Village People

Note to our famously intrepid readers: Our good professor is out of pocket again so I'm going to get plenty of opportunities to skip ahead as far as I want. He may return to find us discussing another book entirely. ;)

Professor J, 

Here's what I was trying to think of during dinner: (Okay, so it isn't all that profound ;))
 
What happens in disaster/survival situations is that contrary to what is depicted by Hollywood, people actually behave quite altruistically, and much of the saving is done by those close by, such as neighbors, and not from the those outside, such as first responders, which may be slow in arriving. While you will always have the few who are only out for themselves and are willing to cheat or squander resources, studies show that the majority of people in worst case scenario situations are willing to work together and sacrifice to help each other.

One (of many) problem(s) I have with much of the conspiracy/survival mentality is that they sell (literally, as there is nearly always a product or endorsement of a product involved) the idea of survival for individuals and families. They are selling fear and paranoia instead of a real communal solution which would involve various skill sets in a local community. They are selling the illusion of a solution, one that is not sustainable. Who are these people who are going to sit on stockpiles of food and fend off hungry neighbors? What's the result of that behavior going to be when their personal supply of food runs out? It's interesting that much of this thinking is becoming popular among some Christians...Compare that image to one of a community of gardeners, carpenters, people who keep chickens or bees, the tinkerer who can fix nearly anything, the nurse, ham radio enthusiast, seamstress, teacher, owner of a large library, and talented cook.

You don't even have to ask who you'd rather live next to if the whole thing falls apart. Who would you rather live next to on an ordinary day?  There's a saying I like: "If you stay ready, you ain't gotta get ready." The result of strong, friendly, neighborhoods with diverse skills would be not just the ability to meet physical needs, but an underlying web of emotional support that will be essential. I suspect when necessary an amazing amount of resourcefulness would rise to the surface. Nearly no one panics in the way Hollywood depicts in disaster films, and even media reports during real crises tend to focus on bad behavior like looting, which isn't nearly as much of a problem as it looks to be when all the news crews are outside the one store where it is happening. The lead story is rarely the majority of people who are behaving well, if not admirably.

I'll meander back around to Hedges next time. Aren't you glad I couldn't remember my point? :)