A blog post from the future

Newcastle, 26th January, 2219.

It’s Martian Day. But I don’t feel like celebrating. It was 200 years ago today that the Martians arrived. For decades humanity had been sending probes to Mars and speculating about the possibility of life there. But until they arrived here we had no inkling of their existence. For millennia they had lived underground out of human sight.

Then they arrived on earth. They explored all the continents, but preferred the aridity and expanse of this land, and so predominantly settled here. So while Europe, Africa, Asia and America got on with being Europe, Africa, Asia and America – Australia became Novomarsia – “New Mars”.

At first the Martians were an inconsequential curiosity. But they kept coming. Bringing their diseases that we succumbed to. They kept coming, and took our best land and our favourite beaches. They kept coming, and told us what was best for us. Some were kind, some were ignorant, some were prejudiced, and some were just misguided. Opinions vary as to the motives of the Martians, but the facts are clear – their arrival was bad for us Australians.

Today, Australians earn less money, die earlier, and are imprisoned more often than the Martians. People are divided as to why that is, and what the fix is, but the facts are clear. The gap between Australians and Martians is indisputable.

Its not all bad though. The Martian did bring good things like the cyber-empathic drug “Thoughtfuline”. They put it into the water supply and it makes people think and consider before posting to social media. Amazing stuff.

Yes, there are lots of good things about Novomarsia, even things that are worth celebrating together. But just not on this day. Not on the day the Martians arrived and changed everything for the Australians.