Hurricane Irene: New York, the Enthrallment for Apocalypticists

Aliens, Meteor Strikes, Tsunami Waves: In Many Fantasy Disasters, the World Metropolis of New York is Destroyed. The City is Vulnerable, but Also Very Brave.

A roar comes across the sky: Hurricane Irene has gigantic proportions, sweeping across half the coast of the U.S. But it is the city of New York that is the focus of great attention to the people on the island of Manhattan, which inspires our fantasies like no other city district in the world.

Beyond practical considerations of evacuation plans and real destruction that Irene has been causing in the streets, a symbol has also been destroyed. New York is the quintessential image of the modern city.

Therefore, the storm is also rocking the feelings of outsiders on distant continents. New York is the shaken city, which is destroyed in just about every fantasy disaster. Clear images are stored in people’s collective memory.

Walls fall, cars fly through the air, [and] towers are threatened. The fearless metropolis that outsmarts static laws has always fascinated apocalypticists. Thus, in popular visions, natural disasters hassle the city by the sea — be it with meteors or water masses similar to Roland Emmerich’s “The Day After Tomorrow.”

Monsters like King Kong and Godzilla stomp through gaps and destroy everything. The attraction to New York is so great that even warring aliens like to take it up with Manhattan.

There are always scenes of panic, where the city must be evacuated, and the people flee. The supposed end then shows images of a deserted city. In the city that never sleeps, the fountain of activity, there is silence.

In New York, thrill and threatening scenes combine. The supervillains that cavort there know this. Even terrorists, who actually strictly reject all aspects of Western culture, know this. This city is particularly vulnerable, and therefore also very brave because no matter what happens, the New Yorkers tough it out. Irene will also feel the effects of this.