Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-27850379-20160222233524/@comment-27850379-20160223102145

Oh so the books say 300 years passed? That's better.

And yes, I understand groups would be formed but it's just too much to be honest. They look like they have traditions and customs that just can't realistically appear in 97 years. Also a general political and military order for the region. As I mentioned the first years would be total panic and chaos and only then you would start to see groups so it won't reach this level in 97 years. In 300 it might. It's not just people grouped to be stronger. It's established clans with a central leadership, whole new customs and militaries. After 97 years you can probably see gangs that have territories and sometimes clash not whole armies, clans and identity. It's just too well established and advanced.

And yes, of course people would try to survive and not pass on that much but they would also not lose their identity instantly. People tend to hang on to their identity for as long as possible and even hope to restore it. For many people their identity strongly covers the country (and america is even more extreme). They won't make it that much a priority but I bet they would still consider themselves americans and try to hold onto some of their culture even if just out of desperation. And for 3 generations you really don't need paper or written knowledge. It's transmitted orally. And here I don't mean technological knowledge. Ordinary people don't have that anyways, really. I'm talking about social and cultural identity. I expect the survivors to retain a lot of their identity and teach their kids it to a degree (say they are americans, talk about the good days before the apocalypse). I imagine the 2nd and 3rd generations would grow up with stories of before the apocalypse. People share stories, especially of the good times.

Now all this would gradually get thinner. By the 4th generation you would see the loss of the former identity and the creation of a new one. But 97 years is far too short for the changes in the show. 300 would kinda work. Wonder why they didn't keep 300 if it's in the books..