Just Thinking Out Loud - Scary

[JohnyMac]

I have been making some long road trips of late which gives me the opportunity to listen to the talk shows on the radio, chat with a few folks on the trucks mobile ham radio and to just think...To ponder life in general. Yesterday while traveling north on the 70 mph piece of ribbon I started to look at the prepping scene and what were the odds of a TEOTWAWKI type of drama or just a slow breakdown of our civilization.

Currently I am reading John Mosby's, FORGING THE HERO - Who Does More Is Worth More - A Tribal Strategy for Building Resilient Communities and Surviving the Decline of Empire which I am about half way through. Mosby's premise is that as we approach our 250 years as the American Empire, we are quickly declining.

As we have all learned from world history classes in school, empires tend to only last 200-250 years. Some notable empires are: Assyrian 859-612 BCE, Roman Republic 260-27 BCE, Roman Empire 27 BC -180 CE, Ottoman 1320-1570 CE, British 1700-1950 CE, and USA 1776-?, Of Course I am leaving out others like: Persian, Macedonian, Mauryan, Spanish, Romanov and others but you get the point. The life cycle of an empire tends to: Rise to prominence, plateau, and then decline to eventually peter out or be taken over by another rising empire.

One unique example is the Roman empire (s). What basically happened there was that there was a Roman Republic taken over by a Roman dictatorship Ala Ceaser crossing the Rubicon River. Starting a revolution against an old and corrupt system administered by the oligarchy of its time. Could this happen in the United States today? Is this the next step in the evolution of a new and emerging empire.

I read, see, and hear the ever increasing volume of, "The Constitution is outdated...The top 1% have too much and need to share...The oligarchy of today needs to be replaced...Et Ctera." Are we on the road to a revolution too not unlike Rome or even like the Tsarist autocracy vs. the Bolshevik's of 1917-20.

Lets face it, the country is split between the Sander and Trump supporters at equal but opposite ends of the political spectrum. If Trump fails, will the Sander-ites rise up? Will the current oligarchy in Washington DC allow Trump and his supporters to prevail? My point is, there is a lot riding on the next two years.

Anyhow, I have gotten away from my original thought - After all, I'm Just Thinking Out loud here.

Lets say, that the the United States continues to decline - What will really happen that affects the prepping community? I contend there will be a major correction in the stock market. We are seeing banks now investing in the stock market with basically free money similar to the lead up to the crash of 1929. We are seeing publicly held businesses buy back their own stock with basically free money too. We see countries moving away from using the Dollar as a global currency. We see the continued steady rise of the nations debt ceiling with no slow down seen for the near future. If the market crashes would we see 1930-32 unemployment rates? Who amongst us will be the first to hit the unemployment lines? Just some food for thought.

Mosby suggests that many preppers fantasize as if they are in a One Second After-like novel when in reality it will be more like the Great Depression - A long drawn out steady economic decline. Resulting in thousands millions of people out of work. Resulting in homelessness and starvation. A drama like this would certainly lead to a bloody revolution. This is reality!

The EMP/CME attack/event, the cyber attack on our infrastructure, the pandemic, a revolution in the streets, et cetera are all possibilities however I would not give them but a 1-2% chance of really happening today; Consequently, I believe that the biggest threat is economic. And to be quite honest with the forum readers, at this point we can not stop it. Slow it down some but not stop it.

This is a long winded way of asking the prepping community, what are you doing to prepare for this eventuality? The eventuality of not having a job? The eventuality of not having availability to medical help? The eventuality of not having a roof over your head? The eventuality of not having food to eat? Will moving in with family or like minded friends be your answer? Will moving into "FEMA CAMPS" be your plan? Heck this may be your only option and will look pretty good at that point in your family's life vs. other options.

I truly believe if we focus our prepping energy towards an economic decline, we will be ready for the other 1-2% chance probability of a TEOTWAWKI event.

Thoughts?

We truly live in interesting times.   

[JoJo]

 I prep for everything which is at times why I am so confused at what to do. If there is a financial collapse in the US no doubt a hostel country would attack. As for a CME we are way over due for one as we are for the Grand Cannon volcano erupting. 
 What ever does happen the prepper, even if he isn't completely set will be much much better off.
 Yes we are in decline, I took notice when during the Bush administration the democrat controlled Congress caused the housing bubble. Barny Frank pressuring the banks to give mortgages to people who couldn't afford to pay them back and when he and his boyfriend were caught growing weed in his house and nothing was done.
 The good thing is people also noticed and elected probably the only person who could turn it around, that is if they don't pull a JFK on him.     

[grizz]

Mmm, interesting thread

For years now I've been saying we are in for TEOTWAWKI simply because history says we are due, as the OP mentioned in regards to other civilizations.

In the US now we are seeing the snowflakes freaking out over nothing and incredible violence and sex on TV (both in the news and programming). This is what the Romans, Greeks and others went through prior to their demise and, poof, they were gone.... Except the violence they saw was in the form of the coliseum or arena format (since they didnt have TV) and sex (prostitution) was rampant in the streets. Oh, I cant forget the lack of and abuse of Religion, which is probably the start of it all.

Which means the meek shall inherit the earth, again. I used the think the meek were the poor but now I realize the meek are those who are prepared, regardless of wealth

With great freedom comes even greater responsibility - which we (US) lost many years ago...

If the SHTF tomorrow I will last longer than the snowflake zombies and most others but in the end we all die. I do hope that a copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights survives so the survivors have something to base their new nation on. But they need to add in term limits for congress and make it so all politicians NEED to live by the laws they pass.

Or better yet, live the lives of our American Indian Forefathers - Only take what you need from the land, population is controlled by nature and small tribes thrive

[Nemo]

Worst case, I load up, corral the group and move to the farm.  Have about 15 people in the group and about 150 head of angus.  Some who would be directed to get there do not realize they have been selected but would join up (with decent supplies of their own onboard) and would be eager to get there and join in.

The herd is enough to sell/trade/exchange a fair pile of them and maintain an ongoing breeding herd.  On large enough pasture to maintain a decent size, but reduced from current amount.  Some persons who would be joining also have sufficiently large flocks of chickens to maintain flocks.

Be hell when all you have to eat is wild game, beef, chicken or eggs.  But there is enough labor and seed for good gardens to get going and produce well.  Water is also good from a couple hand pump wells.

People waste disposal could be problem and need new shantys every 2 weeks or so.  But you dig or hold it is great inspiration to dig.

Nemo

[JohnyMac]

I read an article awhile back that reported that game levels took a large dip during the 1930's. They attributed this phenomenon to the Great Depression.

In 1930 the US population was 123 million. The US census reported that the US population in 2010 was 309 million (Plus maybe another 10 million illegals). Looking at 1930 vs. today - Game animals would be eradicated from this earth.

Folks that think they are going to return to the earth, flee to the national parks and live like native Americans are delusional.

On another note: A slow decline, like what we would see in a economic decline, lets say over a five year period, would be a slow agonizing death to millions. Unlike a EMP, pandemic, or direct nuclear strike (s). 

[pkveazey]

OK, here's what you do... You hunt and eat the illegals first. Then you hunt and eat the easy to get animals. Then, if you have a country background like I do, you hunt the big game farther out. While all that is going on, the idiots who live in cities will be killing each other and there will be less people who need to be fed. Problem solved because the people who know how to survive will survive and the people who caused the problem will all be dead.

[grizz]

I read an article awhile back that reported that game levels took a large dip during the 1930's. They attributed this phenomenon to the Great Depression.

In 1930 the US population was 123 million. The US census reported that the US population in 2010 was 309 million (Plus maybe another 10 million illegals). Looking at 1930 vs. today - Game animals would be eradicated from this earth.

Folks that think they are going to return to the earth, flee to the national parks and live like native Americans are delusional.

On another note: A slow decline, like what we would see in a economic decline, lets say over a five year period, would be a slow agonizing death to millions. Unlike a EMP, pandemic, or direct nuclear strike (s).

A slow agonizing death could come in many forms but the two that come to mind, and are related, are starvation and murder. Murder is the result of getting so hungry but dont have the skills to acquire wild game or there is none available so you take what others have, or try to take...

Personally I think the city slickers will starve or kill each other off long before they reach the wilderness and the survivors will most likely die trying to get to the wilderness and even more will die due to of lack of skills to acquire food/water/shelter, etc... if they make it to the wilds.

 Those of us living outside the cities will be doing ok as long as we stay calm and keep our powder dry

[JohnyMac]

  Agreed grizz.

[JoJo]

 No PHVEAZEY is not joking. It seems everyone has been pussyfooting around cannibalism. There will be cannibalism shortly after the food in the cities runs out. People will be hunting people, these will be the new zombies. Twenty first century morals has declined to the point where anything is possible.
 As the Oracle Nemo says "Keep your friends close and your rifle closer". So true.


 

[Kbop]

JoJo is just talking about an issue lurking just below our find veneer of civilization.  a simple fact.
zombie stories touch that part of our collective fear.  the largest religions in North & South America and Europe incorporate ritualized cannibalism as part of their religious practice.
it is a part of our collective psychology.

[Nemo]

As the Oracle Nemo says "Keep your friends close and your rifle closer". So true.

Actually, I just kinda offshot Sun Tzu or Machaivelli or Michael Coreleone.  You pick which one--  Who said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"  Maybe I just overshot them.  Hail I dunno.  But of course, being me I shall take all the credit you gents decide to give me!! 

Maybe I should make it-- Friends close, enemies closer and rifle closest of all.

Nemo   

https://www.quora.com/Who-said-Keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer

From @Wikiquote (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War)

    Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

        This has often been attributed to Sun Tzu and sometimes to Niccolò Machiavelli or Petrarch, but there are no published sources yet found which predate its use by "Michael Corleone" in The Godfather Part II (1974), written by Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola: "My father taught me many things here — he taught me in this room. He taught me — keep your friends close but your enemies closer."