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How will People React to our Dark Future?

What's on your mind?
General interest discussions, not necessarily related to depletion.

Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby PolestaR » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 01:58:49

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ayame', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gideon', ' ')I'd say most of the "wealthy" people I have met have busted their asses to get where they're at.
I read somewhere that wealth earnt by people comes no where close to wealth inherited. Think of the Saudi Princes etc. Plus the chinese and vietnamese factory workers and african miners bust their asses day in day out and never get rich. I'm not saying that people who work hard can't get rich, it's just easier if you are rich and can make your money work for you in investments etc.

Exactly right. You can hardly argue that "wealthy" people are growing when the top 90% of wealth is owned by less and less people. I mean I can see Gideons point, but he is really talking about being middle class, and what is that really? Busting your hump until you're 50 then retiring to travel, with a house and 2 cars under your belt? I dislike the lack of options in our society, if you want to have some land to do what you please on it, you're forced to work for 10-20 years to "earn the right". What other species need to spend 25% of their life doing something before they have their own habitat?

The other issue is due to overpopulation the idea of having your own habitat is slipping further away every year. This is why the suburbs are spreading like wild fire, people trying to get the "dream" while they still can, and they'll go further and further away to get it. I do think people as a whole are getting lazier, which is interesting, it's either a symptom of people realizing the "dream" is out of reach or something in society is causing it to happen. Escapism is on the rise, video games and movies allow people to pretend they are somewhere else, probably keeps them from doing anything for real because they can have this alternate super hero life which for periods of time is 100s of times better than current real life "prison".
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby max_power29 » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 03:47:13

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', 'H')ow will people handle the future? Declining Energy? Possibly another great war? How about class warfare? How will the media respond to the situation when things are clearly getting out of control? Will the fat people attempt to revolt? Will there be mega riots? Will families come together more or be torn apart more from the stress? Will people tolerate a police state? Will the word on peak oil and other events catch on like wildfire at some point? Will peak oil be a well known problem or will it be kept hush and we will have constant distractions, war? diseases? etc... Will people come together more and help each other out, or will they all screw each other chasing the dream? Who will win? Will there be mass murders at the pump? Will we make friends with the Mexicans? Will we do battle with them? How will Canada react when it gets merged into the NAU?


Study what happened during Hurricaine Katrina. Its very fascinating and just a tiny microcosm of what will happen everywhere.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby Grautr » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 04:04:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', '
')I mean I can see Gideons point, but he is really talking about being middle class, and what is that really? Busting your hump until you're 50 then retiring to travel, with a house and 2 cars under your belt? I dislike the lack of options in our society, if you want to have some land to do what you please on it, you're forced to work for 10-20 years to "earn the right". What other species need to spend 25% of their life doing something before they have their own habitat?



A lack of options is how I would describe it too. I was once ranting about how we are pretty much stuck in our societies when someone replied to my post and said;

"why dont you just fuck of and live in the woods then if you dont like it".

Of course that would be nice except every wood and piece of land is owned by someone now. You cant even get out of your own country unless you have a passport. We are trapped into the societies we are born in and you either make the most of it within the system or undermining the system (criminality) but you cannot escape the system.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby Grautr » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 04:09:52

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', 'W')ill the fat people attempt to revolt?

probably not. During the Irish potatoe famine plenty of people sat there and starved to death even though livestock was still being exported to mainland Britain. Although crime rose sharply during this time there was not one revolt.
People will just sit there and die in their homes if they perceive the government as having complete control of the situation. Only if the people see a weakness from the authorities will they try to exploit this through revolution.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby katkinkate » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 07:48:58

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Grautr', '.')......A lack of options is how I would describe it too. I was once ranting about how we are pretty much stuck in our societies when someone replied to my post and said;
"why dont you just fuck of and live in the woods then if you dont like it".
Of course that would be nice except every wood and piece of land is owned by someone now. You cant even get out of your own country unless you have a passport. We are trapped into the societies we are born in and you either make the most of it within the system or undermining the system (criminality) but you cannot escape the system.

A sign of global overpopulation? Nowhere left to expand? Stress increasing? Even when you do manage to buy your own little bit of territory, there are so many regulations, fees and bylaws you have to adhere to you may as well just pay rent.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby bshirt » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 08:58:15

In the USA, you can "never" own your own land free and clear.

Even mortgage free, you're just renting it from the SS Gestapo government.

C'mon PO! :-)
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby Ludi » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 10:58:59

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('katkinkate', ' ')Even when you do manage to buy your own little bit of territory, there are so many regulations, fees and bylaws you have to adhere to you may as well just pay rent.



I have not found that to be true. I haven't been limited in any of my endeavors by any regulations, etc.

So far.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby bshirt » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 12:20:48

Shannymara is correct.

Three cheers for Texas, where some real freedom still exists!

It's hard to believe, but even in my tiny (less than 200 people) town in South Dakota, the morons have zoning codes copied from Chicago or someplace else.

One can't even put up a swingset on your own property with requested and paying for a some mindless "permit".
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby mmasters » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 13:05:13

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gideon', ' ')I'd say most of the "wealthy" people I have met have busted their asses to get where they're at.

A lot of upper crust wealth isn't honest or deserved wealth.

The majority of today's upper crust got their wealth from Real Estate and Inheritance. After that it's business/corporate wealth. Most of this money is about being in the right place at the right time (Trump or Gates for example wouldn't have a chance today) or working for the establishment and getting sweetheart deals.

To add to that, once you have money it's easier to make more money. Avoiding taxes through offshore trusts; life insurance to avoid estate taxes, etc...
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby mmasters » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 13:15:24

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('max_power29', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', 'H')ow will people handle the future? Declining Energy? Possibly another great war? How about class warfare? How will the media respond to the situation when things are clearly getting out of control? Will the fat people attempt to revolt? Will there be mega riots? Will families come together more or be torn apart more from the stress? Will people tolerate a police state? Will the word on peak oil and other events catch on like wildfire at some point? Will peak oil be a well known problem or will it be kept hush and we will have constant distractions, war? diseases? etc... Will people come together more and help each other out, or will they all screw each other chasing the dream? Who will win? Will there be mass murders at the pump? Will we make friends with the Mexicans? Will we do battle with them? How will Canada react when it gets merged into the NAU?
Study what happened during Hurricaine Katrina. Its very fascinating and just a tiny microcosm of what will happen everywhere.

That's true, it really does answer a good amount of these questions. After all the grid there basically went down. I should re-examine it more in that context.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby jupiters_release » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 14:00:33

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('max_power29', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', 'H')ow will people handle the future? Declining Energy? Possibly another great war? How about class warfare? How will the media respond to the situation when things are clearly getting out of control? Will the fat people attempt to revolt? Will there be mega riots? Will families come together more or be torn apart more from the stress? Will people tolerate a police state? Will the word on peak oil and other events catch on like wildfire at some point? Will peak oil be a well known problem or will it be kept hush and we will have constant distractions, war? diseases? etc... Will people come together more and help each other out, or will they all screw each other chasing the dream? Who will win? Will there be mass murders at the pump? Will we make friends with the Mexicans? Will we do battle with them? How will Canada react when it gets merged into the NAU?
Study what happened during Hurricaine Katrina. Its very fascinating and just a tiny microcosm of what will happen everywhere.
That's true, it really does answer a good amount of these questions. I should re-examine it more from that context.

I have family that have lived there their whole lives, so during the government sponsored breech of the levies and the subsequent flooding, I read, watched, and interpreted every possible media/spin report. I consider myself very well versed on what happened and it was nothing short of a full-on POLICE STATE with everything you can imagine: forced detention of approximately 50,000 of the poorest citizens at the Convention Center/Superdome for six days in 100 degree weather with no food, water, electricity or santitation(most eerily never one media picture or video of the 500/600 or so buses required to evacuate them one week later as was reported, I think I saw four buses at the most there once though). CIA snipers on rooftops so the media could claim the city was overtaken by ganglords and therefore too dangerous to rescue anyone anywhere in the city(that was a good one, almost topped the one about babies getting raped by looters). "Local police" shooting at citizens on bridges for trying to evacuate the city. Refusal of any national or international aid and relief efforts from entering the city. Bush playing the guitar at some fundraiser day or two into the emergency(perhaps the perennial apologetic incompetency-image PR model). Confiscation of all legally owned firearms.

Yeah, nothing too much to worry about really when TSHTF comes to a city near you.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby NotMyBlood » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 15:19:54

Canada is America's little resource bitch, and that will never change.

lol, too funny. I'm not sure why but canadiens get on my nerves. Maybe just the "frenchies".


I find the questions and answers in this thread interesting. I think about it often too. Predictions are fine, but I've come to the conclusion that it extremely difficult to answer these questions. To predict how the(future) coming energy crisis/overshoot will unfold.

Remember when New York lost power for 20 some odd hours. People were stuck in the street. I dont think a crime was committed in that time(or if there was it was at a min). I think initially after an "event" people will pull together, remain calm, and try to help each other. But if "situations" are persitent and unchanging with no relief, then its every man, woman and child for themselves(like new orleans). I think the transition from oil to ???? will be a major event in history. How bad(if its gets bad) is my question. I think the system has become so complex and people have changed so much that we just arent prepared for any major disruption to food supply, lasting long periods. Especially in the USA. Its going to be interesting to say the least. My gut feeling is, in 15 years life wont change much for the majority. Events like 9/11 will occur. Wars like Iraq will continue, something bad in Africa will be happening, Euorpeans will be pissed at America for something, and I'll be in my cibicle bitching about it all.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby jupiters_release » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 16:12:16

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('NotMyBlood', 'M')y gut feeling is, in 15 years life wont change much for the majority.


Awesome and hilarious.
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Re: How will People React to our Dark Future?

Unread postby WildRose » Mon 02 Jul 2007, 17:06:35

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gideon', ' ')Go down to Brazil and talk to the million or so impoverished people living in the big cities and ask them their opinion of "barely keeping afloat". When they tell you that "barely keeping afloat" means not finding any food in the dumpsters for two days in a row, you'll realize what a ridiculous ass you sound like describing <i><b>any</i></b>Americans as "barely keeping afloat."

Well, I will stand by my earlier statement, Gideon. Lots of families here in North America are having a hard time keeping afloat. Yes, I agree that most of us in NA are millionaires compared to the destitute living in shanty towns in Brazil or drought-stricken villages of Africa. That is not an entirely fair comparison, however.

When you live in the US or Canada, you need a certain amount of money every month to pay for your rent or mortgage, taxes, utilities, food and health care. These are the basics. For many, especially in cities where these costs are high, and even more so in an area with a boom economy, just these basics for a family of four or five could easily cost upwards of $50,000 per year. That is what I am talking about when I say that families are having a hard time keeping afloat.

Not everyone earns a big wage or has the opportunity to get education or training to take them into a higher income bracket. Perhaps you do not know any such people, Gideon, but I do. People who struggle in our northern climate with how they are going to keep the heat on in their homes and still afford groceries for the last week of the month. People who cannot afford school fees for their kids every September or even the basic supplies many of us take for granted. Parents often have to choose between working more hours to pay the bills or having some time to be with their kids. I do not include in this group people who have bitten off more than they can chew (expensive homes, techno toys all around, new vehicles, vacations, all the trimmings). Do you know that an old, barely kept, two-bedroom apartment in some cities can cost $1000 per month - that is just the roof over your head. $1000 a month would go a long way in a shanty town in Brazil - but not in anywhere, North America.

mmasters, to address your original questions, my overall feeling is that how we adapt to all of these pending challenges comes down to two things - cooperation and leadership. We need to get over ourselves in terms of how we view our entitlement; in other words, we need to share. We need to be aware of how we need to adjust our expectations downward in order to spread resources around and then be willing to do it.

Several groups are promoting powerdown plans (Post Carbon Institute and its branches, Richard Heinberg, for example) which are based on reducing use of fossil fuels by 3% per year. We need leadership in government and in the private sector to, first of all, educate all of us about why this direction is desirable. I think most people could adjust their way of thinking if they knew how dire the future will be if we continue on with our over-consumptive ways. I really believe that the alternative to this is fighting - resource wars and fighting amongst ourselves for what is left.
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