a community experiencing a form of pre-traumatic stress disorder.
  • Dr. Petrova argues that climate scientists are the unwitting pioneers, the first to grapple with the psychological weight of a potentially catastrophic societal shift. Their humor, she says, shouldn’t be viewed through a strictly medical lens, but as a cultural phenomenon – a nascent form of folklore for a future yet unwritten.
  • The documentary takes an anthropological turn. We see post-doomer humor not as a concern, but as a tool. It’s a way to explore the unthinkable, to experiment with different narratives in a safe space.
  • A montage showcases the diversity of expression: a climate scientist writing a dystopian sci-fi novel filled with witty asides, a group of engineers creating a board game simulating the challenges of resource scarcity, a team of biologists composing a blues song lamenting the extinction crisis.
  • A part is dedicated to generation A doomer humor. Which is weird AF. We make a connection with the intergenerational aspect of humor, discuss how collective traumas of the past have been an object experienced also through humor etc.

Section 6: Laughter in the Anthropocene (8 Minutes)

  • We return to the panel discussion. The scientists and communicator acknowledge the power of humor, but also its “limitations”. Laughter can spark creativity, foster resilience and help us imagine a different future.
  • Dr. Petrova emphasizes that humor can be a form of liberation. It allows us to confront our anxieties, to play with the unthinkable, and perhaps, in that playful space, discover new solutions.
  • We return to Dr. Ramirez, now gazing at a desolate landscape. Laughter doesn’t erase the gravity of the situation. It just makes it a little less unbearable.
  • They grapple with the question: When the laughter dies down, what then?
  • The documentary concludes with a montage of scientists laughing together. The laughter isn’t blind optimism, but a defiant melody, a testament to the human spirit’s ability to find meaning in the absurd. It’s a symphony of the absurd, a soundtrack to a liberated idea of the future. In other words, they are mad men and are all about to die along with their descendants and any other form of life.