In what I am calling the "Male Paramilitary Delusion" Big Tex observed a while ago in a post I thought insightful,
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BigTex', 'T')he drift of this discussion is toward one that I have had countless times and it is basically the "Male Paramilitary Fantasy" (MPF).
Under the MPF, typically there is a heroic but misunderstood male who was smart enough to purchase a semi-automatic assault rifle and one to two thousand rounds of ammunition before society fell apart. Once society falls apart, the hero of the MPF steps forward and through his superior marksmanship and survival skills is able to kill an astonishing number of would-be thieves, vandals, looters and zombies.
I love the MPF. I used to daydream about it all the time. But then I started thinking about the whole matter in a more critical way, and my understanding became more subtle and I realized that in every SHTF scenario through history the survivors were typically not the heroes of the MPF, but the people who had a wide and deep network of connections, wealth spread across many asset categories, a range of useful knowledge and skills (including leadership) and a very high degree of emotional and psychological flexibility.
Do all of those things guarantee survival? Of course not.
Would I rather have all of those things than an assault rifle and a can of ammo? Absolutely.
But bear in mind that these are just my opinions. I'm not trying to sell anyone else on them. I'm just sharing them.
I do think, however, that it is more useful to talk about the skills that may actually be useful in the future than getting carried away by the MPF and visions of the armchair sniper in some kind of zombie shooting gallery.
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(solo) Male Paramilitary Delusions
(solo) Male Paramilitary Delusions
by wisconsin_cur » Thu 19 Jun 2008, 09:06:27
I would just add that the delusion depends upon the assaulting hoards being of sub-human intellegence. We assume that they will assault a fixed position just as we have planned, we assume they will do stupid things that we would never do. This is not new, of course, it is how we have convinced young men to go to war for centuries.
This is my favorite example,
Of course the refugee is not a zombie or an ape or a sheeple. they are a homo sapien. They also have guns, high powered rifles, night vision equipment. They have also read the art of war and are as capable of diversion and betrayal as any other homo sapien. They are also capable of sitting back and taking their time, eliminating your defenses one at a time. they are also capable of spite, burning your crops just so that you cannot have them either.
Taking collapse seriously requires taking people seriously. It does someone little good to take the geology of oil extraction seriously if one does not take people seriously.
Last edited by wisconsin_cur on Thu 19 Jun 2008, 12:32:24, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Male Paramilitary Delusions
by Waterthrush » Thu 19 Jun 2008, 09:27:18
I wonder if the mpd might involve the psychological defense of reversal. I was doing a quick cast-back through history (that which I know, at least), and the mpd actually seems to realize itself far more often in aggression rather than defense.
Vikings - had swift transportation and a pretty clear aim of pillaging and looting. There must have been some towns and individuals that were attacked and withstood them, but I can't think of many. It took a larger societal effort (plus, the Vikings won, in many places, and took on the much more comfortable life of settlement).
Spanish invaders - I keep thinking about Pizarro, his 14 (?) guys with guns, and Peru. That was definitely not a defensive action! Still, wasn't Magellan killed by natives? But, that wasn't a lone native protecting his village. It was a quick group assault.
Let's see, let's see. Horatius at the bridge would count. But Washington at Trenton would not. That was a regular, albeit unlikely, military victory. I don't think Leonidas and his 300 Spartans would count (Stranger, go tell Sparta we die at her command.)
Still, the mpd must play SOME important psychological role. It just crops up too often in literature and film. And there is a comforting aspect to it - that, when the village is most endangered, some man will step forward (with high powered rifle, magic sword, magic wand, or SOMETHING), and save it. That, after all, is Britain's major mythology, the Arthurian legend. When Britain is most threatened ...
Edited, to add some poetry (MacCaulay):
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
‘To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods,
Vikings - had swift transportation and a pretty clear aim of pillaging and looting. There must have been some towns and individuals that were attacked and withstood them, but I can't think of many. It took a larger societal effort (plus, the Vikings won, in many places, and took on the much more comfortable life of settlement).
Spanish invaders - I keep thinking about Pizarro, his 14 (?) guys with guns, and Peru. That was definitely not a defensive action! Still, wasn't Magellan killed by natives? But, that wasn't a lone native protecting his village. It was a quick group assault.
Let's see, let's see. Horatius at the bridge would count. But Washington at Trenton would not. That was a regular, albeit unlikely, military victory. I don't think Leonidas and his 300 Spartans would count (Stranger, go tell Sparta we die at her command.)
Still, the mpd must play SOME important psychological role. It just crops up too often in literature and film. And there is a comforting aspect to it - that, when the village is most endangered, some man will step forward (with high powered rifle, magic sword, magic wand, or SOMETHING), and save it. That, after all, is Britain's major mythology, the Arthurian legend. When Britain is most threatened ...
Edited, to add some poetry (MacCaulay):
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
‘To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods,
Last edited by Waterthrush on Thu 19 Jun 2008, 09:59:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Male Paramilitary Delusions
by wisconsin_cur » Thu 19 Jun 2008, 09:39:56
When it operates under the management of a strategic mind that takes a realistic accounting of its opponents, than yes it is helpful, especially when one is a general and is trying to recruit people to undertake actions like pickett's charge
One can also come out ok if one is just lucky.
Lets look at America's special forces. They can do really amazing things and kill a lot of "zombies" but they do it through a lot of training and by treating their enemies as if they are capable. I have never met anyone who
A) actually was in combat
and
B) who had some time afterwards to put the experience in perspective
who could be as dismissive of a military enemy as some of the examples of MPD we see here. I would contend that this is a result of thinking a little too much of one's self and a little too little of the "sheeple."
One can also come out ok if one is just lucky.
Lets look at America's special forces. They can do really amazing things and kill a lot of "zombies" but they do it through a lot of training and by treating their enemies as if they are capable. I have never met anyone who
A) actually was in combat
and
B) who had some time afterwards to put the experience in perspective
who could be as dismissive of a military enemy as some of the examples of MPD we see here. I would contend that this is a result of thinking a little too much of one's self and a little too little of the "sheeple."
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Re: Male Paramilitary Delusions
by roccman » Thu 19 Jun 2008, 09:49:36
Pound your picket pin in the ground in a geographically isolated area.
Then you will not need the AR-15.
Then you will not need the AR-15.
"There must be a bogeyman; there always is, and it cannot be something as esoteric as "resource depletion." You can't go to war with that." Emersonbiggins
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Re: Male Paramilitary Delusions
by wisconsin_cur » Thu 19 Jun 2008, 09:56:33
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('roccman', 'P')ound your picket pin in the ground in a geographically isolated area.
Then you will not need the AR-15.
Then you will not need the AR-15.
Very true. That I would call hard headed evaluation of the problem rather than "we'll just mow them all down and make fertilizer" talk.
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Re: Male Paramilitary Delusions
by roccman » Thu 19 Jun 2008, 10:00:33
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wisconsin_cur', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('roccman', 'P')ound your picket pin in the ground in a geographically isolated area.
Then you will not need the AR-15.
Then you will not need the AR-15.
Very true. That I would call hard headed evaluation of the problem rather than "we'll just mow them all down and make fertilizer" talk.
During my time in the marines the mentality you speak of was religion for the unit.
However - in my 42 years - I have learned that you only need to be slightly smarter for the briefest moment in time to have the advantage over an opponent.
This is why drugs, alcohol, and meds are not a part of my life.
To maintain intellectual clarity at most times is key.
And when I am asleep...my dogs will awake me.
"There must be a bogeyman; there always is, and it cannot be something as esoteric as "resource depletion." You can't go to war with that." Emersonbiggins
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