Posted on 11/05/2011 5:39:11 PM PDT by blam
After The Collapse Who Will Your Neighbors Be?
Brandon Smith
November 4th, 2011
http://alt-market.com
This article has been contributed by Brandom Smith of Alt Market, an organization that facilitates networking, local community action, and the exchange of knowledge and ideas and promotes decentralization, localism, and the de-globalization of human economic systems.
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Dr. William Stockton celebrates yet another birthday surrounded by family and friends in the midst of a grand suburban paradise. The party is warm, and the evening is filled with joy and merriment. These people singing his praises, laughing and imbibing generous amounts of spirits, are neighbors hes known for over 20 years. He understands them well, or at least, he thinks he does
The good doctor, as his neighbors often point out with a jabbing chuckle, is a prepper; a brand of survivalist who participates in the day to day routine of mundane American life while using his spare time to safeguard against unforeseen disaster. His friends view this behavior as an amusing curiosity, an eccentric hobby, but none take it nearly as seriously as William does. Its not that he is paranoid; far from it. In fact, William Stockton is a professional, a man of sense, and a man of family. He merely lives in an era of great potential danger, where nuclear war and societal collapse are anything but fantasy. Stockton takes these issues into account as an individual, and acts according to the severity of his environment. Much more than his neighbors, he represents legitimate rationality.
Unfortunately for the doctor, and for those who live around him, the days of wine and frosted cake are about to abruptly end as a Civil Defense emergency bulletin blares over the wire. The reality that todays comforts could disappear in the blink of an eye sets into the minds of the frightened listeners. And soon, we begin to witness the TRUE character of those William once held dear.
This scenario might sound like a familiar consideration to many of us, but for now it remains the stuff of nighttime TV. So begins a rather prophetic and ingenious episode of The Twilight Zone entitled The Shelter
(Click to the site to see a very good 50 year old video)
The fascinating thing about The Shelter is that it is one of the few short stories showcased in The Twilight Zone (a science fiction program) which hasnt a single element of science fiction within it. The Shelter is terrifying exactly because it is NOT a product of wild imagination, but a representation of social fact that cuts to the calcium rich bone of our culture, even 50 years after it aired on television.
The cold hard truth is, much of our country is completely unprepared for a crisis of any considerable proportion. While the 1950s and 1960s held the specter of immediate full scale nuclear war, and thus a highly persuasive incentive for preparedness, the new millennium has hardly been anything to sneeze at.
Economic collapse is just as destructive to a nation as an atomic bomb, if not more so. The likelihood of social unrest and the long term implosion of our financial system is greater today than it has been in any other era of American history. So much so that even our currency may evaporate along with our standard of living. Those who prep today are acting in as much a logical fashion as those who built shelters during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The knee jerk conclusion here by skeptics of the prepper lifestyle will be that the bunker owning citizens of the red scare days wasted their time. That obviously, there was no nuclear holocaust, and all their careful planning was for naught.
Or why not bring up the media generated hysteria of Y2K, which played on the publics utter lack of general knowledge concerning computers and U.S. infrastructure to inspire a widespread prepping panic? Did that farce not prove the absurdity of the survivalist mentality?
The answer is no, not really
The eventuality of collapse is not the issue. Though America today has zero room to maneuver as far as inflationary printing and debt based spending are concerned, and economic instability is inevitable according to the fundamentals regardless of any practical or impractical political measures that could be introduced, the crisis is not our focus.
Our focus is, and always has been, independence and self reliance regardless of the circumstances. Through national prosperity, or national pain, the key to survival is to never make assumptions. To never count on your environment to remain hospitable. To keep catastrophe in mind, even if others around you do not.
One vital aspect of survival that often goes unaccounted for by even the most astute preppers, however, is the issue of community. When the last vestiges of normal society crumble, will you be surrounded by friends, or foes? The difference is not always apparent, as Rod Serling noted in the brilliant episode of the Twilight Zone above.
The question then arises; how do we know who to work with, who to trust, and when to keep our mouths shut? When the going gets brutal, who will have the guts to stand firm, who will run, and who will stab us right in the back if they get the chance?
Being a prepper for some years myself, and working with a myriad of character types, I have found that certain personality signals and quirks should be addressed in those who live around you, or those you plan to associate with. Certain kinds of people can be pure poison for any survivalist or any organization striving for practical solutions to collapse. Look at your neighbors and your associates carefully and with some objectivity. Do they fit any of the below profiles a little too well ?
The Lemming
This person lives life to the fullest, which by their definition essentially means working 9 to 5 in a job they despise with co-employees they hate, going home to watch reruns of The Apprentice while drinking away the pain of inadequacy, and bathing in the warm oily coconut butter glow of mainstream news before sinking into their soft feather bed of political ineptitude and dreaming sensible dreams of cult-like consumerist mayhem.
This kind of neighbor will likely freak at even the most non-invasive philosophies. Mention of voting for third party candidates (or Ron Paul) draws googly eyed expressions of disbelief, as if you just broke wind at their dinner table. Conversations of possible economic collapse inspire in them reactions of either complete dismissal along with skeptical cackling, or shrugged shoulders and passive solutions. They buy into anyone who happens to be in a position of petty authority, and would jump into a septic tank filled with rusty nails if someone in an expensive suit or a white coat told them to.
In a post collapse situation, this person will immediately look around for the first truck he can find filled with FEMA goodies. If he finds no government handouts are coming and that he is on his own, he will transform from a lackadaisical and humorously obscure human being into a rabid ax wielding (yet still humorously obscure) murdering food stealing two legged weasel.You do NOT want this person knowing who you are and living within 100 miles of you during a time of instability. They WILL show up at your doorstep
Commonly spoken phrases include:
I just want to have fun and not worry about stuff like that
If we stay positive, it will all blow over
That could NEVER happen in this country
The Rambo-Lite
A real badass in his own mind. Unfortunately, not all activists make good neighbors for the well grounded prepper. This survivalist is all talk and no action. All bark and no bite. His training methods consist solely of You Tube videos, shopping expeditions to Cabelas, and a trip to the shooting rage once every three months. He talks a good game, and may lure you into a cooperative agreement by regaling you with his ability to memorize information from Gun Digest, but when the full fury of a financial firestorm is unleashed, he will let you down in the worst way.
Rambo-Lite is like most men, in that he seeks opportunities to prove himself, and to one day, he hopes, be looked upon as a kind of hero. There is nothing wrong with this. However, being usually overweight or out of shape, our little friend is too lazy to pursue the skills necessary to fulfill such a destiny. On top of this, he often has extremely overblown delusions of grandeur, and feels no need to heighten his knowledge. Why train when you already know everything? He is the kind of prepper that makes real preppers look bad.
Rambo-Lite has all kinds of gear, all kinds of advice, but will whine through the night during a cold winter march, never stay on task, never listen to the sage wisdom of those more experienced, and run at the first sign of substantial danger. Ultimately, he is an obstacle, not a comrade. When looking for neighbors who will provide mutual support in hard times, look elsewhere
Commonly spoken phrases include:
I dont care about any of that! I just want to shoot blue helmets!
All I need is my hunting rifle and my bowie knife
I dont need to store food. Ill just take other peoples
I used to be a navy-seal-air-force-ranger-marine-scout-sniper-jiu-jitsu-master
The Cynic On Steroids
As if things arent bad enough, some people have to make them worse by constantly pointing out how unavoidably doomed we all are, and that the act of survival is in itself a waste of energy. This neighbor is quite aware of the scale of the dangers we face down the road as a culture, but instead of taking proactive measures to prepare and to help others around him, he does nothing, and revels in the thought of widespread destruction. The warped dynamic of the modern American lifestyle has not been kind to this person. Of course, it has not been kind to most of us. Our Cynic reverts to a childish methodology of nihilism because he believes he has somehow been dealt a worse hand than anyone else, and the only thing that will satisfy him would be a hailstorm of napalm across the face of the planet.
Rarely leaves his home to organize with other activists, but when he does, the urge for most people to sink a fist into his scowling face is almost irresistible.
As excited as this guy is to see the world burn, he is actually very afraid of dying. Strangely, like most eugenicists, or members of PETA, in his darkest fantasies, he imagines a future in which nearly everyone meets a horrible gurgling end except himself. Unscathed by the genocide, he skips along his merry way in lush fields of dandelions and bunnies to meet the celebrity woman of his dreams (or any woman who will feel forced to settle because there are so few men left alive).
It goes without saying, this neighbor is not going to be of much service to anyone. Confronted with very real doom (namely his own), and realizing that his dreamworld musings of a day when he will have the Earth to himself are not going to come true, he will blame the closest and most successful preppers around him for his misfortunes. He wont ask for food, and he wont try to take it by force either. Instead, hell turn you in to the authorities (if there are any left), or, hell attempt to snatch away what he can from those people weaker than him (if there are any left).
Commonly spoken phrases include:
Were all going to die anyway
They have tanks and predator drones! Youll be wiped off the map!
No woman is smart enough to understand me
The Snoop
Ah yes, my favorite! Every neighborhood in America has one of these dastardly specimens.Every apartment building, every city block, every gated community. The Snoop is like the Lemming in that they almost pride themselves on their unwillingness to listen to reason or consider facts, but the Snoop takes this one step further. Not only will you find them sneering at those of us who express independent or anti-establishment views, but they will also go out of their way to bring trigger happy SWAT teams to our doorsteps. These are the people who actually call Janet Napolitanos See Something, Say Something hotline thinking they are good samaritans.
The Snoop has been the mainstay of every tyrannical government of the last century, from Mussolinis Italy, to Francos Spain, Hitlers Germany, Stalins Russia, Maos China, Pol Pots Cambodia, etc. Today, the Snoop is being tapped by the DHS and the Obama Administration as a resource once again within the borders of America itself.
Snoops fancy themselves amateur detectives. They will ask odd probing questions that seem out of place in regular conversation. They will form superficial friendships that feel even more fake than many neighborhood relations tend to. Disapproval of your politics will be met not with arguments, but with silence, and increasing distance. Snoops reveal themselves through their addiction to gossip. Eventually, you will discover from other neighbors that they slander you constantly behind your back.
Under normal circumstances, this is something to be laughed at and ignored. But, post collapse, it is something to be very concerned about. Snoops arent looking for advantage, like the Cynic. They are looking for vindication, and approval. They desperately want to be a part of a collective, and revile anyone who displays outward individualism. If turning you in, or organizing others against you, will bring them a pat on the head, they will do it.
The Snoop is a coward, and will never confront you directly. But, he or she will try to use the force of the state or the community against you if you offend their twisted world view.
Commonly spoken phrases include:
We really need to keep our eyes open for terrorists
I hear the terrorists are using white people at bus stations now
Liberty Movement? Isnt that one of those homegrown terrorist groups?
The Idle Enthusiast
Some people are absolutely gung-ho about supporting activist projects or organizing for mutual aid, until the situation requires patience and effort. Then, they disappear from the scene, never to be heard from again. Most movements, especially grassroots movements, are rife with this behavior. Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon after its moving at full speed; they dont want to have to push it uphill. The same goes for prepping
Getting the Idle Enthusiast excited about the prospect of community growth and survival training is not difficult. Getting him to show up to provide needed assistance is another matter. Without fail, this character will make numerous offers to carry a mission forward, and will fail to follow through on almost every single occasion. After a while, you find yourself astonished when they accomplish ANTHING, no matter how small the task.
Their prepping list is always half finished, their training is always half finished, and their promises are always half finished. The strain of asking them to apply even the most remedial effort becomes so painful that youll begin entertaining thoughts of violent pillow smothering and strangulation.
The Idle Enthusiast is the kind of neighbor who will volunteer for the most arduous projects. At first, theyll leave you pleasantly surprised, and then, theyll leave you hanging.
Commonly spoken phrases include:
Dont worry bro, I got this
Ill have that done in no time
Oh man, I totally got sidetracked
The smart prepper understands well that going it alone is not an option, at least not for the long term. Thus, we are required to build relationships with those who live near us. If we cannot find enough like-minded souls in our immediate vicinity, then we must relocate to a place where this process is more viable (at least, if we want to survive). Staying put, wrapped in a web of tract homes or city dwellings filled with dangerously unaware and unprepared people is not an intelligent post collapse strategy. Retreat planning without proper group support and indigenous support is not only a logistical nightmare but a surefire avenue to discomfort of the terminal variety.
Think carefully about the kinds of people you want to have around you in the wake of disaster, and the community you plan to participate in after the smoke has cleared. The decisions you make now may be the kind you are stuck with for quite some time through events that will test your endurance and your very spirit. The more friendships we forge today with those who are prepared not just in supply, but in mind, the safer we will all be tomorrow. The company we keep in the days ahead is not a factor to be taken lightly
POPCORN!!!! That’s one thing I don’t have, how could I have forgotten?
PING!
ping!
I have several aunts and uncles, all in their mid to late eighties. They weathered the storm well.
But if I have to hear about the great depression, and then how cold it was in Europe in 1945, I will just sit in the dark and cry.
On the other hand there were children dropping their elderly parents off at the local shelter because the parent had lost power, but there was no room for them in the kid’s house.
Those people should not be allowed to have power.
We are on the edge. Everyday there is a new story about the Yutes who grow more restless everyday and when you add the fact that because of the economy people are already on edge it wont take much to set things off.
Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Siege of AR-558 (#7.8) (1998)
Quark: Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nephew. Theyre a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people... will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You dont believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes.
Today we have yutes who roam our streets who are with out morals, without respect for law or life itself. They will look are you with the same doll eyes a shark does before he eats you and they will feel no more compassion than the shark does.
That will be the test of many. Most preppers I know are Christian people and they will hesitate to do what they might have to do to stop the yutes. On the other hand the yutes wont think twice nor lose a minute of sleep, in fact they will smile and laugh about it.
For those who are just starting or are old hands at prepping you may find my Preparedness Manual helpfull. You can download it at:
http://www.tomeaker.com/kart/preparedness1i.pdf
For those of you who havent started already its time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
If you like to read more about what SHTF in Bosnia was like take a look at this post on Bosnia War Survivor Selcos post:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2798007/posts
There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger. Underestimation can be fatal.
As the LDS say When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.
Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3
My mom lives across the lake from you in Derby. She has two winters worth of wood, a bunch o food in the pantry, and a wood stove from the ‘20’s that she can cook on. She was concerned for us last week, and she just figured she and my dad had taught us well enough.
I cannot wait to move up there when I am done down here in MA. And I don’t drive a BMW. And I would fit in.
That’s the phase we’re in. But some months, I get nervous about restocking, especially when the global economy seems to be on a knife edge. So, when I see that something has inched upwards, I might pick up two. If it has inched downwards and the shelf seems rather empty, I might buy four. In the first instance, it will go up further. In the second, I can’t be sure it isn’t about to be re-sized and repriced or production will be cancelled completely.
The day will come when some things are in short supply everywhere, or have disappeared completely from the shelves. So, instead of having realized a profit of 30%, we will find ourselves looking at whatever it is and thinking “priceless”.
Actually “Deliverance” was filmed right around there. Things have changed a lot since 1972. They got McDonalds. LOL!!
Maybe change it to: The ones I dont eat Ill sell the pelts...
A big stack of wood and a wood stove is such a comfort here. You can cook a lot of things on it, and of course when it gets cold and you have no power, it sure does come in handy.
Also comes in handy when you do have power. Glad I also have 5 wooded acres and a state forest of 100+ acres right next door too (we’re the last property before the state forest, with state forest across the street).
Our biggest problem is we live close to some of the most violent cities in the country (New Haven, Hartford). Maybe far enough to not be found, but maybe not.
Even with a supply, I’m hitting the streets the first day. A lot of people would stay in as much as possible, but I would like to keep a (distant) observing eye on which gang / drug cartel is winning their war.
When people exhaust their supplies (Days, weeks, months) They’ll have to leave at some point. Even after “Years on the farm”. I don’t want to walk out, only to be “Late to the game” and find a dramatically changed world that I’m not ready to deal with.
I’ll still be out, still be getting supplies. Strike at correct moments, build new business and make new friends.
On the topic of bringing people in on the supplies, I’ve had this conversation with my wife:
“I would like to be ready for at least 6 months”
“What about your single sister and her 4 kids ? What about your mom ? Or even your friends? Are you going to turn them away”
“I don’t think I could, why would you ask?”
“That 6 month supply just became a 2 week supply.”
I couldn’t turn people away either. Couldn’t do it. I have enough things around here for people to be busy. The more the merrier, I say.
The supplies WILL be exhausted. I think it’s better to adapt , establish yourself as a legitimate (And well armed) trader, friend and local hero (of sorts). Get out on day 1 and find the stuff. Don’t “start” hunting, but instead “Never stop” hunting.
I wouldn’t want to leave my shelter and then have to play the games of the big local gangs and suppliers. Not me.
There are more people in the Houston metro area than the whole state (Alabama) I live in now.
OTOH, they have a lot of stuff and are rarely armed.
“There are more people in the Houston metro area than the whole state (Alabama) I live in now. “
Yep...tell me about it.
“You gotta stock up now anyway while food prices are still relatively low (but rising). They will keep rising 5-10% a year for the near future, I expect.”
If we’re lucky. I’m more in the camp that imports will triple in price and domestic prices will double (but it will vary for domestic prices...based on their import content).
As I see it, this happens once the dollar dies, and trade turns into a barter system, as what happened to Iceland, until the IMF bailed them out. But we’re too big to bail out - so we’ll export a boatload of grain, and hopefully get some spare parts for trucks and tractors for it...hopefully.
“In many scenarios most people know police are stretched thin. In personal one on one conflicts, no witnesses, heresay, etc, the living person can say the other freaked out and it was self defense, etc.”
It depends on the level of breakdown. The Argentina guy used to say (regarding Argentina) that if you had put on a camo suit, wore an AK over your shoulder, had a few side arms and grenades on your waist, and then went shopping at the corner grocery story, you’d get thrown in an insane asylum. There was a functioning government - but you are right in that there was a lot more crime overall and people had to really watch out and take care of themselves.
“About the marauding gangs, the Bosnian guy suggested breaking a few of your own windows and throwing stuff out in the yard to make it look like your place has already been looted.”
I read the Bosnian guy’s report but missed that part. Pretty clever...but who knows. He was dealing with a full-up civil war there, playing out street by street. I don’t think we’ll quite get to that - but you never know.
“The ones I dont eat Ill sell the pelts.”
lol! Even better!
Yup.
He said the smell was almost unbearable. I think there was a lot of dead 'stuff' rotting.
I'll leave the zombie bodies where they fall in my yard.......(ahem)
In my “redneck” area we keep track of those types. An informal neighborhood watch.
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