What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

The world falls apart (1 Viewer)

TheIronSheik

SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
Whether it’s the coronavirus or zombie apocalypse, let’s say 2/3 of the population dies. I know people “prep” for this but would you really care to live knowing that’s your life from now on? 

Now, I’m sure decisions might change in the moment, but at my age, and if my family wasn’t with me, I can’t imagine wanting to push on. Of course, if my wife and kids survived, I’d push through for them. But alone, I think I’d check out. 

So my question is, what about you guys? Are you the type that’s going to become a survivalist and work to start a new civilization?

 
I've often fantasized about completely unplugging and moving into the sticks, so the thought of becoming a survivalist almost interests me (I'm an avid bowhunter and waterfolwer).  I don't have the skillset to start a new civilization, so I'd sit that part out.

 
I've often fantasized about completely unplugging and moving into the sticks, so the thought of becoming a survivalist almost interests me (I'm an avid bowhunter and waterfolwer).  I don't have the skillset to start a new civilization, so I'd sit that part out.
The problem with this (and I share the same daydream) is every time it would actually be a realistic response, you'd have to have started about a year before to actually make a go of it unless you already have a remote cabin in the woods and it's stocked. That's where my dream ends. I could make it to the mountains fairly easily but got no place to go once there.

 
The problem with this (and I share the same daydream) is every time it would actually be a realistic response, you'd have to have started about a year before to actually make a go of it unless you already have a remote cabin in the woods and it's stocked. That's where my dream ends. I could make it to the mountains fairly easily but got no place to go once there.
:hifive:

Cashing out my 401K now...

 
I grew up in a desolate run down part of Detroit,  so I could handle starting over better than most.  I was used to running the streets with stray dogs and cats and dodging hoodlums'.  My daughters could not survive that life though unless there was a burned out house that had a nail salon in the basement.

 
If it's like Mad Max or The Walking Dead I think I'll pass.

If it's like there's just less people and but for the most part things are just less convenient and I have to figure out how to do my own stuff and become a farmer I'm in.

 
I grew up in a desolate run down part of Detroit,  so I could handle starting over better than most.  I was used to running the streets with stray dogs and cats and dodging hoodlums'.  My daughters could not survive that life though unless there was a burned out house that had a nail salon in the basement.
It was almost 20 years ago but Detroit was the only place other than in movies I have ever seen people standing around a metal barrel with a fire in it warming their hands :lol:

 
The problem with this (and I share the same daydream) is every time it would actually be a realistic response, you'd have to have started about a year before to actually make a go of it unless you already have a remote cabin in the woods and it's stocked. That's where my dream ends. I could make it to the mountains fairly easily but got no place to go once there.
Also, the place you'd want to be is with other good people.  How long could you realistically defend your cabin?

 
Well, I have zero survival skills so I'm dead. But under that scenario, there are still 110 million people left in the US alone. It's really interesting to think about how society would re-organize and re-govern itself after suddenly losing two of every three people. I don't know whether everyone would turn to the government for help and guidance or whether the whole structure would fracture into millions of tiny pieces, each of them governed in a unique manner.

In an apocalyptic world, how soon before the first nascent stirrings of democracy re-emerge?

 
Whether it’s the coronavirus or zombie apocalypse, let’s say 2/3 of the population dies. I know people “prep” for this but would you really care to live knowing that’s your life from now on? 

Now, I’m sure decisions might change in the moment, but at my age, and if my family wasn’t with me, I can’t imagine wanting to push on. Of course, if my wife and kids survived, I’d push through for them. But alone, I think I’d check out. 

So my question is, what about you guys? Are you the type that’s going to become a survivalist and work to start a new civilization?
Give me the Michael Jackson drug, 😉 i'll do the rest,  because if ya can't make meds, my BP blows up and I'm dead anyway. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
i'm old and infirm and alone, so it's suck at the teat of the state or ignominious death for me. i'll choose the most liberating course. each day free is a gift tho, so i won't suffer  loss or deprivation as long as i can make a decent way.

it is my fervent hope that at least some portion of humanity will get and take the chance to do it right after a crash or apocalypse. the choice of this existence is whether a life is something more valuable to have or give and i am disappointed to remark that few choose the latter but from need or fear. the first community which sees the give as the get without God telling them to do so will be the first that a god could be proud of and begin the true Age of Man..

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, I have zero survival skills so I'm dead. But under that scenario, there are still 110 million people left in the US alone. It's really interesting to think about how society would re-organize and re-govern itself after suddenly losing two of every three people. I don't know whether everyone would turn to the government for help and guidance or whether the whole structure would fracture into millions of tiny pieces, each of them governed in a unique manner.

In an apocalyptic world, how soon before the first nascent stirrings of democracy re-emerge?
Stephen King's "The Stand" surmises how this might go. Interesting (and terrifying) to think about.

 
I grew up in a desolate run down part of Detroit,  so I could handle starting over better than most.  I was used to running the streets with stray dogs and cats and dodging hoodlums'.  My daughters could not survive that life though unless there was a burned out house that had a nail salon in the basement.
So you grew up upper crust Detroit society then?

 
If 2/3 of humanity died in a short term pandemic, the resultant health issues from disposing (or not) of 5.2 BILLION corpses would likely reduce the remaining 1/3 to almost zilch.

 
Stephen King's "The Stand" surmises how this might go. Interesting (and terrifying) to think about.
As long as people are around who remember democracy, it will be a concept that will remain important to some. The ability to have a voice in governance is a powerful draw. But yeah, King (and The Postman and The Walking Dead, etc.) are probably also right in that there are also large numbers who will gladly sublimate any political rights for strength and safety. Maybe we turn into a country of warlords like in "Badlands." (I love the redhead, btw)

I think that democracies are better and stronger for a million reasons but not everyone shares those values for sure.

 
Most things I enjoy come from being part of a global society, or at least a local community.  My family is obviously top of the list, but in part of that enjoyment is seeing a bright future for them that I can help them live into and enjoy.  If the world fell apart...it'd be hard to find optimism in ways I have to this point.  I'd have to reframe my purpose in life to be one more focused around survival, and optimize that, rather than focused around enjoyment, and optimizing that.  Would be a tough shift, but I think I'd do it and not bow out.  Obviously for my family, but also for myself.  I think there's untapped satisfaction in focusing on survival, and the little things can often be as enjoyable with that framework as the big things are to me now.

 
interesting question. The will to live is strong, but if my wife and kids don't make it and I am all that is left, I doubt I would stick around too much longer. 

 
I have 0 survival, mechanical, or fixing knowledge or skills.    I would be willing to do my part as far as the repopulating part goes..  

 
Basic services would be restored almost immediately.  There would be disruptions obviously but the scale would be so reduced that the problems would be things like power outages and areas where people just stopped delivering things like groceries or fuel. People in those areas would have to move or deal.  

Looting would be rampant. You'd be able to police it a little, but what are you going to do about it? Call the police?   Shoot someone who's looting the ownerless house down the street?  

The economy would change overnight, obviously.  Property ownership would be tentative at best, at least until government was restored. Financial markets would be devastated.  Currency would be a nightmare of volatility.  Perishable foods would be cheap for a little while until the reserves were burnt through and then it would come down to how well they could be replenished. If we're talking about a post nuclear world or zombie apocalypse as opposed to a thanos snap, 

Fuel would be a big deal. It's easy to get gas for your car if there are trucks refilling your local gas station but if not you could get stranded. And with all the newly empty housing that's closer to major pipelines and refineries, prices would get higher and higher for people further away.  

A lot of people would need to change jobs.  Sanitation would be an urgent need with two dead bodies for every living person.  It would be nice to imagine everyone getting proper burials but that's logistically impossible. 

And of course morale would be horrible. On top of the disruptions to their lives, and everyone mourning the dead, everyone would live in near constant fear of getting robbed, murdered or raped. Police would be at a premium but would be so overstretched that a lot of crimes would simply be impossible to prevent. 

I would guess about a year before things stabilized at all, but early government would be by force, not any sense of justice, as bullies force their way and people decide it's easier to follow.  Democratic elections wouldn't be possible right away and wouldn't be fair when they were enacted but eventually people would settle on a level of government they could handle. 

Education would be badly disrupted.  Public schools might open at the whim of the teachers and parents in the community but how comfortable would you be leaving your kid there?   Colleges and universities would be devastated and a generation would learn from the school of hard knocks instead of at schools, but the internet and libraries would preserve enough of what we know today that it wouldn't be that bad.  

I suspect that it would be difficult, but not the post apocalyptic doomsday stuff you see in The Road/ mad max/  Book of Eli/ snowpiercer/ choose your favorite movie or book in the genre.  

 
Education would be badly disrupted.  Public schools might open at the whim of the teachers and parents in the community but how comfortable would you be leaving your kid there?   Colleges and universities would be devastated and a generation would learn from the school of hard knocks instead of at schools, but the internet and libraries would preserve enough of what we know today that it wouldn't be that bad.  

I suspect that it would be difficult, but not the post apocalyptic doomsday stuff you see in The Road/ mad max/  Book of Eli/ snowpiercer/ choose your favorite movie or book in the genre.  
I am not so sure about the internet availability as depending on what happened to cause this issue there may not be sufficient connectivity to get use from the internet.  Libraries would actually be your best bet. 

 
I'm not a people person but I'd want to survive. I'd need to find a mechanic and learn to maintain cars and boats so I can get myself to a warm island to live on.

 
If it's like Mad Max or The Walking Dead I think I'll pass.

If it's like there's just less people and but for the most part things are just less convenient and I have to figure out how to do my own stuff and become a farmer I'm in.
This would be more like TWD.  Because if 2/3 of the world dies, there aren't enough people to keep the world running the way we want it.  People probably aren't reporting in to their jobs at Target or Amazon if 2/3 of the world drops dead and might rise up and try to kill them.  

 
I've often fantasized about completely unplugging and moving into the sticks, so the thought of becoming a survivalist almost interests me (I'm an avid bowhunter and waterfolwer).  I don't have the skillset to start a new civilization, so I'd sit that part out.
Your equipment don't work no more?  SAD.

 
Basic services would be restored almost immediately.  There would be disruptions obviously but the scale would be so reduced that the problems would be things like power outages and areas where people just stopped delivering things like groceries or fuel. People in those areas would have to move or deal.  

Looting would be rampant. You'd be able to police it a little, but what are you going to do about it? Call the police?   Shoot someone who's looting the ownerless house down the street?  

The economy would change overnight, obviously.  Property ownership would be tentative at best, at least until government was restored. Financial markets would be devastated.  Currency would be a nightmare of volatility.  Perishable foods would be cheap for a little while until the reserves were burnt through and then it would come down to how well they could be replenished. If we're talking about a post nuclear world or zombie apocalypse as opposed to a thanos snap, 

Fuel would be a big deal. It's easy to get gas for your car if there are trucks refilling your local gas station but if not you could get stranded. And with all the newly empty housing that's closer to major pipelines and refineries, prices would get higher and higher for people further away.  

A lot of people would need to change jobs.  Sanitation would be an urgent need with two dead bodies for every living person.  It would be nice to imagine everyone getting proper burials but that's logistically impossible. 

And of course morale would be horrible. On top of the disruptions to their lives, and everyone mourning the dead, everyone would live in near constant fear of getting robbed, murdered or raped. Police would be at a premium but would be so overstretched that a lot of crimes would simply be impossible to prevent. 

I would guess about a year before things stabilized at all, but early government would be by force, not any sense of justice, as bullies force their way and people decide it's easier to follow.  Democratic elections wouldn't be possible right away and wouldn't be fair when they were enacted but eventually people would settle on a level of government they could handle. 

Education would be badly disrupted.  Public schools might open at the whim of the teachers and parents in the community but how comfortable would you be leaving your kid there?   Colleges and universities would be devastated and a generation would learn from the school of hard knocks instead of at schools, but the internet and libraries would preserve enough of what we know today that it wouldn't be that bad.  

I suspect that it would be difficult, but not the post apocalyptic doomsday stuff you see in The Road/ mad max/  Book of Eli/ snowpiercer/ choose your favorite movie or book in the genre.  
I don't know about that.  A hurricane hits the coast, power goes out, and immediately it becomes like Mad Max.  Looting, rioting, crime spikes.  I think chaos occurs much quicker than people expect.

I remember watching the movie Trigger Effect where they lose power and no one knows why.  And within 12 hours, the world turns to utter chaos.  When it was over, I thought, "What a joke.  I'm supposed to believe humanity crumbles after 12 hours of no power?"  Then Hurricane Ike hit and I saw just how real that crap was.  

But, even with that said, I guess instead of saying 2/3 of the people, I was thinking more like the Mad Max style apocalypse.  Or like TWD.  Society might be restored back to the way it is now, but that will probably take 30 to 40 years.  So the rest of your life would be living in the aftermath.  

 
I don't know about that.  A hurricane hits the coast, power goes out, and immediately it becomes like Mad Max.  Looting, rioting, crime spikes.  I think chaos occurs much quicker than people expect.

I remember watching the movie Trigger Effect where they lose power and no one knows why.  And within 12 hours, the world turns to utter chaos.  When it was over, I thought, "What a joke.  I'm supposed to believe humanity crumbles after 12 hours of no power?"  Then Hurricane Ike hit and I saw just how real that crap was.  

But, even with that said, I guess instead of saying 2/3 of the people, I was thinking more like the Mad Max style apocalypse.  Or like TWD.  Society might be restored back to the way it is now, but that will probably take 30 to 40 years.  So the rest of your life would be living in the aftermath.  
This lines up with what Thomas Hobbes said many years ago, life for man in a state of nature would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."

 
It was almost 20 years ago but Detroit was the only place other than in movies I have ever seen people standing around a metal barrel with a fire in it warming their hands :lol:
Downtown, Mid-Town, Stadium District and Cork Town are all upscale now filled with the pretty people and hipsters.   It is high rent district now since Gilbert and the Illich's took over.

Get about 5 miles outside that area in any direction and there still will be plenty of metal barrels.

 
This would be more like TWD.  Because if 2/3 of the world dies, there aren't enough people to keep the world running the way we want it.  People probably aren't reporting in to their jobs at Target or Amazon if 2/3 of the world drops dead and might rise up and try to kill them.  
I have faith in my fellow man that society, while not the same, wouldn't devolve into Mad Max...just not if there are brain eating zombies around. Would be more like living in the 1800's for awhile.

 
Downtown, Mid-Town, Stadium District and Cork Town are all upscale now filled with the pretty people and hipsters.   It is high rent district now since Gilbert and the Illich's took over.

Get about 5 miles outside that area in any direction and there still will be plenty of metal barrels.
I was there for the Seahawks Superbowl ref debacle game.

Had to drop something at a Kinko's for shipping, plugged it into the rental car GPS thing (pre-phone days). It was just 10 minutes from downtown in a nice area and it turned into a warzone looking area. Burned out buildings and the barrel people.

I didn't ship that package.

Have been back to Detroit a couple times since and enjoyed it and have been reading more and more about it's revival. 

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top