Gil223
Regular Member
"Gloom and Doom" scenarios are like sex... it SELLS!
As I look at today's world, I see a very clear possibility that civilzation - such as it is - could collapse in the not-too-distant future. I do not, however, see it as an unavoidable certainty. But, some folks seem to ask themselves "Where is the money to be made? How can I personally benefit from feeding into the fears of others? I know! I'll write a book or produce a CD/DVD, designed to do exactly that. And, as I do that, maybe I'll team up with somebody in the disaster preparedness business, and throw the name of his business in frequently... for a little extra financial consideration." Armageddon scenarios are profitable only because fear sells. It makes no difference if the process is one of assuaging people's fears, or validating their fears - fear is the selling point. Fear of loss (of goods, property, economic loss, freedom, life, etc, ad nauseum) is a significant motivator to buy, sell, build (some of us remember the bomb shelters of the 1950s), barter - to engage in almost any activity the individual sees as designed to defend against that loss.
The Internet is overflowing with vendors of doom and gloom. It is a virtual buffet - a cornucopia - of "End of The World" scenarios. I have visited many of the gloom and doom sites, as well as the sites of 'conspiracy theoryists' and the 'ultras' (liberal and conservative), and have come to a 'personal universal (regarding those sites) truth': The vast majority of them not only appeal to your fears, they attempt to reinforce and strengthen those fears... so they can profit from them. And, if you believe everything you read on every one of these sites... YOU WILL BECOME AS CRAZY AS THE TINFOIL-HATS THAT WRITE MOST OF THEM! Many of them make some excellent points about disaster prep. To be totally unprepared for disasters - natural or man-made - is to be prepared for failure. But, expending all the energy of every waking moment worrying about how to prevent the sky from falling (see "Chicken Little Scenario"), is not a sign of good mental health.
Playing on people's fears is the backbone of "Psy-Ops"... it's how the psychological operatives get other people to do what they want them to do. Should a doom and gloom scenario come about, it is best to be prepared in advance to 'weather the storm'. Do you have to make that preparation your life's work? Absolutely not. Are there potential threats to those things that we hold dearest? Yes, there are - no question about it. "Si vis pacem, parabellum" - if you wish peace, be prepared for war. Who are the best organized (in the sense of abilities and resources) to survive such a thing?
1. Our military forces (of course)
2. Law enforcement organizations (Yes, I do recall New Orleans PD during Katrina - hopefully they were the exception rather than the rule)
3. Street gangs (by sheer numbers, effective leadership, and a natural inclination into lawless behaviors)
4. And, in smaller numbers, perhaps military-oriented organizations, such as the American Legion and VFW posts.
Will there be political disaffection within the ranks of our military forces should an apparent "doomsday" come about? Yes. How encompassing will that disaffection be? Nobody can say. Could the military be used to enforce martial law (read as: contain and control the civilian population)? Although our Constitution precludes such actions, it has been done - on both a restricted and massive* basis simultaneously. General Douglas MacArthur dispatched then Major George S. Patton to lead a cavalry charge against roughly 15,000 ex-military civilians in 1932 (estimates ran from 10,000 to 20,000 - Google: "Bonus Army" or "Bonus Expeditionary Force").
These are just my personal thoughts on what's going on in the world today. While I don't endorse - or even suggest - any reference materials or websites, that doesn't mean I believe they are all useless... even a blind pig finds the occassional acorn. Do some research, remain objective, as best you can filter out the wheat from the chaff, and then follow your own best judgment. The decision that seems 'right' for me, may not be the best one for 90% of the world. Pax...
*Massive because of the numbers of protestors involved, but restricted to a relatively small geographical area of Washington, D.C.
As I look at today's world, I see a very clear possibility that civilzation - such as it is - could collapse in the not-too-distant future. I do not, however, see it as an unavoidable certainty. But, some folks seem to ask themselves "Where is the money to be made? How can I personally benefit from feeding into the fears of others? I know! I'll write a book or produce a CD/DVD, designed to do exactly that. And, as I do that, maybe I'll team up with somebody in the disaster preparedness business, and throw the name of his business in frequently... for a little extra financial consideration." Armageddon scenarios are profitable only because fear sells. It makes no difference if the process is one of assuaging people's fears, or validating their fears - fear is the selling point. Fear of loss (of goods, property, economic loss, freedom, life, etc, ad nauseum) is a significant motivator to buy, sell, build (some of us remember the bomb shelters of the 1950s), barter - to engage in almost any activity the individual sees as designed to defend against that loss.
The Internet is overflowing with vendors of doom and gloom. It is a virtual buffet - a cornucopia - of "End of The World" scenarios. I have visited many of the gloom and doom sites, as well as the sites of 'conspiracy theoryists' and the 'ultras' (liberal and conservative), and have come to a 'personal universal (regarding those sites) truth': The vast majority of them not only appeal to your fears, they attempt to reinforce and strengthen those fears... so they can profit from them. And, if you believe everything you read on every one of these sites... YOU WILL BECOME AS CRAZY AS THE TINFOIL-HATS THAT WRITE MOST OF THEM! Many of them make some excellent points about disaster prep. To be totally unprepared for disasters - natural or man-made - is to be prepared for failure. But, expending all the energy of every waking moment worrying about how to prevent the sky from falling (see "Chicken Little Scenario"), is not a sign of good mental health.
Playing on people's fears is the backbone of "Psy-Ops"... it's how the psychological operatives get other people to do what they want them to do. Should a doom and gloom scenario come about, it is best to be prepared in advance to 'weather the storm'. Do you have to make that preparation your life's work? Absolutely not. Are there potential threats to those things that we hold dearest? Yes, there are - no question about it. "Si vis pacem, parabellum" - if you wish peace, be prepared for war. Who are the best organized (in the sense of abilities and resources) to survive such a thing?
1. Our military forces (of course)
2. Law enforcement organizations (Yes, I do recall New Orleans PD during Katrina - hopefully they were the exception rather than the rule)
3. Street gangs (by sheer numbers, effective leadership, and a natural inclination into lawless behaviors)
4. And, in smaller numbers, perhaps military-oriented organizations, such as the American Legion and VFW posts.
Will there be political disaffection within the ranks of our military forces should an apparent "doomsday" come about? Yes. How encompassing will that disaffection be? Nobody can say. Could the military be used to enforce martial law (read as: contain and control the civilian population)? Although our Constitution precludes such actions, it has been done - on both a restricted and massive* basis simultaneously. General Douglas MacArthur dispatched then Major George S. Patton to lead a cavalry charge against roughly 15,000 ex-military civilians in 1932 (estimates ran from 10,000 to 20,000 - Google: "Bonus Army" or "Bonus Expeditionary Force").
These are just my personal thoughts on what's going on in the world today. While I don't endorse - or even suggest - any reference materials or websites, that doesn't mean I believe they are all useless... even a blind pig finds the occassional acorn. Do some research, remain objective, as best you can filter out the wheat from the chaff, and then follow your own best judgment. The decision that seems 'right' for me, may not be the best one for 90% of the world. Pax...
*Massive because of the numbers of protestors involved, but restricted to a relatively small geographical area of Washington, D.C.
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