The more urban areas are going to be the places where destabilization happens first.

[OldBaldy1701E]

Because there are no contingencies for being self sufficient in the city. Only the most wealthy have the land/space to grow their own food. Same with the water. Urban water will degrade and become dangerous very quickly.

I have a big bin full of my camping gear. I could be a little self sufficient if needed, but not in the city. The buildings will become unusable due to lack of water pressure getting to the upper floors as well as the inevitable power losses. People will begin to panic. That will not go well at all. There will be no way to stem this panic. Why?

Call me crazy if you wish. I hope I am. Even if this scenario never happens, the fact that it is becoming more and more possible means the fallout from it will be people like me and mine. Too old/crippled to be useful. Too knowledgeable and experienced to be useful to any status quo, unless it was already damned near a utopia... the existence of which I have yet to be made aware of. Some of us are at the point where we are unable to forage, to hunt, to skin, to prepare, to build, to clear, to farm, etc. I am now in Minnesota. There is no 'hope this winter is not too bad'. At least down home, you could survive a winter. You seldom got too far below freezing. Up here, you either have the resources to survive, or you don't. If it comes to that, we won't, because we don't have shit.

I guess I never thought about the fact that I was going to be in that group. I have always just done what needed to be done. Don't know how? Learn how. Or, figure out a way to get it done. (I have been doing that for my entire life. That happens when you live as far out in the wilderness as I did. The closest town of over 2000 was 28 miles away. We were not exactly on the cutting edge of knowledge and progress.) Now, I am about to move to a place where I don't know if I can even keep my tools and stuff because of a lack of space. Without them, I cannot repair, improve, maintain my dwelling and my other items of life (car, bike, etc.). Without being able to store my camping stuff, We will be at the mercy of that scenario I described. BTW, getting a storage space or the like is out of the question when we are struggling to figure out how to budget our food for each month once we move into our new place.

I guess I have never been able to place myself completely at the mercy of outside elements when it comes to my life and my lifestyle. Now, I am being forced to, and it does not sit well with me. I mean, does one really think that the management of my building will be there working to keep the place operative once there are roaming gangs? Is that too far-fetched? I guess it depends on where one lives and how close to such a dystopia one is. Some of us are already living close to such a scenario. It is frustrating to have to hear from those who do not as they try to act as if I am exaggerating. As I said in another post, the rich will not have to suffer any of this due to their socioeconomic position. Even if reason finally wins the day, people like myself will not see it. We can't 'hold out while it all burns and then win the next election'. Not those who are already completely dependent and will have nothing to offer in return for goods and services.

And people wonder why I am a cynic. Heh.