Q. What is the origin of The John Gray Laws?

A. John Gray was a white male child actor who began his career in the 2030s on the show “That’s My Privilege” and went on to become a screen acting legend. His characters embodied chivalry, masculinity and faith in God. The colloquial term came to describe legislations enacted during this period of time.

Q. I was promised the earth would melt soon. Isn't a story about the future far fetched?

A. In the early 2030s, a massive volcanic eruption in the Pacific caused a 40-year volcanic winter. Though North America was spared most of the immediate effects, global temperatures plunged far below pre-industrial levels. On the heels of the eruption came a Super-Grand Solar Minimum, with both events serving to (temporarily) stave off the effects of a warming planet. Famine and food shortages dramatically reduced global population.

Q. So...did lots of Americans starve?

A. Not for long! Operation “Eternal Freedom” became a thinly veiled effort to subjugate as much of the world as possible in order to obtain resources for America.

Q. Eternal Freedom? That's still going on? How?!

A. In order to support long-term American occupation around the globe, the draft was re-instituted in 2035 for all men between the ages of 18-25

Q. What about our own "war at home" and the divisions between our people here on U.S. soil?

A. In 2045, the United States established a secondary grouping of its territories. Lawmakers got tired of “blue states” and all their “Godless liberal nonsense”, so each state voted to join either a “Liberty Province” or a “Justice Province” (take a guess as to which wing claimed which title.) These newly formed Provinces established sub-sovereignty under the dramatically overhauled US constitution, thus making it illegal for any US citizen to travel across state/provincial lines without obtaining a National Travel visa.

Q. What about those darn illegals?! Did they sneak in and take all our jobs?

A. Oh heck no. We went and picked ‘em up ourselves! After the eruption, we experienced massive domestic agricultural failure. So we skipped across the border and dragged...I mean, INVITED thousands of people to start building massive climate-controlled greenhouses across the midwest and southern states. These “work camps” became both immigrant slums and punishment for everything from unregistered pregnancy to unpaid taxes. Folks were promised freedom once their debts were paid. This rarely happened.

Q. Okay, but what about their kids? I mean, we're not monsters.

A. Yes the hell we are. The Migrant Minors Liberation Act saw to it that undocumented children were adopted into US families against their will.

Q. Speaking of families, how are the ladies doing?

A. Starting with the province-by-province overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court went on to uphold laws that by 2051 included life in work camps, or, in some states and territories, death by lethal injection for termination of pregnancy. Women were heavily threatened (um...incentivized) to stay at home to rebuild the struggling American population. And we wanted to make sure poor people with little access to healthcare and contraception were heavily penalized for having children, so we passed a bunch MORE laws that required you to register ALL pregnancies and births. Failure to do so resulted in...you guessed it! Work camps!

Q. This sounds like a lot of unrest probably brewed and most likely pesky protests took place. How was that squashed?

A. Womb centers, for one. Starting in 2071 in Justice Provinces, all US Adults were legally forced to donate sperm/eggs. Following this was sterilization. You could buy a baby if you could afford the baby! This idea eventually spreads to the rest of the provinces following the uprisings that occur at the end of Season 1.

Q. But how did you know you were getting YOUR baby?

A. Oh, you definitely wouldn’t know. HOWEVER, racism completely disappeared because of all the mixed races!

Q. That seems far-fetched. Racism disappeared?

A. Nah I'm just messing, people are still racist as hell

Q. Okay, so this isn't a question, just wow. Probably only a few beaten-down overworked people remembered all that led to this world. Well done, America.

A. Thank you so much!