If the stuff ever hits the fan

[d_r]

If one day society breaks down - we reach peak oil, nuclear winter, a comet hits, severe drought from climate change, whatever it is, the next day you'll have two choices.

One, you could hide down in your basement and shoot your neighbor over the last can of tuna. If you want to get ready for that, you better start stockpiling ammo and food and water and batteries and so on.

Or, you can act like a decent human being and walk outside in the light and join in the hard work of rebuilding society. There are lots of things you could do to get ready for that, too. Go out in your yard and plant an apple tree. Give your neighbor a peach tree. That way you can give him some apples and he can give you some peaches.

The thing is, if you choose the first option, when your fresh water runs out and you have to come up out of your hidey-hole, dude, you don't have to shoot me. You can have some apples.


OK Wait one other thing. If its zombies, then all bets are off.

[lapfog_1]

1. OTOH, there is a GRB scheduled for Dec, 2012.

And we won't have to care about either hiding or helping.

[EOTE]

14. I'm working with Dr. Banner on that one.

If I can expose my body to just the right amount of Gamma radiation, I can avoid death while becoming one of the world's most powerful super heroes. Dr. Banner has repeatedly assured me that it's all it's cracked up to be. 2012 is gonna be bitchin'.

[SteppingRazor]

2. One caveat. I'm all for the rebuilding society. But...

if all us society rebuilders don't stock guns as well, all our apples are just going to go to the people that do. I don't agree with a lot of what Hobbes said, but I think he was right when he said that, without civil society, human life would be nasty, brutish, and short.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

3. How about option c... I hoard guns and ammo AND grow plants and gather food.

Stockpiling arms and growing... they aren't mutually exclusive.

[blindpig]

5. That survival shit won't work

Sitting on your little patch, defending it against all comers will only draw someone strong enough to take it away from you.

Only by people banding together can we maintain our humanity in such a situation.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

16. Who said I would just sit there.

If I have to up and move or band together, I will.
A handgun and a rifle are pretty easy to carry wherever life would take you.
If I'm not being threatened, then I will stay home and hopefully have food growing.
No matter what, in societal breakdown, a handgun with a few magazines would be priceless.

[DireStrike]

21. It would have to be both. Community AND weaponry.

There would be no shortage of marauders, regardless of how many successful communities tried to establish themselves.

[Morning Dew]

4. well, yeah

Zombies don't like apples.

I might offer them tuna - it's brain food.

[SIMPLYB1980]

6. I agree when the zombies come,

it's every man, woman, and child on their own.

[Bigmack]

9. "...every man, woman, and child on their own..."

Hell, that's the Repub National Yell!

The fucking Zombies would be more humane.

[SIMPLYB1980]

17. Too true.

[Occam Bandage]

7. Or I can shoot you and have all your apples. nt

[leftstreet]

8. Once you control the market, I'll broker them for you

for a modest percentage

It's the American way!

[Occam Bandage]

12. Sounds good to me; that'll free my time to focus on expansion of my apple empire.

I'll set you up as baron-overseer of his apple grove, and will use the profits to raise a small army to conquer nearby apple groves. Once I have control of all local means of apple production through a semi-feudal network, I'll have a complete stranglehold on the local apple economy. I may then attempt to corner the Spam market to consolidate my economic stranglehold on the region, and begin working on alliances with other nearby feudal lords. I may open an Apple/Spam trade route with a nearby lord whose lands are rich in, say, corn, forging an economic alliance allowing me a freer hand in my foreign affairs...

[d_r]

18. I'm not afraid

you aren't going to shoot me for an apple. Especially when I just said you can have one.

[Birthmark]

10. One can do both.

It's harsh to say, but in the event of such a disaster, there will be, um, surplus population. By holing up until they're done shooting and eating each other, one can be reasonably assured of being alive to begin rebuilding society, no?

[Skidmore]

11. If the world ever does stand still, I've come to feel comfortable with

letting Klaatu take it out. Sick to death of humans and being human. Can't see that we add that much to the planet or to each other.

[rug]

13. Is it dolphin free tuna?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

15. I don't have a basement so I better go with choice #2

;)

[MisterP]

19. I think survivalists would be the first to go: whenever they had a get-together,

they'd just mow each other down, because violence does solve everything, they say

[goldcanyonaz]

20. I'll gladly turn over my cans of tuna but I''ll shoot your ass over some hearts of palm.

[old mark]

22. In that case, I plan to shoot a few RWers while there still is general lawlessness.

Just a thought, though.

mark

[JVS]

23. Or hunker down with the tuna until you can shoot some of the rebuilders and take their shit