Shtf idea

[jerrymrc]

I just saw this and it is past my bedtime.

Tomorrow is a busy day but I will get back to Y'all on this topic. It is important but I am dying here.

[KevDen2005]

You don't have to call my Irving. That's just what my screen name is. Call me Stuart all you want.

STUART

[thecatsfan]

Interesting post.

As well stated already, trust is the big issue in a SHTF scenario. People are already hyper-protective of their property. Add an apocolyptic event and see the reaction when you accuse your neighbor of taking your hammer.

What I find most interesting is the perception of value. Who is a freeloader and who is not? I notice that many "tactical experts" are quick to devalue anyone who does not have military experience and tactical training. Fact is, some extremely intelligent people simply have not had that opportunity.

How many soldiers know how to make your gas generator run off wood chips? And without any plans on how to do it? I know I can and I have done it before. Value is relative.

I guess my point is any SHTF scenario will be a very interesting exercise in sociology. Most people overvalue themselves and their skills and devalue other people. The less you know someone, the less value they have. Strangers hold abolutely no value until they can offer some special reason to have value.

Imagine this. Two complete strangers walk up to your encampment basically empty handed. One says he is a doctor and the other says he is a lawyer. Chances are you will let the doctor in and turn the lawyer away. Why? Perceived value. For all you know the doctor doesn't have a license and just escaped from a minimum-security facility where he was serving time for malpractice, but the word doctor gives him instant value. On the other hand the word lawyer has a strong negative value, even though the lawyer might have grown up on a farm and have extensive practical skills that you need. He might even have military experience or other practical knowledge.

Again my point is value is relative. And true value is rarely what we perceive.

Read "The Unthinkable" by Amanda Ripley. An interesting non-fiction discussion of who actually survives disasters and why. It's rarely the big strong macho guy who claims superiority. It's far more often the quiet school teacher or the garbage truck driver who surprise you.

[KevDen2005]

I think I attempted to point out this leadership issue in a previous post on another thread...wherever that may be now.

I think there are a lot of Type A personalities on here and figuring out how to function, probably very similar to a tribe, which will most likely be less democratic they any of us would like, is the key. Figuring out who will lead is important.

I don't feel that i would scratch out anyone because of a lack of tactical experience. Example: One of my best friends in the entire world for nearly 20 years is extremely intelligent. We went separate directions after high school, me army and him majoring in linguistics in college. He, in my opinion, has the word victim written all over him (You would have to know him). I wouldn't leave him behind just because a lack of tactical experience. It is important to note that the people that band together the more likely of the entire groups survival. Between things that need to be built, maintained, hunted, etc. People will all be given tasks and the people that don't know will be taught by both training and experience. The more everyone knows before hand the better as well.

I don't feel like I got the impression that "free-loader" was used as a person lacking tactical experience, but rather a "free-loader" who will contribute nothing and disown you when you run out. I would almost highly doubt that anyone on here would be one of these "free-loaders" even if they said they would be. That is the funny thing about like minded people, in my opinion.

These again, my thoughts....

[thecatsfan]

And my thoughts are not isolated to the posts on this board. When I mention the term freeloader, I may have seen it in a post here, but I know that also be reacting to opinions I see in other forums as well. I agree that most of the people here are similar minded and I doubt any of them are freeloaders either.

And I don't mean to imply that I truly know how people here feel about these issues. We react to a few words without really knowing each other or our true mindsets. And to be honest, the comments about freeloaders are very valid. If SHTF, I already know that all of my in-laws are going to be on my doorstep begging. And tmost of them bring nothing to the group except another mouth to feed. I am slowly preparing my wife for the fact that even if we have food and nobody esle does, to feed everyone who asks is suicide.

I saw one comment for example, and I am not sure if it was even on this thread. The poster said something like "just tell us where you are going to bug out to so my well trained and prepared little group can come and take all your stuff." This poster may have been joking, or very well may not have been. I don't know.

But I know there are more than a few people out there who actually think this way. And frankly, I think these types of people are in for a very short and rude existence when SHTF. If you go looking for a fight, you will find it. And it won't take long for to find some better who is prepared to stop you. Besides, if you truly are well prepared, you will have a full time job on your hands to protect and defend your own stuff and no time to go out trying to take stuff from others.

Anyway, I just find some of the preceptions I read very interesting. Many of them are probably taken out of true context and not as bad as they sound in a forum.

Personally, I am convincing a few of my hillbilly cousins who moved out here from Kentucky to come join our group. Many of them grew up in the Appalachians and didn't even have electricity or running water until they were adults. They grew up hunting, cooking and eating anything that could breathe. My dad grew up the same way. He learned more in his childhood than the army ever taught him. And most of what I know about camping and surviving I learned from him.

[a98kdoc]

Bring your own stuff kinda like 21'cen fur trader rondevues.

Im a gunsmith so i'm good a truck that runs after an EMP and a colman stove.

(but lets not do a mad max theme thing)
A

[funkfool]

(but lets not do a mad max theme thing)
A

Yeah... 'cause that's what we did at the last TEOTWAWKI.... Boooring.

[BREATHER]

These types of posts are entertaining. That being said with all do repect. All my relatives and my wifes relatives live 1900 miles away so they are on their own. Here it is just me and her and maybe the widder lady behind us iffn such a scenerio develops. And of course our dogs.

It's not that any of us here are wierd, we just got a "we know whats going on around us" way of thinking. There may never be a SHTF stuff. But the natural disaster or weather related misshaps are the reality.

Funny story,,, My wife started thinking about SHTF scenerios and I don't know why. She doesn't read any of these forums that I go to. But she has gotten into a self suffient mind set. She's looking for wilderness properties, solar, geothermal , composting toilets etc. Maybe it was a Vulken mind meld....

[Seamonkey]

Depending on the situation of course...

If you aren't moving around and have some sort of camp/base then people who may not be able to hunt/fish/build a camp fire can provide support in a lot of other aspects. Chopping wood, sewing clothes, preparing food, and stand watch at night for example. In the real world those little ankle bitter dogs aren't much use in a fight yet they can bark to sound the alarm.


Even the elite military units rely on team work. You can be the baddest mofo in the state with super ninja mountain skills but you have to sleep sometime. What if you are the one that slips or falls and breaks an ankle?

As mentioned trust is the biggest issue.

[FireMoth]

Easy: Hide behind JetSiphon

That, and figuring out how to keep otter pops frozen without electricity are my plan, in broad strokes.