ars technica - Getting ready for the end of growth on Earth

[ATCclears]

Getting ready for the end of growth on Earth

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[HBIII]

Interesting article, but what makes the subject of the article qualified to speak? Also, the amount of grammatical in the piece makes it highly suspects to me.

 

[Burt Gummer]

The coming global economic collapse will cull the herd. No need to panic about overpopulation. The social and war planners have a handle on it. The useless eaters will be managed and controlled.

 

[knuckle Head]

The coming global economic collapse will cull the herd. No need to panic about overpopulation. The social and war planners have a handle on it. The useless eaters will be managed and controlled.

Yeah,

May God forgive me for what I thinking about a lot of people I have to put up with on a daily basis.

But if shtf they will either starve because McDonalds has ran out of food, they killed each other off fighting for scraps in trash bens or lead poisening from trying to steal from people who were smart enough to plan a little further than where they were going to eat lunch tomorrow.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Seven million people starved in the Great Depression and the country was pretty much a giant farm, bristling with production, hard workers, sharing neighbors and a roll up your sleeves attitude.

In the coming Greatest Depression the useless eaters who mistakenly believed they would be hand fed for life will be fading away and eventually dying. Their role models like the Kardashians and the Jersey Shore folks will not have any answers. Twitter and Facebook will be off line, so no help there either. The Twittering Twits will have 2-3 days worth of food at home. No internet, no more mobile phone access. If the empty stomach doesn't kill them, the psychological detachment will. (Even dimwit Ashton Kutcher spoke out about this, and believes this to be true)

That's exactly what David Walker, then Comptroller General of the U.S., said back in 2007 in his interview with 60 Minutes. Sadly, this nation's fiscal condition has gotten much, much worse since then. If you didn't see that segment on 60 Minutes you can watch it below. Keep in mind that this was from 2007 and it is now MUCH WORSE than his projections at that time. Spending has exploded in the last five years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxoP_9W6FC8&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsinCoRnAic&feature=related

 

[knuckle Head]

No argument here I tolerate them every day and go home and work on my prepping while they home and figure out how to go deeper into debt.

I am constantly amazed at how worthless the people I work with are, they are helpless on the simplest of basic task of living outside the fragile world we live in, it has gotten to the point that I keep to myself pretty much at work, so i do not have to tell people I am busy to keep from getting roped into helping them do basic stuff around their homes, they cannot figure out how come I always have plans even if it just coming home and reading a book, I am to the point that if never saw 99% of them again, I would not miss them.

Not wishing harm on them you see, just i do not need their helplessness and worthlessness in my life, I am responsible for my household not mine alone and theirs too.

It would be different if they could contribute and trade work or favors, but they would only get in my way and slow me downat changing a light bulb

 

[Stomper]

amen...

 

[ATCclears]

Noisycow, that is an interesting point regarding the unavailability of pharma/drugs. It just occurred to me that a huge number of people are dependent on various ADD or ADHD drugs.

Messy.

Peter

 

[Boats]

There are as many economic opportunities on the downhill slope of the growth curve as there were on the way up. They are just a lot more cynical and exploitative plays is all.

The one piece of advice I give to everyone I converse with on this topic is to carefully study how gray and black markets form and operate because on the way down that's where the worthwhile action will be.

The most common black market products of today are: Weapons, currency, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, sexual favors, electronics and watches, fashion goods (perfumes, jewelry and bags), clothes and accessories, and pirated media (CDs and DVDs for music, films and software).

In wartime or collapse situations, you can add to that list: meat—both domestic and game, portable fuel sources such as white gas, propane, butane, and others, maybe even esbit or triox, Luxury goods of almost every sort for tax evasion/confiscation fears, and there will be a call for certain skills provided in a totally under the table fashion, from mechanical, to electrical, to medical/dental, to "muscle."

 

[chemist]

Here is the link to the original TED video by Gilding:
Paul Gilding: The Earth is full | Video on TED.com

 

[ericb]

I do believe that most people today are not ready to handle a crisis, but overpopulation is a myth. Look around, does it look like your community couldn't possibly support any more people? People have been playing the overpopulation fear card for a long time, mostly as a means to enslave and control the lower classes. Human life is wealth, all humans have the ability to overproduce and thrive. We were created (or evolved, if you prefer) to thrive upon this planet, and we have done so for a very long time. If you look at famines and the collapse of societies, it is not from too many people, but from corruption, greed, wickedness, and piss poor planning.

 

[knuckle Head]

well it is a multi facit problem our country's infrastructure is crumbling, watch this short video The Crumbling of America - YouTube next time it is on it would good for everyone to view just to see how our system really is.

As far as the average person being able to cope with a crisis, I would have say in my personal experience the vast majority of suburbanites could not handle a major crisis without help.

The vast majority of people do not know how to use a stupid fire extinguisher properly or treat a wound, most people do not have a clue, sure if you are x-military you are trained in these things, but the average person in todays day and age has not served and does not have a clue, in an office of 60 I am the only one who has been properly trained on how to use a fire extinguisher when I worked for a much larger company, some scrap test parts were placed on a pallet behind the bldg at lunch time several people went running over and watched them burn (this 15 yrs ago) and wanted someone to call the fire dept. because the idiots with the fire ext. could not put it out. I grabbed one away from someone and put it out in 30 seconds.

Multiple this by a factor of 100 or 1,000 and you have a real mess on your hands

lots of data but this is how inept and incapable your average surburbanite or office worker is.

 

[Blue Devil PA]

I have noticed in my day-to-day life that there are too many people who have this learned helplesness attitude that devolves into an entitlement centered point of view.

As far a pharm dependent people here is an interesting figure: "The United States makes up only 4.6 percent of the world's population, but consumes 80 percent of its opioids -- and 99 percent of the world's hydrocodone, the opiate that is in Vicodin."

I dont think we have too many people, I think we have too many helpless/entitled people entirely dependent on a fragile distrubution/supply network.

 

[mamartin]

Good topic guys, I appreciate the insight and feel the same way. Most civilians have no idea how to fend for themselves.

 

[knuckle Head]

As far as training goes, my neighbor is a part time EMT, I have asked to check and see if I could get some free fire fighting and EMT training if I agree to volunteer work around the station or assist on fires or whatever, it can't hurt you never know when you will be a situation to where you will need it.

 

[ericb]

As far as training goes, my neighbor is a part time EMT, I have asked to check and see if I could get some free fire fighting and EMT training if I agree to volunteer work around the station or assist on fires or whatever, it can't hurt you never know when you will be a situation to where you will need it.

I'm kind of going in the same direction now, I think skills and knowledge will be far more valuable than most hoarded supplies. Physical goods and wealth can all disappear, but the ability and attitude to survive no matter what can't be taken from you.

 

[knuckle Head]

I'm kind of going in the same direction now, I think skills and knowledge will be far more valuable than most hoarded supplies. Physical goods and wealth can all disappear, but the ability and attitude to survive no matter what can't be taken from you.

I have treated people for wounds in the military (years ago), treated backpacker in the middle of nowhere for dehydration, and treated myself for Hypothermia in middle of the appalcahians hours fro the nearest person, and many minor wounds on myself and others, shtf we those of us that come together are going to need to depend on each other and our families.

Knowing what to do and when to do it can save a life and in some situations it may be your own.

shtf the I am going to throw as much lead as i need to protect myself, family and those i have hooked up with, sooner or alter one one us is going to catch some lead as well, I hope to me able to keep that person until someone with more knowledge than I can make it better, anyone who thinks they, their family or group is immune to lead poisening is in for a rude awakening