Message:
Selco,
I wonder how bad people are usually in control and if its possible to change that. Criminal types are ruthless and tend to be
charismatic. I think of them as sales people.

Any insight into politics or human nature which allow this is greatly appreciated. Also you mentioned your neighbors got along just enough but there was little trust or cooperation. Any way to change this?

Currently many in the USA are catty, petty and this is rampant in
families. We don’t get along. Someone is always trying to get a deal
or a family member is using others. My own family doesn’t get along
although in a SHTF they might come together but who’s the boss? And
what to do with the lazy, unskilled members? ATM, there is no
cooperation.

I’m in the USA and there is much pent up anger here. In shtf, I think
this anger will add much violence to an already awful situation.

Thanks for all your posts, this info is timely and very rare.

Hello and welcome

First i do not think some things can be changed, yes in every specific situation, collapse, SHTF event i believe worst kind of people will be in charge, or try very hard to be in charge.

Yes, i think our society and way of living make us weak,most of us. When SHTF weak people vanish or connect to group with strong leader, to survive alone bad or good it is way to hard, problem is in fact that in desperate situations great number of people turns from good to bad.

You see in desperate situation man have tendency to gradually loose his morale, most of the people. It is easy to discuss this things in normal times and say “i ll stick to my decisions” but when is come to your life or life of your family member good man probably will do some bad things.
When you describing situation in your country it is like you are describing situation in my country, here is also everything going down, family values, respect, political situation crime and you can also feel anger here, like everything going to blow That is another reason why i believe things going to be bad again.
In hard times there is no democracy, if he do not obey, he is not a member and leader should be man who is capable to make decisions in tough time, it is not so hard to shoot you know, it is hard to make some decisions in hard situations.
I strongly believe that good cooperation between people in collapse can be made only in rural communities, very small places, where people know each other very well, where people are not so adapted on some things that make life in modern city.
And what to do with lazy unskilled member? Nobody was lazy in my time, if he is lazy he do not eat.
In towns everything come to smaller groups like families.In my case cooperation between street members was more based on fear then trust.

Again with show, but this time i am pointing at this history channel documentary as opposite to Rudy Reyes Apocalyptic man. Just to make some things clear, i do not think is smart to base our preparing on popular media, movies or shows, i like more to research ordinary people statements or experiences but sometimes it is easier to picture it on this way.

If you ask me, History channel “After Armageddon” fairly realistic SHTF documentary about complete collapse in city,now it is not completely realistic, you just can not put some things in documentary or movie, but… I ve been in some of the situation described in this show, and lot of the things are described pretty good, (except maybe fact that all happened mostly during night time) for me it was like watching myself in some of the scenes

As i said before, for us it is not too much important what is going to cause SHTF situation, war, terrorists, meteors, epidemic… outcome is going to be pretty much same.

In this documentary reason is epidemic, maybe looks like science fiction for someone, but this can happen very easy.

So what is different between this two shows, obviously guy with his family trying to GET OUT from the city, smart, he is scared, gangs are there very active, there is no law in the city, hospital is not place to go.

Roads are jammed, gangs holds storage and goods (remember my statement in posts-worst kind of people gonna be in charge) , there is no rule about anything, you never know what to expect.Guy is making that his house looked like already robbed (remember posts about how to be small, not interesting, invisible)

So they finished in some rural small community, rules are hard over there, but they safe pretty much.Even he dies from the small wound! (infection, simple cut can kill you if you do not have antibiotics)

As most of the folks today watch TV more then read books, i strongly recommended to do some of your preparing basing on this show. This guy does not look like Rambo, he looks like most of the ordinary people in any part of the world, man with family, man who believe what he read in newspapers or TV And there is great statement at the beginning of the show, something like: “disasters are not normal” Very simple, but still very smart. You can not prepare yourself basing on normal mindset, you need first to change way of thinking.

Forget about Rudy Reyes and Apocalypse man,his kind of show is one of the reasons why some of the folks imagining SHTF situation like romantic one man fight i mean

i do not have anything against well trained people like he is, he is doing some great things with rope, some good jumps,starts generator in hospital (with how much fuel?) he is making fuel (i must learn that), hot wiring car (i must refresh that) and then he is driving car on empty and clean streets during day time( impossible) going victoriously into the sunset.
It is more western movie then documentary.
In real world he would be probably caught and beaten or killed right at the beggining of the show