[Jack]

Behold a classic experiment in human nature, conducted in the New Orleans laboratory.

Katrina made landfall early Monday morning. Services failed - and in less than 48 hours, what do we see?

Widespread looting. Bodies lying in the roadway, untended. Police looting. Police getting shot. A full-scale breakdown of civil society. All in less than 48 hours. Most of this was televised tonight on NBC nightly news; the rest is widely reported on the internet.

So, optimists - tell me again about mortal-kind's vaunted ability to help each other and cooperate. Tell me how humanity will come together in a crises and help one another with shared sacrifice, all toward the common good. I could use the laugh.

And Peak Oil will cause those same failures in services - and it won't be for just 48 hours.

In honor of these events, I am revising my doomer rating upward:

Doomer 5.1 --> 5.25+.

[AmericanEmpire]

Yep, I told my wife that thats proof of the social disorder we will see post peak. Once the services people depend on for their livelihood dissapear you see a breakdown in civilized behavior.

I think I really need to buy a gun. I can see whats likely comming and people will need to be able to defend themselves.


Like you said just imagine that in cities and towns all over the US and forever not just 48 hours. With millions of people being uncivilized, not just the onces who didn't skip town when the hurricane hit New Orleans.

[bentstrider]

So what does this mean?
Everyone without guns will be chopped into fish-bait?
Guns are too expensive as it is already.

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bentstrider', 'S')o what does this mean?
Everyone without guns will be chopped into fish-bait?
Guns are too expensive as it is already.

[Macsporan]

Depends what you want to see.

You forgot to mention the countless acts of selflessness, altruism, bravery,cooperation and kindness that are also coming to light.

There are vermin everywhere that is true, but they are are a small minority.

[jdumars]

On CNN, they were reporting that their reporters were being "aggressively asked" for gasoline and money -- aka just short of getting robbed. In one case they had someone steal their spare gas. Any hope I had that might have countered my own 'doomerosity' has disappeared. As the country sinks quickly into deep poverty post-PO (or even soon for that matter), it's going to be a very dangerous place to be. Just imagine a bunch of spoiled-rotten suburbanites who can no longer have clean water, food or even shelter. I don't want to overgeneralize, but a lot of these people are incredibly selfish, and I don't anticipate them adopting an attitude of altruism and goodwill. Many of the people affected by this terrible disaster didn't have a lot to begin with. People who perceive that they have a lot to lose can be extremely unpredictable and correspondingly treacherous.

This is a test of the coming emergency, or perhaps even the welcome mat for the end of the Empire.

[Ghog]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Macsporan', 'D')epends what you want to see.

You forgot to mention the countless acts of selflessness, altruism, bravery,cooperation and kindness that are also coming to light.

There are vermin everywhere that is true, but they are are a small minority.

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Macsporan', 'D')epends what you want to see.

[bentstrider]

I'll just play dead for a little while.
It has worked for me on other occasions.
And it's not that I don't like guns, I just don't see the point of me owning one unless I'm a law enforcement officer, or something.
Not to mention I've never really fired any before.

[dissimulo]

Prepare to help yourself so that you may also help others. Fail to prepare and risk becoming victim or vermin yourself.

Appreciate the kindness of strangers, but never count on it.

And stock lots of ammo.

[Jack]

Here's another act of cooperation for your reading pleasure:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')s looters stripped stores of items, sometimes in front of police, violence broke out in the Big Easy. At around 11 p.m. EDT, two gunmen with AK-47s fired shots into a police station. No one was hurt, and the men fled into the city's French quarter section.

[Ghog]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')s looters stripped stores of items, sometimes in front of police, violence broke out in the Big Easy.

[hotsacks]

Ah yes,rejoice in the spectacle of man in the mud,witless,unwashed,driven insane by a lifetime of the Darwinists forcing their cocktail of murderous greed and football ethics down his parched throat.It's grand rubbernecking a tragedy and pontificating on the rude behaviours of the serfs.Just grand,and as a bonus,a Golden Moment to admonish those fools who think we are above or beyond this.After all,the entire city is at each other's throats,shootin',and stabbin' and rapin' and gawd knows what all.There is no one,absolutely no one,doing any rescue work,putting their lives at risk,working for nothing.They're too busy living it up at the Doomer's Ball.
Fearmongering ...it never ends for the fearful.

[Macsporan]

Hotsacks, you are indeed eloquent.

Thanks for that refreshing shot of perspective.

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Macsporan', 'H')otsacks, you are indeed eloquent.

[hotsacks]

[quote="Macsporan"]Hotsacks, you are indeed eloquent.
[QUOTE]

Multo grazie. It happens when I feel my butthole pucker.

Jack:Even with an invitation,I'd have to miss the Ball due to more pressing engagements.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')e really is, isn't he? However, he'd best be careful, or he won't get one of the coveted invitations to the Doomer's Ball!

[Battle_Scarred_Galactico]

Didn't take long for some true colors to shine did it?

Don't worry everything will be fine, we'll build wind turbines.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')on't worry everything will be fine, we'll build wind turbines.

[Battle_Scarred_Galactico]

Toecutter, I believe wind power will work small scale(and I do mean small), eventually. What happens between now and then is unclear though (we know the possibilities, see rest of site for those).

I agree with you about those blocking attempts to use alternatives, but what do you want them to do, lose power *that would really be shock and awe!*