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I grew up in a 3rd world small farm, raising pigs, chicken, setting traps and planting a bunch of stuff, not to mention a light version of WROL (without rule of

I grew up in a 3rd world small farm, raising pigs, chicken, setting traps and planting a bunch of stuff, not to mention a light version of WROL (without rule of law). Reading this article I feel that I'm more prepared for the apocalypse than all the "super-rich"...

nickpsecurity 10y ago
You and all of us that lived in rural areas learning to survive on the land, cooperate with neighbors, and fight off trouble-makers. Such people will probably do better than most.
mywittyname 10y ago
Because you absolutely are. I've always thought that anybody who seriously thinks society is going to collapse should just move to a developing country, buy a farm, and get-on getting-on. Because there's really no way to prepare other than to get started on your post-collapse life. I grew up on a farm in very rural USA and we often face mini-"disasters". The roads would be impassable due to snow, power would go out for weeks sometimes. My life has shown me that you don't prepare for disasters, you just do without. You're cold, hungry, and miserable. Guns and ammo doesn't help because there's nothing really to hunt, same goes for fishing (most people don't live within walking distance of a non-polluted waterway). Better not get too attached to electricity or driving because it's going to be impossible to store any significant amount of fuel. A collapsed society resembles rural Afghanistan or India more than it does whatever wild west these people are imagining.
- ucaetano 10y ago
  > we often face mini-"disasters" True! I remember one time when our transformer blew up, and we lived for several weeks without electricity until we got a replacement. Nothing like listening to the world cup on a battery-powered radio. Fun times!
jly 10y ago
I agree with this, too. Most of the super rich have wealth and resources that matter in a stable global capitalistic economy/society, but these will have no value with the breakdown of that system. The truly important skills, post-disaster, will be those needed to survive without civilization. The ones that survive will be those that already have those skills or are quick to adapt, AND are physically located in areas with enough resources to survive.
- bootload 10y ago
  "I agree with this, too. Most of the super rich have wealth and resources that matter in a stable global capitalistic economy/society, but these will have no value with the breakdown of that system." Thinking about this doing some PT this morning. Super optimised for our technological civilisation but not not much else. The important skills in my view is working out how tribes work and be part of one. If your competitive advantage is money, how do you operate when money has no value or the biggest group in the block comes along and takes it?
disordinary 10y ago
The thing about NZ is that in a post apocalyptic world people will just get on with things, society won't break down to any great extent. You won't need to be able to set traps or do the economy will collapse but New Zealand is pretty self sufficient when it comes to food and energy. Domesticly sourced oil will be very expensive and obviously high end technology relies on supply chains from China so if the world turns as crap as that then it's the end of iPhones, etc. But life will go on.
- ucaetano 10y ago
  Not exactly, almost everything you rely upon has a global supply chain. The tractors used for agriculture are probably not made in NZ, as their components, transformers, electrical materials, basic chemical supplies, etc. Look around you and think where all the aluminium, iron, potash, copper, rubber, basic oils, etc. comes from. All those supply chains will be disrupted, if not eliminated completely. There is barely any self-sufficiency left in the world.
  - disordinary 10y ago
    There's the capacity to make whatever mechanical equipment is required domestically as well as more aluminium than the country would require, I think most if not all of the above will be able to be manufactured. The comment wasn't about being self sufficient and maintaining our current lifestyle, it was about being a piece of civilisation that survived an all out world war.

nickpsecurity 10y ago

You and all of us that lived in rural areas learning to survive on the land, cooperate with neighbors, and fight off trouble-makers. Such people will probably do better than most.

mywittyname 10y ago

Because you absolutely are. I've always thought that anybody who seriously thinks society is going to collapse should just move to a developing country, buy a farm, and get-on getting-on. Because there's really no way to prepare other than to get started on your post-collapse life. I grew up on a farm in very rural USA and we often face mini-"disasters". The roads would be impassable due to snow, power would go out for weeks sometimes. My life has shown me that you don't prepare for disasters, you just do without. You're cold, hungry, and miserable. Guns and ammo doesn't help because there's nothing really to hunt, same goes for fishing (most people don't live within walking distance of a non-polluted waterway). Better not get too attached to electricity or driving because it's going to be impossible to store any significant amount of fuel. A collapsed society resembles rural Afghanistan or India more than it does whatever wild west these people are imagining.

ucaetano 10y ago
> we often face mini-"disasters" True! I remember one time when our transformer blew up, and we lived for several weeks without electricity until we got a replacement. Nothing like listening to the world cup on a battery-powered radio. Fun times!

jly 10y ago

I agree with this, too. Most of the super rich have wealth and resources that matter in a stable global capitalistic economy/society, but these will have no value with the breakdown of that system. The truly important skills, post-disaster, will be those needed to survive without civilization. The ones that survive will be those that already have those skills or are quick to adapt, AND are physically located in areas with enough resources to survive.

bootload 10y ago
"I agree with this, too. Most of the super rich have wealth and resources that matter in a stable global capitalistic economy/society, but these will have no value with the breakdown of that system." Thinking about this doing some PT this morning. Super optimised for our technological civilisation but not not much else. The important skills in my view is working out how tribes work and be part of one. If your competitive advantage is money, how do you operate when money has no value or the biggest group in the block comes along and takes it?

disordinary 10y ago

The thing about NZ is that in a post apocalyptic world people will just get on with things, society won't break down to any great extent. You won't need to be able to set traps or do the economy will collapse but New Zealand is pretty self sufficient when it comes to food and energy. Domesticly sourced oil will be very expensive and obviously high end technology relies on supply chains from China so if the world turns as crap as that then it's the end of iPhones, etc. But life will go on.

ucaetano 10y ago
Not exactly, almost everything you rely upon has a global supply chain. The tractors used for agriculture are probably not made in NZ, as their components, transformers, electrical materials, basic chemical supplies, etc. Look around you and think where all the aluminium, iron, potash, copper, rubber, basic oils, etc. comes from. All those supply chains will be disrupted, if not eliminated completely. There is barely any self-sufficiency left in the world.
- disordinary 10y ago
  There's the capacity to make whatever mechanical equipment is required domestically as well as more aluminium than the country would require, I think most if not all of the above will be able to be manufactured. The comment wasn't about being self sufficient and maintaining our current lifestyle, it was about being a piece of civilisation that survived an all out world war.