Quote:
Originally Posted by The Rifleman
I had the oppertunity to talk to survivors of SHTF. I did some time in Croatia and Macedonia training with their armies and they told me about how one day they had a normal life and the next there is a war, looting, death squads. In Kuwait, I met some dam fine resturant owners that told me about the raping, looting and killing when the Iraqis arrived. In Iraq, people told me about civil war, their society and economy collapsing under sanctions and militias. Afghanistan just never seemed to have any real social order above the community or maybe city government.
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I understand the point that you're trying to make but, realistically, what are the chances of any of that happening here in the U.S. anytime soon? It's certainly possible, but is it really plausible?
I kind of get it. I kind of like the idea of a simpler life where modern "first world" problems like the daily 9-to-5 grind, and paying the bills, and taking the kids to little league are gone and everyday survival is the priority. There's a certain liberation that goes along with throwing off the shackles of civilization. That's why I play T2K. Some people, however, choose to create big scary boogiemen in their heads and then stockpile stuff for that inevitable day when the boogieman comes for them. What happens when they get tired of waiting? You remember the Sarin attacks in the Tokyo subway a decade or so ago? I think that most casual preppers approach it as a sort of fun hobby, but the ones that take it
really seriously because they truly believe that the apocalypse is on its way soon, they're the ones that frighten me.
I've wondered about the appeal of doomsday prepping and I think it's an extreme form of escapism. People long for simpler times. Some people are really hoping that the government collapses and the power goes out. When it happens, they won't be common wage slaves anymore- they'll be free, independent, tough survivors, and everybody else will look at them with envy and admiration. It's a fantasy. For most, it's harmless. I worry about the people that decide to precipitate the apocalypse because they're tired of waiting around for it to happen.
As for zombies, I picked up Max Brooks'
Zombie Survival Manual when it first came out, because it appealed to my sense of humor. I'll admit, after I read it, I would daydream about surviving in a zombie-infested world- it was all in fun. Ten years later, pop culture is lousy with zombies (books, movies, TV, video games). It's gotten silly. There are actually a not insubstantial number of people here in the U.S. that are preparing for a real zombie uprising. A couple of companies actually market and sell anti-zombie ammunition! Is this amusing or alarming? I think it depends. For those of us who have a firm grasp on reality, it's the former; considering those people who don't, it's the latter.