Since that last post on the subject of Peak Oil the price of oil has crashed. (
Weeeeee! This investing stuff is easy!) Major projects for future supply have been shut down because they're not financially viable. Which means this oil left in the ground will push the Hubbert curve back a few years or decades. Postponing the unavoidable crash of society and popularity of cannibalism. Then there's the whole worldwide economic crisis that's bound to reduce demand.... Oh, and about the American consumer... the fearful/poor/bankrupt/homeless/debt-serf American consumer. Anybody think the next generation will want to emulate that? HAHA!
A major gap in Orlov's thinking is his belief that politics will not accomplish anything. I don't blame him for having that opinion considering he's a product of the failed Soviet system, but to ignore the contributions that Putin had in the revival of Russian fortunes is foolish. Orlov mentions Putin once or twice in his book. Unless I'm missing something he didn't even get an honorable mention in the presentation. Okay we get it. The people who make's such epic failures probably won't clean them up. That doesn't mean the void left behind will not be filled. Whenever the old economic system and government fails, a new system of power rises to replace it. Anybody that can organize the masses behind them (such as Putin did), and provide for the general welfare will wield immense power. It could turn out unbelievably bad (Like Hitler bad!) or it could turn out to be less of a disaster. Like the transformation American went through during the Articles of Confederation > Constitution phase. The country defaulting on it's debt, an economic depression, hyperinflation, open rebellion,
sympathy for the French.
The country went to shit I tell ya! One thing is for sure; envisioning a dystopian (or utopian) future lacks any sort of originality unless it involves zombies or aliens. I only say that because I am fully prepared for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. I have nothing to be worried about with all my hard training!
Industrial civilization has a lot more inertia then most of these activists realize. With the available supply of natural resources dwindling the old Luddite way of production (domestic industry) married to a household economy could be a distinct possibility. Even a desirable one. Without any sort of subsidies including the benefits provided by cheap energy that nourishes centralized industrial production a reversion to smaller scale decentralized production is plausible. Simply because small scale production is more economically (and environmentally) efficient. Particularly when the cost constricts availability of centralized mass produced goods. The majority of American oil consumption is transportation, so the death of the car culture would be a good start at kicking oil consumption down a few million barrels a day.
These old Luddite ideas masquerade as new ideas such as "re/localization" nowadays. Which means there's heaps of irony as well as potential to be found in the "failed" ideas of the past.
I haven't even gotten to how the Amish live while being cut off from the outside world. Contrary to popular belief they live with a surprising amount of modern technology. Oh well, the end is nay! Repent sinner for ye shall likely perish.
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Not really. Germany dealt pretty well with their economy collapsing under hyper-inflation in the '30s and that was catastrophic.
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Hahaha! Are you serious?! Looting and then "holocausting" a prosperous minority and starting a World War is really coping "pretty well"? If everybody follows the Nazi economic recovery plan I need to start digging a fallout shelter.
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The kind of localised chaos caused by what cannot be callled anything other than a catastrophic event in a single city, magnified up to a national level in the event of a proper economic collapse and failure of government represents, I would say, the end of your country as you know it.
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Oh, stop. Now you're just embarassing yourself. When cities went bankrupt during the '60's/'70's/'80's stagflation police and other emergency services were absent in areas of daily American life. Sure there was some riots, fires, and looting, but not every neighborhood burned down. Watts did. Though America didn't lose New York City or any other municipal/state government to secession.
Now I know what my grandparents meant when they said. "
Oh you kids, you watch too much television!".
Have a nice holocaust.
Jam it back in, in the dark.
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