Fear Mongers

[rasetsu]

I think the major problem for people in a metropolis come the apocalypse would be energy and the population density. Even if New York had comparable green space to a suburb, the land simply cannot support that many people. And in cities like New York, which capitalize on vertical space, there would be a massive population crunch as people who are tired and hungry no longer feel like climbing more than five flights of stairs to get home again. And those that do climb further just die out faster. The lack of sanitation, adequate clean water and crowded living conditions would be an ideal breeding ground for communicable disease. Think of Athens between the walls or Rome under the attack of the Goths. People would be dying in massive numbers. More importantly, most of the residential and commercial buildings in New York aren't particularly energy efficient. Come the cold weather, there isn't nearly enough flammable materials to keep several million people warm (assuming the city doesn't just go up in a conflagration, which is entirely possible). I've made my home in big cities all my life, but I think it's the last place you want to be during the apocalypse. The only plus to the cities is that they tend to contain stockpiles of resources. The downside is, they contain stockpiles of resources, which attracts both the innocent, and every kind of predator that you can think of. Of course, being too isolated presents dangers as well. Somehow, even if the apocalypse were to come, I doubt Seth would be grateful for it.

Perhaps more important than this is that our modern, long life spans are largely due to the industrial revolution, agriculture, and medicine. Come the apocalypse and the average human life span would drop dramatically, even ignoring quality of life issues. Whether because of accident, cold, starvation or disease, the lack of these things mean that many things which don't lead to death currently, would suddenly be real dangers again. (Not to mention infant mortality rates. Here in first world countries, we're largely shielded from the infant mortality rates in third world countries. Many infants die in third world countries, and many women die in pregnancy.) So it's quite likely the apocalypse will cut decades off your life, no matter how well prepared you are.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

First: Those 1000:1 people in the cities will feed on each other when things turn bad.

Sorry, but you miss one important thing. There are veterans in those cities.

Someone has to come out on top. I'm guessing it would be an all out war between gangs. Maybe the one with more combat veterans will win.

You should read Lucifer's Hammer. A really big gang runs into some veterans and finds out what discipline can do to rabble.

[MrJonno]

Read the reviews on Amazon seem to think its just racist crap

[rasetsu]

I'm not sure whose fantasies are more amusing, Seth's or Zilla's...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Read the reviews on Amazon seem to think its just racist crap

Didn't notice that myself. Of course my PCness is in the shop.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'm not sure whose fantasies are more amusing, Seth's or Zilla's...

We come in no better than third after you.

[amused]

The idea that millions of people will suddenly become murderous monsters is plausible only to the handful of racists and losers who would themselves become murderous monsters if only given the chance during an emergency.

[MrJonno]

The idea that millions of people will suddenly become murderous monsters is plausible only to the handful of racists and losers who would themselves become murderous monsters if only given the chance during an emergency.

In a high concentration of people once the food runs out and there is no immediate chance of relief its going to get extremely nasty. People are hardly going to start rationing out food and dividing it up fairly so everyone survives. That takes a government to do

[Azathoth]

The idea that millions of people will suddenly become murderous monsters is plausible only to the handful of racists and losers who would themselves become murderous monsters if only given the chance during an emergency.

In a high concentration of people once the food runs out and there is no immediate chance of relief its going to get extremely nasty. People are hardly going to start rationing out food and dividing it up fairly so everyone survives. That takes a government to do

Pass the long pig

[amused]

The idea that millions of people will suddenly become murderous monsters is plausible only to the handful of racists and losers who would themselves become murderous monsters if only given the chance during an emergency.

In a high concentration of people once the food runs out and there is no immediate chance of relief its going to get extremely nasty. People are hardly going to start rationing out food and dividing it up fairly so everyone survives. That takes a government to do

No it doesn't. The food delivery system is profit-based. That alone will keep things rolling along just nicely. Or are you suggesting that every employee of Con-Agra (for example) are suddenly going to go insane? Every truck driver too? The local grocery store as well?

[MrJonno]

We are talking conditions where there is no longer any such thing as 'profit', where money has no value.
It's Hollywood end of the world scenario affecting the entire world.

Hiroshima but world wide

[amused]

...
It's Hollywood end of the world scenario affecting the entire world.

...

'Nuff said.

[Jason]

What will you use for barter? Paper bills with no real value as the economy has collapsed? Hah.

Naivete is cute, but no, the infrastructure will crumble.

[Seth]

What will you use for barter? Paper bills with no real value as the economy has collapsed? Hah.

Naivete is cute, but no, the infrastructure will crumble.

Arms and ammunition, medicine, food, security...lots of stuff for barter out there.

[Jason]

The apocalypse sounds like fun. So long as there are steam-punk gangs with motorcycles.