They are Doomed

[JohnyMac]

Quick July 3rd story.

I got a call last week from a lawyer friend of mine wanting a pig to roast for July 3. I asked him if he had ever tried roasting a pig and he told me no. He had a Chinese La Caja box he was going to roast the pig in.

Anyhow I got him started in the right direction and in fact he found a nice pig which he had butterflied and injected with all kinds of good stuff.

The night of the 2nd he called me asking if i would give him a hand roasting it which I said, "sure" and asked him what time he wanted me over.

Well the day of the roast I found out he didn't have a clue what he was doing so I kind of took over and got her ready and we started the roasting process in his new toy. I also found out he didn't have a clue on how to carve it up and a few other things. I promptly volunteered to come back to the party late in the afternoon.

Came back to the party, temped the pig and had two youngsters pull it out and put on the carving table to sit and cool.

While I was waiting for the entree to cool I witnessed my lawyer buddy trying to light a fire pit in his back yard. He had good size logs sitting on one piece of paper and he was becoming impatient because the logs wouldn't light. So I took over again and asked him for some old scrap wood to make kindling out of. He didn't have an axe or hatchet so I used a meat cleaver I had brought for the pig. Well we had it lite and roaring in 15 minutes.

By the time that was over it was time to cut up the pig which went well.  But once I was done my bodies neighbor walks up and introduces himself to me and asks if "I" could light his fire pit. Not believing him I said sure and walked over to his yard.

Like my bodies attempt the neighbor had logs placed on PAPERTOWELS! I asked if he had any old wood laying about and an axe. Nope to both! So I went back to my buddys yard got some more wood scraps & the cleaver and re-performed my earlier magic.

So my question is to you folks....What are people going to do if the SHTF? As far as they are concerned I ain't going to be around.  [img]http://www.arrse.co.uk/at

[NOLA556]

that's just pathetic. here's what I don't understand about people that don't know how to start a fire: IT'S FUN!!! what pre-pubescent kid doesn't LOVE playing with fire? hell, I could start a hell of a fire a decade before I ever even heard the word "prepper"...  [img]http://www.arrse.co.uk/at

do I feel bad for those types? not one bit. call me cold-hearted. ain't my fault.

[Treaded]

Those people are going to try and do the same thing they do now - except instead of ask they're going to beg.  Harden your heat amigo.  It's tough watching kids cry.

[RS762]

that's so sad...

[EJR914]

Not shocked at all, its very common for this sort of thing to occur.  I had something similar occur to me a few times.   [img]http://www.arrse.co.uk/at

They are going to die a very tough death.

[JohnyMac]

Just a qucik followup after re-reading my origional post.

I have no problems helping people and to a point enjoy offering a helping hand. I do not expect that everybody should know where to pick up a pig or how to carve one up.

My surprise and disapointment was that grown men (There was about 20 at bother parties) clearly didn't know how to start a bloody fire! Also that they don't have a hatchet or axe in with their gardening tools.

Last, my wife picked up a canoe axe (Boy axe) yesterday at Home Depot. We are going to give it to our friend. 

[thatGuy]

Good call Johny, make sure to include a small mill file and some instruction because you can bet your last dollar that he doesn't know how!

[JohnyMac]

Yup. you are right on TG!  [URL=http://www.smileyvault.co

[EJR914]

I went camping with a huge College Group, as part of a "health" class we were taking.  You could either chose to do a few other things or hike and camp, and of course I decided hike and camp.

There were probably about 40 or 50 adult males  (18-22) on that hiking trip, it was in January.  It was below zero that night, and many did not have adequate equipment for that, as we're in Georgia, and it was windy, and our genius guide made is camp beside a large stream, so we had the A/C effect off the running water and wind.

When it started to get dark, every male out there started to try and make a fire, and they all tried similar things to what JM is describing, and then of course, they all failed at making a fire.  I believe out of the entire group, myself and another male, were the only ones who knew how to make a fire, and we had to go around, getting everyone's fire going, because they didn't know how.  I tried to teach as I did it, but there just wasn't enough time to do it adequately.  Time ran out and I was basically just starting the fires as quickly as I could and moving onto the next group. 

It really is a shame what has happened to the men in this country, and just the people in general.  They will not fair well when the bad times come.

[1000meterstare]

Sorry about your neighbors.  That's probably the saddest thing I ever heard.  They won't last even a week. [img]http://www.arrse.co.uk/at

[NOLA556]

maybe it's time for Johnny to host a seminar with his neighbors! you don't have to turn them into full-on preppers, but you could at LEAST show them how to start a proper fire.

you know, that guy that many of you hold in such high regard, he said: give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry again.

[Treaded]

maybe it's time for Johnny to host a seminar with his neighbors! you don't have to turn them into full-on preppers, but you could at LEAST show them how to start a proper fire.

you know, that guy that many of you hold in such high regard, he said: give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry again.

Either that or the sumbagun will wanna borrow your fishing pole all the time. 

[WhiskeyJack]

Its stories like this that make me question the projected death rates you may find in stories or on line regarding a massive catastrophe. I think the rates aren't high enough. the only stat I ever heard that made sense to me was
55-65% in rural areas 75-85% in urban areas. I'm not trying to be Debbie downer or anything like that. But when you read a story like JMc's it makes me think that while so many skills have been lost to the majority of people. the one thing that folks can fall back to is violence. I cant help but think that in a SHTF scenario what would JMc's neighbor do to try and survive. IMHO I think that initially it will be violence from those whom you may not expect violence from will be the initial big killer. And then we get to contend with starvation, sickness and violence from organized sources. Its just an opinion. and one of the reasons that a slow collapse may be better than an overnight collapse.
It is amazing how adaptable people are when given half a chance. If people can actually see it coming they can start learning and perhaps increase their chances of surviving. Guess I'm a glass half full kinda guy.

[tominphx]

I have been camping once about 2 years ago, which was the 1st time in about 10 years or more, I had no problem starting a fire numerous times, or even getting my own firewood. Not to mention cooking my food over the fire. I spent 3 days in the woods, and I did it all with what I could carry. I did get pretty cold when the fire died late at night, but otherwise no issues.

I don't understand how no one could not know how to start a fire, it's really just common sense.

Now butchering an animal or something like that, I would have no idea how to do.

[Treaded]

I have been camping once about 2 years ago, which was the 1st time in about 10 years or more, I had no problem starting a fire numerous times, or even getting my own firewood. Not to mention cooking my food over the fire. I spent 3 days in the woods, and I did it all with what I could carry. I did get pretty cold when the fire died late at night, but otherwise no issues.
I don't understand how no one could not know how to start a fire, it's really just common sense.
Now butchering an animal or something like that, I would have no idea how to do.

Tom ya have to remember a lot of folks have never had to start a fire in any kind of traditional sense.  The closest many of them ever come is a bag of charcoal, jug of lighter fluid, and a box of matches.  Skills can be lost in less than one generation.  My MiL cooked everything from scratch, canned, plucked and prepped chickens, you name it.  Out of a family of 14 kids which had 6 girls only my wife is able to do those tasks and then she's not as proficient at them as her mother was.  None of her adult sisters have ever had a need to do it because they married and settled into an urban lifestyle.  I'm nowhere near as good as my father was at gutting and cutting game - he did it every year and I didn't have the chance to again until a few years ago.  Those self-reliance skills are perishable and can literally disappear if not used frequently in less than a single lifetime. Use 'em or loose 'em.

[thatGuy]

I'm going to add to what Treaded said,

And the odds that a large part of that knowledge exists solely in the heads of the most aged of our population isn't a relieving thought. If something does happen that interupts the current system then those folks and what they know will likely go the way of the last system leaving us completely clueless as to what we've lost.

The time to develop those skillsets is now! You want to climb the learning curve while it still has a handrail.

[EJR914]

Treaded and TG, EXCELLENT posts there.   

Also, remember, ideas of freedom, liberty, and self-sufficiency can also be lost in less than one generation.  Teach those ideas to the younger ones as well, when teaching them all these perishable survival skills.

 [img]http://bestsmileys.com/ar