If some catastrophic event occurred could you survive on your own?

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Do you have skills you can barter with? Do you have the wherewithal to take control of your life without your employer or government holding your hand?

 

[Toro]

You mean if the Internet went down for a long time?

I doubt it tbh.

 

[depotoo]

You mean if the Internet went down for a long time?

I doubt it tbh.

There was a time the internet didn’t exist. No, really.

 

[boedicca]

I saw "The Road". I'd rather kill myself than spend a few miserable days or years hiding from gangs of cannibals.

Just sayin'.

 

[Auld Phart]

no

my health would prevent it

 

[Confounding]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

 

[Vastator]

Do you have skills you can barter with? Do you have the wherewithal to take control of your life without your employer or government holding your hand?

Depending on the cause of your “scenario”... most likely “yes”. But much like current day to day; shit happens.

 

[Vastator]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

And 5 minutes later, the rest of society would be left to figure out how everything plays out...

 

[Toro]

There was a time the internet didn’t exist. No, really.

I think you're lying.

 

[OldLady]

Do you have skills you can barter with? Do you have the wherewithal to take control of your life without your employer or government holding your hand?

No.

 

[eagle1462010]

Construction worker................yep...........we can rebuild...........

Even being an old fart.........lol

Pardon me while I fish.

 

[night_son]

Do you have skills you can barter with? Do you have the wherewithal to take control of your life without your employer or government holding your hand?

Yes.

My backyard borders a fifty plus acre stand of woods that in turn runs to the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay. The woods are populated by squirrels I feed peanuts to keep off my mulberry trees and out of my small garden. Also present back there are rabbits, possums, whitetail deer and the occasional coyote. In the two plus years I've been living here I've discovered a deep channel that bends in to about twenty yards off the shore at the eastern edge of the woods.

Through it run schools of Shad, Rockfish and large silver Shiner fish. The channel also holds catfish, carp yellow and white perch, sunfish and the odd Pickerel--plenty of species in sufficient numbers to feed us, in combination with a deer, small game, our homegrown vegetables and berries. I am a master of making large quantities of hearty soups that feed many. Additionally, from my great grandfather's recipe I learned how to smoke and cure hams; we keep several on hand. Lastly, there are easily caught blue crabs and fresh/brackish water mussels to supplement our diets.

Water sources include two streams with sections of rapids and boiled bay water if necessary.

Our home is small but durable and located in a large, anonymous neighborhood which reduces chances we'd be targeted specifically as opposed to any other neighbor, randomly. We have three floors, each one defensible and plenty of high ground--including a roof suited for fairly covert observation. As a last resort I've well thought out a doctrine of dividing supplies between the woods and our home--in the event of an actual SHTF scenario--so as to allow us to abandon our property to occupation and then return when again vacated by whatever invaders--a flexibility similar to an analogue or hardwired back-up survival system. Additionally our home could be "prepared" for a group of invaders too large for us to repel with surprises in many forms which would leave it undamaged and able to be occupied after sprung.

How long could we hold out barring nuclear, chemical or biological instant death? Years.

 

[JLW]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

Thank you for your opinion, Donald Trump.

That was brutally honest. You have to respect that.

 

[Confounding]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

Thank you for your opinion, Donald Trump.

That was brutally honest. You have to respect that.

Survival of the fittest dude. Without the law there would be victims and those that create victims. I'll be damned if I'm the former.

 

[night_son]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

This speaks to an interesting and much broader ethical and philosophical conversation and decision one would have to have with oneself and make in the event of such a breakdown of society. While agree that one would need to do whatever it took to defend and provide for self and family, I'll tell you why I like your idea so much. Such a leader of "dumb thugs"--a gatherer of them--would work quite well to the advantage of someone with a plan similar to my own. The more violent followers you could assemble in one place, the easier to "take care" of them all at one time. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

 

[Confounding]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

This speaks to an interesting and much broader ethical and philosophical conversation and decision one would have to have with oneself and make in the event of such a breakdown of society. While agree that one would need to do whatever it took to defend and provide for self and family, I'll tell you why I like your idea so much. Such a leader of "dumb thugs"--a gatherer of them--would work quite well to the advantage of someone with a plan similar to my own. The more violent followers you could assemble in one place, the easier to "take care" of them all at one time. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

If you have enough power to go to war with other power it's probably in your best interests not to. I'd be a practical and pragmatic post-apocalyptic warlord. I'd only take from those that had no means of stopping me from doing so, or in other words, I would never take unnecessary risks. If I met with you and your band and felt you were a threat I'd attempt diplomacy. If I felt that was impossible for whatever reason I'd try to trick you into a situation I have the advantage in so I could kill you and everybody that follows you.

Hypothetically speaking, of course...

 

[miketx]

We'd all make it, easy.

 

[night_son]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

This speaks to an interesting and much broader ethical and philosophical conversation and decision one would have to have with oneself and make in the event of such a breakdown of society. While agree that one would need to do whatever it took to defend and provide for self and family, I'll tell you why I like your idea so much. Such a leader of "dumb thugs"--a gatherer of them--would work quite well to the advantage of someone with a plan similar to my own. The more violent followers you could assemble in one place, the easier to "take care" of them all at one time. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

If you have enough power to go to war with other power it's probably in your best interests not to. I'd be a practical and pragmatic post-apocalyptic warlord. I'd only take from those that had no means of stopping me from doing so, or in other words, I would never take unnecessary risks. If I met with you and your band and felt you were a threat I'd attempt diplomacy. If I felt that was impossible for whatever reason I'd try to trick you into a situation I have the advantage in so I could kill you and everybody that follows you.

Hypothetically speaking, of course...

I like the way you think. We'll catch up later--in the implausible future, Negan. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

 

[Confounding]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

This speaks to an interesting and much broader ethical and philosophical conversation and decision one would have to have with oneself and make in the event of such a breakdown of society. While agree that one would need to do whatever it took to defend and provide for self and family, I'll tell you why I like your idea so much. Such a leader of "dumb thugs"--a gatherer of them--would work quite well to the advantage of someone with a plan similar to my own. The more violent followers you could assemble in one place, the easier to "take care" of them all at one time. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

If you have enough power to go to war with other power it's probably in your best interests not to. I'd be a practical and pragmatic post-apocalyptic warlord. I'd only take from those that had no means of stopping me from doing so, or in other words, I would never take unnecessary risks. If I met with you and your band and felt you were a threat I'd attempt diplomacy. If I felt that was impossible for whatever reason I'd try to trick you into a situation I have the advantage in so I could kill you and everybody that follows you.

Hypothetically speaking, of course...

I like the way you think. We'll catch up later--in the implausible future, Negan. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

We'd be stronger if you joined me.

 

[night_son]

If the government was gone I'd pillage and murder to see my family fed and protected. I'd probably try to manipulate my way into controlling a bunch of dumb thugs that could do most of the dirty work for me. I would be absolutely ruthless and would use fear to get what I need/want.

This speaks to an interesting and much broader ethical and philosophical conversation and decision one would have to have with oneself and make in the event of such a breakdown of society. While agree that one would need to do whatever it took to defend and provide for self and family, I'll tell you why I like your idea so much. Such a leader of "dumb thugs"--a gatherer of them--would work quite well to the advantage of someone with a plan similar to my own. The more violent followers you could assemble in one place, the easier to "take care" of them all at one time. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

If you have enough power to go to war with other power it's probably in your best interests not to. I'd be a practical and pragmatic post-apocalyptic warlord. I'd only take from those that had no means of stopping me from doing so, or in other words, I would never take unnecessary risks. If I met with you and your band and felt you were a threat I'd attempt diplomacy. If I felt that was impossible for whatever reason I'd try to trick you into a situation I have the advantage in so I could kill you and everybody that follows you.

Hypothetically speaking, of course...

I like the way you think. We'll catch up later--in the implausible future, Negan. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

We'd be stronger if you joined me.

Never!

Okay,

Maybe next season, okay?