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How about spending your energy working on fixing these issues instead of focusing on prepper stuff?

ajmurmann 9y ago
Because it's incredibly much easier to prepare myself and my family than leading a global effort to success. Especially given that a large part of the population in the US has turned it into parts of their identity politics to deny climate change is happening and humans are the cause of it.
- aaronbrethorst 9y ago
  Not much of a life you’re leaving your kids.
  - davidw 9y ago
    Something along these lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4KTebUT6Mw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4KTebUT6Mw
  - justherefortart 9y ago
    Easy solution, don't have kids.
mathgladiator 9y ago
Or, focus on your immediate community to survive an issue. This is something that I think about when I watch something prepper related on YouTube. People are stockpiling and building bunkers rather than building relationships with neighbors.
hoodoof 9y ago
There are many unselfish individuals in this world who work to fix things, but as a group, and a group of countries, we are so selfish that the problem of global warming will never be stopped. Nor the many other gigantic crises that face the earth such as plastic pollution. As there is no way the people of earth will unify to fix this, better start getting ready sometime in the next 20 years for a gigantic shift in where people see civilization is headed.
- aaronbrethorst 9y ago
  Not with that attitude, we won’t. The ozone layer disaster never materialized because we fixed it. Giving in to fatalism on this is deeply disappointing.
  - hshehehjdjdjd 9y ago
    It’s also worth noting that a lot of indicators are moving in the right direction for stopping global warming. It won’t stop before it’s become a significant problem. But we should be able to stop it before it becomes apocalyptic.
    - wiz21c 9y ago
      could you give some of those indicators, because I fail to find them (number of cars increases, energy consumption increases, CO2 in atmosphere increases, ocean "acidification" increases,...). I'd be so happy to have some good news !
      - hshehehjdjdjd 9y ago
        Things I’m looking at are cars per capita, energy per capita, CO2 per capita, and the second derivative of population.
- dbasedweeb 9y ago
  There’s also no way that any amount of your preparations will materially improve your chances. If you stockpile, and civilization collapses, you will be raided for your stockpiles by stronger, better armed people. There will always be stronger, better armed people. If you prepare to live off land, how is that going to work when the land is dead? There’s no escape for you or your family, except averting disaster in the first place, or death. Unless your prepping amounts to a suicide pact, then it’s just a fantasy to keep you from being too afraid. As comforting fantasies go, prepping seems like a particularly expensive and time-consuming one. Unless you’re desperate for the illusion of control, your time and money is better spent elsewhere.
czechdeveloper 9y ago
One takes full life dedication with expected zero result, other can be fun for weekends.
- aaronbrethorst 9y ago
  You're absolutely right. And we need more people who are interesting in fixing problems, and fewer interested in LARPing Fallout.
chillacy 9y ago
My personal theory goes like this: 1. Status is relative, making $70k in rural Idaho enables a happier life than making $90k in San Jose. 2. In the post-apocalyptic world, many preppers will be relatively better off, having lots of practical skills like farming, mechanical know-how, survival skills, etc, vs professionals who thrive in a stable city but wouldn't last a month in the wilderness, can't hunt for food, start a fire, etc. Therefore, the post-apocalyptic world becomes some sort of fantasy, where finally your skills are valued, and Joseph the lawyer will be begging you for help.
LaGrange 9y ago
Well, if you'd approach the issue _sensibly_, then the answer could be "why not both?" Disaster preparation is very much about community. A mistake or lack of luck can easily wipe out your "preparation." A disjointed community can eradicate it (and yeah, they'll spot your creepy 'grey man' shtick eventually). But a community could, and arguably should, prepare itself for possible disasters. But what do I know, I just live in a place where if a levee breaks somewhere half the country will be taking boats to work.

Because it's incredibly much easier to prepare myself and my family than leading a global effort to success. Especially given that a large part of the population in the US has turned it into parts of their identity politics to deny climate change is happening and humans are the cause of it.

aaronbrethorst 9y ago
Not much of a life you’re leaving your kids.
- davidw 9y ago
  Something along these lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4KTebUT6Mw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4KTebUT6Mw
- justherefortart 9y ago
  Easy solution, don't have kids.

mathgladiator 9y ago

Or, focus on your immediate community to survive an issue. This is something that I think about when I watch something prepper related on YouTube. People are stockpiling and building bunkers rather than building relationships with neighbors.

hoodoof 9y ago

There are many unselfish individuals in this world who work to fix things, but as a group, and a group of countries, we are so selfish that the problem of global warming will never be stopped. Nor the many other gigantic crises that face the earth such as plastic pollution. As there is no way the people of earth will unify to fix this, better start getting ready sometime in the next 20 years for a gigantic shift in where people see civilization is headed.

aaronbrethorst 9y ago
Not with that attitude, we won’t. The ozone layer disaster never materialized because we fixed it. Giving in to fatalism on this is deeply disappointing.
- hshehehjdjdjd 9y ago
  It’s also worth noting that a lot of indicators are moving in the right direction for stopping global warming. It won’t stop before it’s become a significant problem. But we should be able to stop it before it becomes apocalyptic.
  - wiz21c 9y ago
    could you give some of those indicators, because I fail to find them (number of cars increases, energy consumption increases, CO2 in atmosphere increases, ocean "acidification" increases,...). I'd be so happy to have some good news !
    - hshehehjdjdjd 9y ago
      Things I’m looking at are cars per capita, energy per capita, CO2 per capita, and the second derivative of population.
dbasedweeb 9y ago
There’s also no way that any amount of your preparations will materially improve your chances. If you stockpile, and civilization collapses, you will be raided for your stockpiles by stronger, better armed people. There will always be stronger, better armed people. If you prepare to live off land, how is that going to work when the land is dead? There’s no escape for you or your family, except averting disaster in the first place, or death. Unless your prepping amounts to a suicide pact, then it’s just a fantasy to keep you from being too afraid. As comforting fantasies go, prepping seems like a particularly expensive and time-consuming one. Unless you’re desperate for the illusion of control, your time and money is better spent elsewhere.

czechdeveloper 9y ago

One takes full life dedication with expected zero result, other can be fun for weekends.

aaronbrethorst 9y ago
You're absolutely right. And we need more people who are interesting in fixing problems, and fewer interested in LARPing Fallout.

chillacy 9y ago

My personal theory goes like this: 1. Status is relative, making $70k in rural Idaho enables a happier life than making $90k in San Jose. 2. In the post-apocalyptic world, many preppers will be relatively better off, having lots of practical skills like farming, mechanical know-how, survival skills, etc, vs professionals who thrive in a stable city but wouldn't last a month in the wilderness, can't hunt for food, start a fire, etc. Therefore, the post-apocalyptic world becomes some sort of fantasy, where finally your skills are valued, and Joseph the lawyer will be begging you for help.

LaGrange 9y ago

Well, if you'd approach the issue _sensibly_, then the answer could be "why not both?" Disaster preparation is very much about community. A mistake or lack of luck can easily wipe out your "preparation." A disjointed community can eradicate it (and yeah, they'll spot your creepy 'grey man' shtick eventually). But a community could, and arguably should, prepare itself for possible disasters. But what do I know, I just live in a place where if a levee breaks somewhere half the country will be taking boats to work.