Survivalism

[rover07]

With the onset of worldwide recession, Peak Oil, climate change, over-population, etc.

Here is a thread for survival strategies in the coming Apocalypse...

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/22852

 

[DotCommunist]

Cohesion and networking within a strong community as opposed to stocking up on weapons and whisky like some sort of american militia cunt

 

[gentlegreen]

Masses of "prepper" videos on Youtube.

 

[Dr Jon]

Survivalism? FFS!

What's the point of surviving when all the pubs are shut and you can't get a bag of chips for love nor money?

 

[SpineyNorman]

Yeah, instead we should wipe out most of the population so the ubermensch can maintain a high standard of living. (You are the resident malthusian, right drjon? If not I apologise)

 

[Dr Jon]

I think that Nature will do the job perfectly adequately.
High standards of living are a momentary, anomalous blip in the overall scheme of things.

ETA:
In fact the scenario you mention is already happening. We in the developed world already enjoy a fantastic (and unsustainable) standard of living - courtesy of oil - while the rest of the world scratches around in the shit.

 

[Falcon]

Eliminate as much dependency as you can on things either you or someone you know hasn't made or grown. Cut your cost base to the absolute minimum and invest the surplus in insulation and growing food. Insulate your home to the highest standard you can afford. Learn how to grow food, and do maintenance and repairs yourself. Learn a basic skill that someone will find useful. (Breadmaking - good. Photocopy insurance salesman - not so good). Learn about permaculture. (Agriculture is only a small part of it). Volunteer. Buy locally to build up the network. Join or start a community of likeminded people who will help and you can help. This means your neighbours where you are now, not a group in the North of Scotland. Do these things voluntarily and now while you have time and spare resource, rather than having it done to you later when you have no time and no spare resource. Read Marcus Aurelius. Tell three friends this advice.

Payoff: this is a no regrets strategy. It works and makes life happier whichever way things go next.

 

[Dr Jon]

...which reminds me: went to visit a mate yesterday and had to fight my way through the chickens! Everybody on his estate are doing it!

 

[Falcon]

...which reminds me: went to visit a mate yesterday and had to fight my way through the chickens! Everybody on his estate are doing it!

lol - my first lot died, my second lot got parasites. My third lot are delicious. B&Q are doing a roaring trade in chicken wire.

 

[DotCommunist]

fucking rental rules make owning non pet birds a no no round here. And lots of other places. Not much greenery space in terraced housing land either. However there is a Morrisons distribution hub down the road which I have an eye on just in case the sky falls tommorow...

 

[Falcon]

fucking rental rules make owning non pet birds a no no round here. And lots of other places. Not much greenery space in terraced housing land either. However there is a Morrisons distribution hub down the road which I have an eye on just in case the sky falls tommorow...

The planning regulations are a real problem. I lived in one place that prohibited you from hanging washing in the garden and forced you to use electric dryers, although I gather that is less common now. People won't change there mind until they have a reason, and won't have a reason until there is a crisis. But after the first crisis, things will ease. Meantime, I've had a lot of success in small places with containers

 

[Dr Jon]

The planning regulations are a real problem

Yeah. If you buy a plot of (agricultural) land, you are usually prohibited from living on it.

 

[Falcon]

Yeah. If you buy a plot of (agricultural) land, you are usually prohibited from living on it.

Well the huge problem the authorities are facing is what happens if I hire you as an electrician and you hire me as a plumber, and we pay each other in our respective time? Where is the invoice? The VAT? The income tax? The rates on your store? There is a disincentive for the authorities to allow you to start building your independence from the grid. Rosen's book "Off-grid" describes his efforts and the barriers he faced. Very interesting.

 

[Dr Jon]

Yeah. The informal economy / LETS will be a real headache for old-world government, which I suspect will become increasingly irrelevant.

Off the Grid and On the Cloud

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

The planning regulations are a real problem. I lived in one place that prohibited you from hanging washing in the garden and forced you to use electric dryers, although I gather that is less common now.

Back when I was poor I had good results with hanging things up on hangers in the shower or draping them over furniture

 

[frogwoman]

were it not for the right wing scummers i quite like the idea of being a survivalist actually

 

[TruXta]

The name needs changing. Resilient communities/resilient living is better.

 

[frogwoman]

no, keep the original name. it never works when they rebrand things like that

 

[TruXta]

no, keep the original name. it never works when they rebrand things like that

Oh, variants on the "resilient x" has been around for quite a few years now.

 

[frogwoman]

thing is resilient sounds too much like "robust".

 

[TruXta]

thing is resilient sounds too much like "robust".

Why's that bad? That's what you want, for your life to be robust and resilient.

 

[frogwoman]

a robust response to the economic crisis

 

[TruXta]

a robust response to the economic crisis

FWIW I don't think of robust when I read resilient. Could be because I've been reading a lot of academic literature where resilient has become a major buzzword, but even so. In that context resilience is not about responses, it's about the full cycle from mitigation to preparedness through response and rebuilding.

Even outwith that I don't have a problem with "robust".

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

The name needs changing. Resilient communities/resilient living is better.

The word I've heard recently is "preppers." It's a bit more descriptive of what the less crazy people are interested in. They're theory is more along the lines of "if I'm prepared for a disaster then, I'll be one less person the system has to try to provide for in a time of scares resources."

I'm sure it'll be co-opted any time now.

 

[DotCommunist]

hmm. Makes me think of 'preppy'.

I'm going with 'Watchers at the dawn of apocalypse' for that old-time millennial madness feel

 

[story]

The word I've heard recently is "preppers." It's a bit more descriptive of what the less crazy people are interested in. I'm sure it'll be co-opted any time now.

As in Prepared, Preparatory? It sounds very American to me. Not a bad thing per se, but... dunno, brings a certain type of swivvle-eyed thing to mind.

frogwoman, I have no problem with robust. I think of robust good health. And I hate to have them co-opt and colonise the meaning of words to their own ends

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I like the phrase "resilient communities." The crazies arn't likely to co-opt that since they have this bizarre notion that they don't need a community to survive. Humans have never survived outside of community and to think otherwise is foolhardy.

 

[CyberRose]

All you need is a telepathic dog, some popcorn and some women to search for, and you'll survive any apocalypse

 

[Greebo]

All you need is a telepathic dog, some popcorn and some women to search for, and you'll survive any apocalypse

What if you're female?

 

[Spud Murfy]

My survival plan:

1. Get the fuck out of London

2. Not sure what to do next