This article was originally published by Brandon Smith at Alt-Market.com
A frequent mistake that many people make when considering the concept of social or economic collapse is to imagine how people and groups will behave tomorrow based on how people behave today. It is, though, extremely difficult to predict human behavior in the face of terminal chaos. What we might expect, or what Hollywood fantasy might showcase for entertainment purposes, may not be what actually happens when society breaks down.
It is also important to note that social and economic destabilization is usually a process, not an immediate event. This actually works in the favor of liberty activists and the preparedness minded. As a system moves through the stages of a breakdown, certain signals in the psychology of the population can be observed, and this gives us a warning as to how far down the rabbit hole we have actually gone.
Except in the case of a nuclear or EMP (electromagnetic pulse) event (which unfortunately are concerns because of the powder keg situation in Syria), vigilant liberty proponents could have considerably more time than the average person to preposition themselves safely. That said, there will be a host of expanding problems of a psychological nature we will have to deal with before, during and after the final leg down in the unfolding mess that internationalists often refer to as the “great global reset.”
The following list is based on social behavior patterns commonly seen during systemic crashes through modern history (the past 100 years). These are some of the stupid things people do as they begin to realize, at least subconsciously, that a SHTF scenario is in progress.
They Do Nothing
It’s sad to say, but the majority of people, regardless of the time or place in history, have a bad habit of ignoring the obvious. They may have an unconscious sense that danger is present, but never underestimate the power of men and women to waterboard their own instincts with a big bucket of intellectual idiocy.
It is not uncommon for large populations to sit calmly and idly, sometimes for weeks, in the midst of an economic or infrastructure crisis. Part of this is due to normalcy bias, of course. There is an immediate assumption amongst first world populations that “help is on the way” in the form of government aid. Faith in this aid can be so deluded that it is not until food and water stores are nearly exhausted that they finally begin to panic, or attempt to help themselves.
This gives the preparedness-minded a week or longer head start on the oblivious masses, but it is still a depressing state of affairs.
They Sabotage Themselves With Paranoia
Even in the early stages of a social breakdown when infrastructure is still operational, paranoia among individuals and groups can spread like a poison. Sometimes this is encouraged by a corrupt government, sometimes it just happens naturally.
The tendency is to begin seeing every other person as a potential competitor or threat rather than a potential ally. They make the assumption that all they need to do is to avoid contact with others and “outlast” most people during the ugliest phase of the breakdown. This assumption is foolish on two fronts. First, a society needs security and production in order to rebuild. If survivors of collapse strictly isolate from each other, practical security is absolutely impossible and thus, production is unlikely. Eventually, they will die along with everyone else.
Second, there are no guarantees whatsoever that our particular process of collapse will develop in a vacuum. That is to say, you might think that one day you will walk out of the hills after the worst of the crisis to a blank slate and rebuild, but certain organizations and systems may still be in place, or even dominate. Rarely in history have governments ever actually “disappeared” during societal collapse. In fact, governments have a habit of becoming even more powerful and despotic during and after large scale implosions of social systems. Survival is simply not enough if you walk out of those mountains alone only to find a totalitarian framework established on top of the ashes of the old world.
Organization with trustworthy people of like mind is essential not only for your survival, but the survival of future generations and the principles which you hold dear. Furthermore, guarded associations with your surrounding community are also necessary. This kind of organization must begin BEFORE the breakdown hits critical mass. It is far easier to organize before a disaster than after a disaster.
They Become Shaky And Unreliable When The Going Gets Tough
This is why early organization is so important; it gives you time to learn the limitations and failings of the people around you before the SHTF. If you have a large family, have lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same clubs and churches for most of your life, then you are probably well aware of who is solid and who will leave you in the dust when times become difficult. Even then, you are liable to discover that some people will disappoint you.
You do what you can with the help you have on hand, but the stresses of economic uncertainty, social unrest, increasingly oppressive government, and the lack of creature comforts can drive seemingly strong and confident people to do stupid and cowardly things.
They may be close friends or family; individuals you care for. Or, they may be newer associates attempting to build a preparedness group from scratch. If you notice a penchant for running from adversity today when standing fast under pressure is necessary, then there is a good chance these same people will crumble when staring down a societal nightmare tomorrow. Always make a point to know which persons you can rely on before you might need them.
They Become Hotheads And Tyrants
On the other side of the coin, there are those individuals who believe that if they can control everything and everyone in their vicinity then this will somehow mitigate the chaos of the world around them. They are people who secretly harbor fantasies of being kings during collapse. These folks are usually not very successful or well-liked in times of stability, and they long for conflict and destruction to make way for their “rebirth” so that they will receive the respect they think they always deserved.
Hotheads are a considerable liability as well, jumping headlong into strategically foolish situations and luring others into a zero-sum game. Their argument is always “If not now, then when!” As if the now and the when of a conflict are irrelevant and the fighting is all that matters. These people are the reverse of the unreliable cowards. They want blood. They want glory. They have something to prove, and they will sacrifice you and others to make this happen if the mood strikes them. Refusing to stand firm when calamity is on the horizon is a failing, but so is creating calamity because of a lack of intelligent planning. Finding people who understand the middle ground between these extremes will be a vital task for those who wish to survive and thrive during upheaval.
They Become Political Extremists
Throughout most modern collapses, two politically extreme ideologies tend to bubble to the surface — communism and fascism. Both come from the same root psychosis, the psychosis of collectivism. However, they are expressed is somewhat different ways.
To summarize down to very simple socio-psychological terms, communism is collectivism based on the demonization of individual merit and the demonization of production based on individual gain. Communism sees individualists as anomalies that threaten the greater good of the greater number. They usually seek to remove or eliminate individualists and individualist philosophies so that the collective may succeed as a single homogenized unit. Communists steal from the strong to artificially support the weak until the strong no longer exist.
Fascism is collectivism based on the idea that the strong prevail over the weak and that the weak survive only by the good graces of the strong. While communism demands forced charity to “harmonize” the unsuccessful with the successful until they are indistinguishable, fascism demands that the unsuccessful be erased so that there is no need to harmonize. It should also be noted that fascists see those who disagree with them as a “weakness” within their master collective that must also be eliminated.
Communism and fascism have a kind escalating and abusive love affair. The more insane and pervasive communists become with their attempts to dominate language and thought, the more communists use organized mobs to control public discourse, the more other people see fascist solutions as a viable way to deal with them. Brownshirt gangs beating communists (along with many others) to death in the streets is usually one of these solutions. This is exactly what took place in Europe during the Great Depression, and it could very well happen again throughout the West.
Both ends of the spectrum make it their top priority to gain control of government so they can use it as a weapon against the other side. The reality is, behind the curtain elitists are playing both sides, encouraging the public in the delusion that they can only choose between one or the other; between communism and fascism.
Ironically, as people flock to these extremist political views, they will invariably accuse fair minded liberty activists of being the “vicious extremists.” The best liberty activists can do is to not fall into the trap of the false paradigm as well, and to fight smarter than either the communists or the fascists are capable.
They Become Religious Zealots
Extreme political views are not the only siren song during societal breakdown. Religious zealotry is readily abundant during crisis. Zealotry is essentially fanaticism to the point of complete moral ambiguity. Everyone who does not believe the way the zealot believes is the “other,” and the other is an enemy that must be annihilated. In the realm of the zealot there is no such thing as “live and let live.” Their ideology must reign supreme without question or opposition.
Zealotry is also not limited to major religions; it is also common in the cultism of ideologies. Cultural Marxism (groups like “Black Lives Matter” and third wave feminism), for example, are perfect examples of a different brand of religious zealotry. There is no logic or reason behind their beliefs or worldview, and no room for dissent. They have their own taboos and their own dogma, their own high priests and their own gods (government, mother earth, etc.) Their directive is to eradicate other beliefs and ways of viewing the world as “heretical” while rationalizing what they do using their own broad interpretations of their own “religious texts.”
The ultimate goal of any zealot is to establish a theocracy, in which their belief system becomes the only known system. All other belief systems are forcibly buried and forgotten along with any people who get in the way.
They Abandon Their Moral Compass
Hollywood it seems has half the world convinced that in times of great distress, only the amoral will survive. Morally relative characters are painted as “heroic” leaders that are willing to “do what is necessary,” while people with moral foundations who do not bend the rules of conscience or natural law in spite of terrible times are painted as weak or stupid, dying in horrible ways because they refused to adopt an “every man for himself” attitude.
The truth is the complete opposite. Morally relative people when discovered are usually the first to be routed out or the first to die in survival situations because they cannot be trusted. No one wants to cooperate with them except perhaps other morally relative people. Such congregations of evil do collaborate successfully for a time based on the concept of mutual criminality for mutual gain, but eventually, they will be hunted down by those they have wronged and wiped out.
Regardless of how they rationalize their activities or the short term gains they enjoy at the onset of collapse, moral relativists have the odds stacked against them in the long run.
Fear and instability are like a radioactive stew, a Chernobyl effect that breeds strange creatures in men. We look back at our history and think that we know and understand what we are capable of, or that such tragedies could never happen again. But chaos rises anew and the shadow side of each and every human being is put to the test. In most cases, it is self-ignorance in the individual that opens the door to collective demons. That said, the conditions of collapse that triggered societal fear in the first place are many times engineered by elitist interests for the very reason that in this way the masses can be made monstrous.
We make the defeat of such elitists more possible every time we avoid the stupidity of the choices above and continue down the path of conscience, courage, truth and wisdom. When fear is made inconsequential, we cannot be manipulated. And if we cannot be manipulated into fighting shadows, or fighting each other, then the only people left to fight are the very people that originally sought to divide us.
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You can contact Brandon Smith at: [email protected]
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If people in the situation aren’t part of a solution in being both useful and very trustworthy they have the potential of becoming part of the problem. In times of crisis its wise to distance yourself from them.
I went to my caucus a week ago and most of the people there meet most of the items listed in the article.
Were doomed.
lol
It is amusing that Brandon never admits that he too is a religious zealot.
His faith idolizes the “free market” and those of us who do not share his religion are seen as “other.” File his “final solution” for “others” under “They Abandon Their Moral Compass.”
Brandon does not “play with others” any better than those he detests.
As an adult who postures as a leader of profound insight, it is overdue for Brandon to “remove the beam from his eye.” Matthew 7:5
So it begins. LOL.
No shit ,
Brandons article is proven accurate in the comment section.
Too funny !
I stopped going to his site when he went all “beware the zionists” in an article. You can believe your little conspiracy theories all you want, but when you go anti-Israel, I’m out.
Anyone who FAILS to recognize the Source of the Evil is a fool. If you want to cripple your mind by forbidding ‘anti-semitic’ thoughts or conclusions go right ahead, you will be committing suicide.
Guess we’d better eliminate you, then, Brandon Smith and John Cook: you “anti-Zionist” goose-stepping fools are known sources of all kinds of evil, so everyone else will rejoice at your richly deserved death and damnation. Best of all, since my compatriots and I are not actually Jewish ourselves, you empty-headed paranoid racist dipsticks will never see us coming. You’ll be busy looking in your closets and under your bed for “Zionists” (i.e. Jews) and then bang! You fascists wake up in Hell crucified on your own swastikas next to Hitler and Goebbels while we take all of your meager stores of supplies for ourselves (mostly weapons; you Nazi parasites never think to prepare for anything but robbing other people) and use all your copies of Mein Kampf and Protocols and Turner Diaries for kindling our wood stoves while we feed your fat ugly corpses to our hunting dogs.
Hypocrisy and rage much?
You vomit forth your “pro-semite” bloodlust, but anyone who notices “Kill even the best of the Gentiles” is to be condemned. The genocidal creed is not hateful, but exposing the genocidal creed is hateful? After all “Who is human? Who is not?”
Go figure.
judaism DOT is/who-is-human.html
Pro semite:You funny boy amelican GI.. 🙂
what’s wrong with free markets ?
Tom
I like free markets just fine; however, they are rough and tumble places. Capitalists grow up to be oligarchs because they hate the insecurity of free markets. The firstthing they do when they get a couple bucks is start manipulating the free market. They buy government, write laws to favor themselves, suppress competition, write laws to force people to buy their products for safety, poison people and sell them medicine, degrade the food supply then sell supplements. And the beat goes on. Oligarchs detest capitalism, quit kidding yourself. Left or right, they pay for suppression of all others.
How are you going to create a free market? The players don’t want to play, just the up and comers.,
Watch out for the Body Snatchers, and don’t fall asleep!
Hothead and Tyrant: Hitler
Political Extremist: Socialist Totalitarian.
Religious Extremist: Insane Jew Hatred. Genocide.
Don’t partner with anyone who has these values or principles.
It’s strange that you failed to mention the genocide of 10 million European Christians by communist Bolsheviks, which so happened to be lead by jewish communist extremists.
I’m sure that was just an oversight on your part.
OOOOohhhhhh.. you mentioned the Holomodor…that which cannot be mentioned!!!
OOOOO..You mentioned the Holomodor. that which must not be named!!! LOL.
Desperate people do desperate things.
“Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!” …. to coin a phrase.
Patriots will step up to answer Liberty’s call. Sheeple will bend over. Which one are YOU ??? 🙂
I will step up to the call in the most intelligent way, will you?
Got your 10 man team ready? I can’t get a 4 man team to do shit but motherfucker if you want to attack me, you better be god damned smart! I probably have a LOT more goin on than your so called team and you all will pay dearly 🙂 I don’t have to worry about who I can trust, I trust myself and wife and my knowledge boy, try to take me? Better have body bags! 🙂
Very true, the morality goes very quickly when tummies start rumbling.
Who was it that said we are never more then 9 meals from anarchy?
Canton Hall
it is spring… put a garden in.
K2
As a wise man once said, “Hell is other people”.
Crisis or not
I don’t disagree with this article, but it does pretty well rule out going to a bug-out-location. Trekker Out. But I Have A Few!
MT ,
I have a guy next to me who lives somewhere else and plans quietly to bug out here .
The guy is a jerk to locals, so how does he expect to get along here?
Thats why BOL’s dont always work.
Hammerhead:Lone wolves make easy prey. That guy next to you will be a very lonely and angry fella and probably die that way. Peace
So true. Society still works to an extent ONLY because there still is some kind of basic trust intact (however small). The people who are the most productive and easiest to get along with pull their own weight (and more) and it becomes very easy to weed out those who are predatory. I’ve had to do this in my own personal life and what I have experienced on a personal level has always translated to the bigger picture. I continue to have faith in basic goodness even in these darkest of times.
People have organized for millenia to protect against predators… the police state protects the predators… and they are the Bigs. Little predators are protected for disruptive value.
Ammoral people end up feeding on each other. They turn on each other as soon as they perceive a personal advantage.
Ha ha I can’t wait for STHTF. All the nay Sayers and big mouth owls It’s not a matter of if but when all the religious spruik blah bosh boah blah won’t be worth jack shit
Luck favours the prepared be afraid be very afraid
National dysfunction.
Normalcy Bias: It’s All in Your Head
h tp://thesurvivalmom.com/normalcy-bias/
SHTF School
great series of articles on the psychology of survival
ht tp ://shtfschool.com/category/survival-psychology/
This article is why I come here. Been telling you that you all are the best teachers. Finally Brandon Smith has put it to paper what most only think. Long time coming.
Now we have a written baseline so we can really rip each other up.
The picture at the top is most appropriate.
Agree BH, the picture really tells it all. A person of color holding a “black lives matter” sign, with “kill cops” spray painted on a wall to his right.
I’ve lived through 1 war, recessions, a divorce, and more hurricanes than I can remember. I was employed in a County Hospital for 10 years dealing with major trauma on a weekly basis also.
In my experience my Faith in Christ has countered all of the “symptoms” mentioned and replaced them with a firm peace and a steady hand.
Focus on the “job” that needs to get done now, you can worry about the future in the future.
Hey Seminole Windbag. I was on the front line being a paramedic for 7 years and seen it all. And I can guarantee you, no hocus pocus God or religion ever had a damn thing to do weather a person lived or died in mass Trauma. It was whoever the professional that showed up at the scene in time to stabilize the patient and get them to the hospital. If you put religion before science or the understanding of physiology, you would be fired on the spot. God never saved anybody ever. Stop being a dope. Reality is seeing and believing, and takes a hands on approach to save lives. You think praying ever stopped bleeding? I am amazed at the stoopid ignorance that religion does to dumb down the human brain. Get real. I swear religious dopes like you will be the first to die in SHTF.
-WWTI…
WWTI is right–USA is soooo much better off now that those irrational Christians have been marginalized…
Seminole
Faith and the blessings of Jesus have gotten me to the place I am in life. I am so blessed. Yes there are struggles and rough times. Like my disabled son with cerebral palsy. Through all his health issues God has been there. Blessing me and him every step of the way. I struggled for along time trying to figure out why some things happen to people.
The answer in my sons case is the joy he has brought to so many people. He has a million dollar smile and is happy all the time. He is an inspiration to many including me.
It is hard for most people to understand how God brings joy, Love, and blessings out of hard times. It took me along time to understand.
I am where I am at today because of my faith and the blessings that the lord has gave.
My faith keeps me in peace and sustains me through all. Even when I encounter others who have the symptoms listed above.
Excellent post. Thanks.
Mike in VA. If your God was so great your kid would never have Cerebral Palsy. All religion does is massage your ignorance. Amazing these idiots select all the good shit in their lives, must be the work of God. What about the bad things? The BuyBull is the excuse book for dummies who lack the skills of identifying reality. I’m in perfect health. Gee it must be the work of the devil and all the lack of prayin I do. Fn idiots. Like I said above Religios idiotswill be the first to for in SHTF as they live their lives in a complacent bubble.
-WWTI…
WhoWtfKnows
Sounds like you need a hug…and a dictionary i
SW is right about one thing…You have to live through the night or ‘the long run’ doesn’t matter.
Hey, shut up you stupid prepper! (sarcasm)
I have to survive on my own. I went to the doctor last week and he diagnosed me with incurable, stage four, geriatric flatulence.
@Observer
You poor guy. I hear that the only cure for such a thing is a bottle of Jack, a Hooker-Girlfriend-Wife?, and a hotel room in Mexico, preferably near the beach!
cop a squat over a lit propane torch, let her rip, and see what happens.
With your nickname, it appears you have some experience in this matter.
Read through any shtf threads and see how TPTB ‘Divide and Conquer’ technique has successfully worked for decades — even right here; shtf’ers divided/arguing over politics, attacking a truthful post and twisting it, bashing each other, and one very vocal/active shtf member hates baby-boomers, another male poster is a classic woman hater, and even a female poster here hates women and only disagrees with women, not the men, and even uses aliases to do so….I’m not complaining, just stating the truth.
Most shtf’ers are on the same page and united, helping each other here, (and I do appreciate that and this site) but certainly not all…the truth is most Americans are united on some issues, but then divided on other issues, which cancels out being united on certain issues.
Divide and conquer is a tried-and-true highly effective technique used to break down societies. It works.
The very LAST thing TPTB / US FED GOV / Elite wants is a cohesive well bonded group in opposition to them….
Brandon Smith is right on the money. People have no earthly phucking idea what a real callapse is like. Let Fernando Feral and Selco teach un prepped idiots whats it like. The first wave on attacks from the men in the pupulation is aimed directly on girls and women. When the government calls in the troops, the soliders shoot us, then attack, and rape the women and the girls and your children. Womens survival in such and environment is EXTINCTION, PERIOD. I can talk. My grandmother and her two daughters were raped and murdered by soldiers and my grandfather escaped to tell that story. People like to talk crap to me, and now i have to tell my personal business on thie blog. Then the somehting similar happened to me.
My ex girlfriend 15 yrs ago was abducted and gang raped by niggers, and dumped nude in a ditch on the north side of Houston. How do you think i received the news. It took me 3 years to recover and accept what had happened. What does not kill a man will make him more viscious and stronger. Women who read this site need to know something, i dont have a problem with women, i just trying to let you all know that you need to prevent such attacks and form a group of women preppers and get with the men preppers. You have not defense from the males in your apartment complexes, they will attack you in a callapse in less than 4 days once they know that cops are not coming to your area, it happens everytime. They know you have no guns, they know you cant protect yourself and you children. Nothing is standing in the way of those men. Also get extra ply wood and lost of sheet and nails to cover your windows and the seal up your front doors just incase you have to lock yourself in..
Needless to say, the gates of hell had opened up on me, deadling with the mental strees of that, and then breaking up with her because of the physco element of the results of that assault. I am not making up this stuff, it happened. Now i have a gilfriend again. Anyone trying that stunt better not let me catch them, weather you are domestic soldier of the US army, foreighn solider, chi-com, russian, lativian, etc. I will kill you phuckers. 15 years ago i was a dumbdowned idiot, like most, but nature took its course, take my house, my car, put me in the streets and under phucking bridges of over passes in my city, then i will evolve and turn into far worst that a soldier can ever imagine once he comes in my area.
People prep, prep, arm up. What they hell would really happen to the young women and girls in such and event discribed by Brandon Smith. My scientist friend told us the beta test results. Only 5,000+ women and girls will be living on the surface of the continental US in 3 years only alive because they were protected by viscous dangerous men that are serious about protecting thier women and children.
Dumb phuck agency ass clown trolls want to come on here and advise others not to listen to my bullsh…t.. hoping that the posters on shtf will suddenly dissarm and let soldiers into thier phucking living room. When you have had bad things like what has happened to me, and have to live with the burn and pain and suffering of loosing your women to nigger rapist thugs that raped you woman, then you will start to repect me a little better and understand where i am coming from. The Lousiana cop was right in giving a speech with the AR15, threatening the ganster dred lock rapist drug dealing thugs, but he gets fired for being extreme. This is not a make feel good blog. Trolls keep coming on here trying to solften up things, trying to discredit me, to prove me a liar and and incompetent person. Its not working for them. I am not going anywhere.
Mac, lets post and article to get some support for that Cop. What happened to that cop is outright wrong. They voilated the cops Freedom of speech and wrongfully fired him. He is fightening rapist ganster thugs that have terrorized the community and they are attacking the cop.
WTF KIND OF BULLSH….T IS THAT
Total phucking bullsh…t. Then again, and indian is the governor in that state, why am i not supprised.
Aka,
HCKS..
Buying phucking food, water filtrations equipment, bullets and other preps is the key to long term survival..
HCKS, that’s one of your best posts yet. I’ve been coming here since July of 2012. The turds, I mean, trolls have tried to do the same things to me but I’m still here and not going anywhere either. F#$% the trolls.
HCKS
My heart goes out to you. It is so hard to deal with something like that. It is hard to not allow that to affect you for the rest of your life.
My prayers will be with you. In the end brutal idiots do get what they deserve. One way or the other.
Never even tried to comment here but 100 percent agree that women are screwed litterally anf figuratively in SHTF scenerio. So sorry for your pain and suffering. When it’s time people don’t need to run and hide to the BOL. What a joke, like they will kill and rape you last? WTF. Never understood the hide under the sheets attitude. When it’s time it’s time to stand and be counted. Kill the super predators or die trying.
Amen to that.
Thank you for your honesty and sharing such a painful, personal story.
As evidence to your comment, people need only have to look at what is happening right now all over the world. Women and girls are the first to be targeted every time there is a breakdown in law and order and society. From the wars in the Middle East (mass rape, child sex etc.) to refugees/migrants raping and preying on women and girls in Europe.
Drop the fema-nonsense: the only way women and girls can avoid this fate is by linking up with strong men who are moral. Not doing this means they will be targeted by men who are not moral or are amoral.
As I have said before, in a crisis, when the rape gangs come for the women and girls, feminists are not going to drop out of the sky in an Agents-of-Shield plane and save them. Never happens. Many years later, an angry, fat feminist will write an academic tome about the incident and hate on ‘dead white men’ but they won’t be able to protect or ‘save’ these women and girls. That is the harsh reality of the world.
Frank Thoughts
How many strong and moral men do you think are out there as a percentage of the whole? How many are single? For every 100 single women, how many?
How many male predators do you think are out there?
Unless the numbers are about 1:1 strong and moral men to women, then women will have to learn to take down the rabid dogs you are talking about… on their own. Maybe not optimal but reality nonetheless. The one time I was attacked by a predator, I was married to a good man who just happened to not be present at the moment. I had to take care of myself anyway.
That is going on the assumption that there will be no civilization for a period of time. Even with rule by law, there are too many male predators.
Male predators don’t attack just one woman, they attack a lot of women. Take one down and you solve a large percentage of the problem.
You make good points. My wife was attacked when I was at work and so I could not do anything to help her. Luckily, she is tough and (after teenage years of grappling with skinheads and street punks) can fight her own corners.
But I agree: all women need to learn how to defend themselves and to support each other in groups. This may sound racist, but the biggest threats will come from men who are from the Middle East or Africa. It isn’t a race issue but that they are programmed to see white women as candy in a candy store.
Women across Europe are finding it dangerous to do normal things; illegal migrant creeps do not follow the basic rules of civilization. A number of American women living in Europe and seeking ‘some dark stick’ sexual liaison ended up being murdered by the illegal migrant. The old rules no longer apply.
Just loudly play Kumbaya from your PA system. They will come to help at which point you can change the music to “It’s a small World” and they will be helpless slaves as the melody reverberates within the empty skulls allowing you to use them as slave labor.
The tendency is to begin seeing every other person as a potential competitor or threat rather than a potential ally
“Begin”???
I got some bad news for you, sunshine…
TG, that is a fact! If you don’t know your plausable enemy by now, your fooked….
You don’t have to wait for society to break down to see people do stupid things. That’s why I don’t watch television anymore except for maybe weather updates. I drive back roads most times to get to town due to the idiots on the main roads. We’re screwed, blued and tatoo’d.
PoP
I drive the back roads too. Hahahahahaha! Soon everybody will be driving the back roads. Roflmao.
Nope! Few drive the backroads. I don’t usually. I usually time my commute to be in between the idiot rush times. One thing I do have, in my head, is a map of all the roads about 20 miles either way. I can go 20 miles out of my way, no problem, and come home from the back side if I need to. No maps needed.
I work with some smart people but none of them know how to get home down the back roads. I occasionally will go out to lunch with these people and ask them, “Hey! Where does that road go?” I usually get a shrug and an “I don’t know.” and they go back to their petty conversations. People arent curious anymore. They’re mostly dead inside.
I occasionally go out of my way to get home for all or part of my daily commute. Its fun to see changes and keep up to date on the road conditions on your alternate route.
Net Ranger
I love taking back roads home, I stop and collect wildflower seeds for my forest.
I got a new badass 4 foot roto tiller for my little kubota. Tilled 1/8th acre in about a half hour. Got to figure out a way to kill the pasture hay in it. Black plastic for 6 weeks before planting?
Dave in Idaho
what are you going to plant to replace the pasture? Black plastic kills anything, do you have enough? I have never tilled any land! I have used cardboard on new gardens, stores will give you tons of it. You will be able to feed the thundering hordes when they show up.
Potatoes (I AM in Idaho) . I can buy the 6 mil plastic 20×100 feet rolls. There really isn’t a place to get cardboard. The grocery store bales it. A lot of people use it in place of fire starter for their wood stoves. As far as the hordes…I seriously doubt most could get here, and survive more than a few weeks in the winter. Summertime is crawling with Large critters and you had better have a large gun. Plus they have to go through Elmira. Genius could explain that….think of the movie Deliverance…. cattle raped and women rustled.
Dave in Idaho
Potatoes, of course! I live in the mountains and potatoes are my easiest crop, to be sure. Yummy and nutricious. I am planting red new potatoes, Yukon Gold, purple, and of course good old russets, how about you? None of my wildlife seems to bother them… but will you have trouble with those “deliverance” guys? Scarier than bears, I’m thinking. The hordes won’t likely show up, like they probably will at my house.
I do have a mountain lion that is scary, it came right up and looked in my window.
@ Rebecca. Just buy a Gun and take care of yourself. Use it at close range. You will be doing society a favor and most likely save someone else from a predator. The men that attack women because they are sick bastards that need to be shot. There is a lot of free pu$$y available
@ Rebecca. Red potatoes.
Dave in Idaho,
Thanks. I imagine I would be fine with shooting in self defense… or as the police say… I was scared for my life! Because I darn sure would be scared for my life. Never had to do such a thing, and I don’t know for sure unless it happens. I am not a warrior, but we may all become that.
All red potatoes! I didn’t think they store well. I have some because they are yummy and the first of the season. You have a BIG garden! Nothing finer.
When I get my cabin built, I’ll know I’m in heaven.
It is wise to change your routes occasionally. Don’t keep the same patterns all the time. Just never be predictable.
PO’d Patriot, I was seeing people do stupid things even before Obamanation. Nothing new there.
Stoopid is as stoopid does without a SHTF moment….
….I hear that some guy named “Mitt” wants to have some words about a dude called “The Hair”.
Ed is right, we’re doomed.
Be safe….I need a drink….BA.
This part (below) made me think of how certain Christians believe in the Millennium when they will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years over the mortal humans who remain on Earth after the Tribulation.
“On the other side of the coin, there are those individuals who believe that if they can control everything and everyone in their vicinity then this will somehow mitigate the chaos of the world around them. They are people who secretly harbor fantasies of being kings during collapse. These folks are usually not very successful or well-liked in times of stability, and they long for conflict and destruction to make way for their “rebirth” so that they will receive the respect they think they always deserved.”
very good article.
We know a couple that I’m not sure what category they’d fit into, but stated that if SHTF they would just fly back to the mainland…and get a hotel room somewhere.
Pathetically oblivious, is that a category?
I’ve found it nearly impossible to form a team here of like minded individuals. One friend has some ordnance but is not 100% trustable, as in stable under pressure.
Others are just ignorant of the possibilities of collapse.
And we live on an island with at most a 3 week supply of food, and which is 75 miles from our locale, requiring truckers who will drive that far.
(after the last major hurricane, ice delivery trucks were robbed!!)
Good thing we’re prepared but if it’s disastrous we’d be living/hiding in the jungle after dragging the fricken house contents out there. We’d have the time, probably, and could stay hidden for a long time. Not that we’d want to.
But the will and fight to survive will surprise all of us.
Ketchupondemand
I tried forming a team. No Go.
I think forming a team now is futile, it’s going to have to wait until necessity comes along and knocks some folks into reality.
Same here KOD & Slingshot. Tried doing the same during a block party we had a couple of years back. Only one positive response (retired USMC MSgt); others looked at me like I was from another planet. Unfortunately the MSgt moved; replaced by two libs with two brats. I still smile & wave, do the neighbor thing, but fortunately they don’t know what I have hidden…
Eagle71
Getting people to things that are against their normal way of life is hard and I understand that point.
But heaven help them when they want to learn in a hurry what could have been learned in a more comfortable time.
If I so choose to do it again, I will have very little tolerance for bullshit and objections. All in or all out.
Not too worried about it either. Might be dead by then.
I hate it for your wife.
They write worthless articles, trying to sell cheap ineffective survival merchandise at overvalued prices, attempting to get while the getting is good, not having one damn clue as to what they are talking about.
Great ! I can check off two on myself:
1. They Become Hotheads And Tyrants
2. They Become Religious Zealots
I already have one foot in the, this is the end times, we are living thru revelations now; camp. If those signs increase, me telling others how to live, to get on their knees and that they are going to burn can’t be far away if things disintegrate more and keep following revelations.
And the other foot has me in the tyrant camp. If things turn bad and I have a lot of stuff because I prepared for it, all the women that did not will bare the brunt of all the women who rejected me. I might just have me own harem and none of them will have cats, in fact we will hunt and eat cats; I hate cats.
Be careful about condemning “tyrants … who secretly harbor fantasies of being kings during collapse”. When the system collapses, those who survive will be those who organize. “Organize” is another word for forming a system of government. There may be some exceptions, but pretty much the only successful form of government in such a case will be a government headed by one man. Call it a “benevolent dictatorship” or a “monarchy” or whatever you want, but any system in which people vote is going to quickly collapse.
Here’s how a post-collapse “democracy” would work in real life:
You have prepared. You have stocked up. Now it’s time to vote in your little community. Lots and lots of hungry people, and they didn’t suddenly become champions of property rights. You know EXACTLY how the vote will turn out – pool resources and share, just like mommy told you to do as a toddler. That, in a nutshell, is how democracy destroyed this in the first place.
What will really happen is this – different areas will form their own governments. There will be democracies, monarchies, libertarians, theocracies, maybe even sharia. Some will succeed and some will fail. The failed governments will be absorbed into their successful neighboring governments. It will be a true free market system where governments fail or succeed on their own merits.
The successful ones will start out with one man saying, “This is what I and my family have decided to do and this is what our goal is and this is how we plan to do it. If you want to be a part of this – and you meet our criteria to join – then you’re welcome to be a part of it.” Others will either follow a leader or they won’t. There will be major benefits to being a part of the group in return for submitting to the authority of the leader.
In a world where chaos reigns, the man who can establish order and guarantee property rights and basic human rights is going to be followed by those who want to survive and rebuild. If that is your definition of “tyrant” then so be it. It will take good leadership to rebuild. If your ego won’t allow for that, then perhaps bugging out to a remote wilderness is your best bet. I care too much for my family to run. In one form or another, our family will be part of what I have described.
Stephen
There have been many strong leaders that are not tyrants. Leading is a valuable trait that doesn’t usually include abuse of the flock.
Correct, Rebecca. Even the all-powerful absolute monarch only rules with the general consent of the people. King John of England was an absolute monarch, yet he was still “forced” to sign the Magna Carta. He understood that he could not maintain his kingdom without the consent of the governed – even though he, in theory anyway, was an absolute monarch. Real power and theoretical power are often two very different things. A good leader understands that he must lead the people from the front rather than pushing from behind.
Of all the skills that will be needed during the rebuilding, none will be more needed than good and honorable leadership. That pretty much eliminates those who were voted into office. We will need the reluctant leaders who truly understand the burden of leadership, but take on that role anyway because it is needed.
Stephen
We need leadership now and always. Everyone is not a leader. I have been pushed into that role more than once, it is not easy when times are good. When times are bad it is a whole different ball game. My son calls me a matriarch… but at 40 he has stepped in to his own leadership. I am glad!
I suppose getting rip roaring drunk and running around naked yelling out “The sky is falling!” and “I’m a little tea cup” would be considered”stupid”?What can I say,tis on me bucket list.
No worries,Warchild,as national founder and local leader of the UFLA is not losing it,we stand ready what ever may happen!
No need to worry about women out collapse, they will be throwing themselves at you post shtf..and this was the exact words coming from my scientist friend. Like I told my woman, you wish net me before shtf strikes..lucky me, she jumped my ass and been here ever since..and I have told her not to rely on me if I get killed and she knows that other red neck brutes are in my area…women are rude and selfish, most of them.. I have been rejected in the past and the response is in there mind it makes no sense to talk to me more to get or know me.. you will notice right away that women. Don’t have patients… they only listen to you when they are in a jam and our of money. watch how cooperative they become when soldiers show up and shtf strikes…no need to worry Lena, lots of women wik be avaible by the 1,000’s for you to pick and choose from.. the soldiers won’t be that nice when they get to your area.. take a look are Germany and see what taking place…the electricity is on, the city is full of food an water. Cut that off and watch what happens in 3-4 days, day 4 it the dreaded number this when the hunger becomes unbearable for the untrained in allergic undisiplined people..total phucking caos..
Aka,
HCKS..
Same sh..t different day.
Very true! Look at how badly behaved the Muslims and migrants are now even though there is plenty of food and water. Imagine what they will do if any of these European cities experiences a couple days of power outages or civil unrest like we saw in London in 2011 and Paris in 2005? The police and military will not be able to do anything because their standing orders are to wait back and let things burn themselves out first and then move in to mop up after. That means you are Kibbles for the thugs, rapists and looters.
In the face of shtf/danger, shouldn’t one confront the danger, and not point a finger or run? Or let them divide and conquer us?
Remember Niemoller’s words:
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -— because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out —
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me —- and there was no one left to speak for me.”
If we do not stand united or one chooses to leave or blame-shift there will be one less voice of experience to speak for those younger and weaker.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” CC
We’ll be fine. Bernie will get elected, and there will be free ice cream for everybody!
I agree, nothing beats eating ice cream when sorting out communal difficulties.
This comrade, is a three cone problem! mmmmmmmmm.
This is a good synopsis of where it is already. Anyone that has already lost their mind this early in the game will not survive.
I am for creating a team of family and friends. A team creates an island of stability in a crazy world and might help team members be more stable. Optimally all contribute to group stability and survival. Adults will create a haven for their dependents… sick, elderly, children. And have some fun.
prep on.
THE MV ESTONIA, WORST MARITIME DISASTER IN EU HISTORY, AS IT RELATES TO STORY ABOVE
I didn’t keep the source link for this, unfortunately, but here is part of the story….
Kent Härstedt, now a member of Sweden’s Parliament, was then a 29-year-old passenger. That night he was hanging out in one of the ship’s bars, with about 50 other passengers. “There was karaoke music,” he recalls. “Everybody was laughing and singing.” But just after 1 a.m., theEstonia suddenly listed starboard 30°, hurling passengers, vending machines and flowerpots across its passageways. In the bar, almost everyone fell violently against the side of the boat. Härstedt managed to grab on to the iron bar railing and hold on, hanging above everyone else.
“In just one second, everything went from a loud, happy, wonderful moment to total silence. Every brain, I guess, was working like a computer trying to realize what had happened,” he says. Then came the screaming and crying. People had been badly hurt in the fall, and the tilt of the ship made it extremely difficult to move.
Härstedt began to strategize, tapping into some of the survival skills he had learned in the military. “I started to react very differently from normal. I started to say, ‘O.K., there is option one, option two. Decide. Act.’ I didn’t say, ‘Oh, the boat is sinking.’ I didn’t even think about the wider perspective.” Like many survivors, Härstedt experienced the illusion of centrality, a coping mechanism in which the brain fixates on the individual experience. “I just saw my very small world.”
But as Härstedt made his way into the corridor, he noticed something strange about some of the other passengers. They weren’t doing what he was doing. “Some people didn’t seem to realize what had happened. They were just sitting there,” he says. Not just one or two people, but entire groups seemed to be immobilized. They were conscious, but they were not reacting.
Contrary to popular expectations, this is what happens in many disasters. Crowds generally become quiet and docile. Panic is rare. The bigger problem is that people do too little, too slowly. They sometimes shut down completely, falling into a stupor.
On the Estonia, Härstedt climbed up the stairwell, fighting against gravity. Out on the deck, the ship’s lights were on, and the moon was shining. The full range of human capacities was on display. Incredibly, one man stood to the side, smoking a cigarette, Härstedt remembers. Most people strained to hold on to the rolling ship and, at the same time, to look for life jackets and lifeboats. British passenger Paul Barney remembers groups of people standing still like statues. “I kept saying to myself, ‘Why don’t they try to get out of here?'” he later told the Observer.
Later, when interviewed by the police, some survivors said they understood this behavior. At some point, they too had felt an overwhelming urge to stop moving. They only snapped out of the stupor, they said, by thinking of their loved ones, especially their children – a common thread in the stories of survivors of all kinds of disasters.
At 1:50 a.m., just 30 minutes after its first Mayday call, the Estonia vanished, sinking upside down into the sea. Moments before, Härstedt had jumped off the ship. He climbed onto a life raft and held on for five hours, until finally being rescued. All told, only 137 of the 989 people on board survived the disaster. Most of the victims were entombed in the Estonia while they slept. They had no chance to save themselves. Investigators would conclude that the ship sank because the bow door to the car deck had come unlocked and the sea had come gushing into the ship.
Wow. That’s a great example. Thanks test.
Keeping in mind the title of the article.
One has to wonder how we would all function should we all be forcefully be thrown together.
Lets say there are forty to fifty regular posters. A good size platoon. Probably fight the enemy in the trenches all day and complain about each other all night at camp.
Want to know what would happen? See Twilight Zone’s The Shelter (1961). Summary is here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shelter_(The_Twilight_Zone)
The video was on Youtube as well. Basically, it is a story of what happens at a dinner party when a nuclear war unexpectedly starts.
Slingshot…
Homicides in no time!
I’ll tell ya Sling. I had to sit for some minutes, picturing in my minds eye what the camp would look like.
The clothes, ball caps, guns and such. Beards. Ladies in their camo.
Conversations around the fire, the occasional open bottle.
But when the alarm sounded–I couldn’t picture who would be in charge, give the orders.
Out of all the posters here- which one of you would be the leader, take us into battle, lead us to victory?
Grandee,what is the bigger plan/picture here?Are we making this a permanent place/temp while we figure the bigger picture out,a lot of ?’s right there.
The best thing would be to figure out all the gear we have/supplies ect. and then figure out who has military experience/combat experience/long distance shooting skills wether sniper/hunter/ long range competitor ect.Who has worked buddy teams that can get us set up with security/who has doc/nurse/paramedic skills that can set up health care/who can cook for large groups when safe and feed a bunch of us/who can hunt and or forage edible goods while not poisoning us/who has comms and skills to use them,again,I see a endless list but make up teams to enact these skills while training others/working em into the picture of their skill set,this of course longer term time permitting.I see folks with most knowledge and desire being said leaders of that part of bigger picture.
We need to also figure out who has infirmities ect. and work with what they can do,not what they can’t while longer term again building skill sets around those ailments that need to be worked around.
We need a we gonna get over run and time to blend away with new points of gathering(maps/orienteering skills here)spots predetermined.
We will need folks to gather water/dig latrines/maintain em,a shitty job pun intended so I volunteer to start said process,no time for prima donnas and everyone takes a turn at some point time/conditions permitting to do the,well….shit work.
I could go on for pages but I believe have my bare bones basics laid out.Damn,perhaps I am better off getting rip roaring drunk and running around naked yelling out nonsensical phrases!Would certainly be a lot less work!
Warchild
Well spoken post. You are the leader then. It may be a good exercise for us all to reply. We should all try to make it as realistic as possible.
I will start by suggesting that a three man team harrasses the enemy while the rest move to a the location of your choosing. We will slow them down, give them no rest, ensure they are constantly under stress, and hopefully caring for a wounded individual every few hours.
Mike,different scenario,Grand had us at least temporarily bunkered down.May be that 3 are not even close to enuff/especially if others have flight/drone/sat viewing capability.We would then need small teams broken up all about/fighting/harassing when able/and just gumming up the works.I do not believe long term those capabilities will for most part be available to enemy but of course each scenario is different.
So,lets go with responses for 1.At least short term bunkered down2.We are on the move from small scale force or literally part of a larger army we are trying to get away/better yet,avoid completely,balls in someone elses court.
any body got a destination in mind?, besides my minds eye.
Grandee.
I gather there are some really good people here that have the skills and fortitude to make it during bad times. I think there are some subjects that should people should keep close to heart. One of our problems is that we are fighting on too many fronts among ourselves and are not focused. Due to the many subjects and the rants and raves of frustration. Of course there is the usual bullshitting but that would stop once the hammer falls. All B.S would stop and if it didn’t I do not think it would be tolerated by anyone here. To say, when we are fighting for our Lives/Freedom all other issues become petty.
We will have to be more tolerant on one side and more considerate of others on the other. Give and take.
In the beginning there will be no leaders between preppers because, We Know Too Much. How many scenarios and subjects have we discussed. Yet there are leader”s that will emerge and be Trusted by others as time goes by. Trial by Fire will prove them worthy of leadership.
The good part is that there are forty to fifty leaders right here.
Leaders on many levels of experience.
“The good part is that there are forty to fifty leaders right here. Leaders on many levels of experience.”
🙂 i would agree with that
I read somewhere there are Three Rules for Survival:
Rule #1 Get out of the cities
Rule #2 Get out of the cities and
Rule #3 Get Out Of The Cities !!!!
A5: I agree. I am looking to buy land that is in the middle of nowhere. My criteria? Enough land that has trees to provide for building and firewood and a successful well. Gonna take a little road trip, soon.
Yaak River Valley above Troy/Libby MT
People back stab each other in good times like we are in now. When resources are in short supply they will kill to be on top. It’s not that I wanna be a dick but nice guys finish last. During shtf is not the time to learn how to stand up for yourself. Being well liked by people don’t do shit for you they will still drive a knife in your back. Fighting is something that might be needed to survive. Its gonna take a lot of balls to take stuff from someone. The weak don’t stand a chance. A lot of people talk hard but they are scared shit clinging to their gun. Your gonna have to be deliberate even if it means getting shot or stabbed. If your gonna take resources from someone make sure your the attacker and use sheer force. You cannot give a shit.
Ass,you gonna take stuff better be from the enemy(and make sure they are dead).You gonna hit folks who are just trying to survive/have planned a bit,well,pre dig your grave.That of course not necc. if at that point I have dogs,will feed said body to em as would hope folks who find me dead(and were not the ones who killed me)would feed me to their 4 footed family members,am a organ donar,just a way to still be one when it all ends.
I have a mantra. DTA. Don’t trust anyone. when push comes to shove most will stab you in the back. So I haven’t let even those who I would possibly take under my wing know the location of my cashe. Everything is strickly on a need to know basis. And who says a loner couldn’t survive. They found WWII Japanese still hiding after the war was over 50 years. Surviving and thriving in whatever situation you are presented with is 90% mental. You have to be Self Reliant and Have Know How. And be willing to do whatever it takes. If you cannot shoe your own horse or shoot your own dog you don’t need either one. And im not actually talking about horses & dogs.
and then they came for me. and I was ready willing and had the know how. That’s why im still here to tell the story
While there was a small concern shown in the media lately for an asteroid pass of TX68 which will happen around March 8th, nary a word about 2016 DV1 which passed yesterday between the earth and the moon. It was discovered Feb. 28th and it probably was an “oh, $#@+ ” moment for the astronomer that realized it was so close (and big). There is at least 1 more, EG1 that is coming closer than TX68 on this pass… and the uncertainty levels for these things are VERY high. In the past, you would hear about this flybys on the morning news- like this.
“As you slept last night a great big giant rock the size of Mount Olympus whizzed by your bed. But don’t worry. We’ve got your back and will tell you after the fact.”
So, although it’s good not to fear monger- the information gatekeepers are never going to treat us as adults by interpreting the near earth object info from Nasa and the Esa into intelligible daily reporting. I’d much rather read a column on that everyday than a silly horoscope.
Just a word on the raping and killing of women which seem to come up a lot on these threads. Some guys on here want to help women prepare for the worst and some of them are just living in a sexual fantasy land where they get the most beautiful, hungry, safety-seeking women they were denied in normal life. Well, sometimes you need to be careful what you ask for, because you might just get it. As HCKs has said, living in Houston sadly has made me aware of my surroundings to a much greater degree, and one of the reasons we eventually moved to a more rural area. I believe I was chased on the highway one night by the I-45 killer when I was in my 20s. Got away by driving straight to the police station at break neck speeds. Faked the guy out at an exit by turning at the last minute… he drove over the curbs to continue to chase me.
Didn’t own a gun back then…that was a scary night. If I had a dime for every time I was leered at by Mexicans in the back of a pickup truck, I’d be rich. But, don’t be fooled. A lot of women around here wouldn’t hesitate to pop a cap on these disgusting thugs.