Hoyt refers to Fernando Aguirre, Ferfal, formerly of Argentina, now emigrated to Ireland last I heard. Sarah, who experienced the effects of an economic collapse during her youth in Portugal, recalls many similarities to what Ferfal describes in his book. Hoyt notes:
Like me, he’s bemused by Americans who think when the economy collapses we go back to either the stone age or frontier days. That’s not what either of us has experienced. Things just get dirtier, shabbier, and more unreliable. The niceties of civilization peel away. But we are not suddenly living in a Mad Max world.
She also has some reasonable things to say about the American psyche and the rest of the world. Better just to follow the link and read the whole thing. I promise it won't make you mad.
I agree in general. There seems to be a lot of people out there who think that preparation means preparing to survive a complete breakdown of the system including fighting off hordes of police state ninjas, UN blue helmets, and feral cannibal packs. Personally, I am not preparing for small unit maneuvers or worrying too much about my load-bearing vest and all that stuff. I have no objection to other people doing it. I understand why the former military guys like military-style rifles and mil-spec gear and why such tools are high on their list.
There may come a day when warlords control Chicago and Los Angeles. That day was probably about last Tuesday. But for most of us, the collapse will be a lot like now, only worse. I mean, we have seen the government raid raw milk producers. How much more totalitarian is it supposed to get?
Given that, I have long guns suitable for foraging and home defense, but the firearm most likely to be used is one you can have on your person. That is true now, and it will be true in the future. Everybody should have a good centerfire handgun with plenty of ammunition. We should practice with that handgun until drawing and firing with reasonable accuracy at close range is second nature. A person should know how their weapon functions, be able to clear jams and address other problems, and be able to maintain it.
I have to admit that carrying around a handgun when I'm building fence or bush-hogging or working in the garden seems insane to me right now. I don't do it all the time. But sometimes I do, because I know the day is coming when it will seem a lot less ridiculous. My place will probably never be raided by a gang and my family kidnapped or held hostage. In the not-too-distant future, though, it will not sound so far-fetched and fantastic. The reports will not come from far off places like Somalia or Argentina or Mexico -- Mexico, you know that place just across the Valley from Texas, over the fence from San Diego, that exotic and distant locale. It never hurts to be ready, even if you are a generation ahead.
That Sarah Hoyt post was good. It's a big country. We will probably have different regions covering the continuum of experiences from Amish countryside to Mad Max. Sustained violence is a young man's game. We may be, on the whole, too old for much of that I hope.
ReplyDeleteYes, the idea of local character was kind of a "whoa, that's right" thing for me.
ReplyDeleteI am not militia material any more. Just get off my lawn.