Economics Collapse and the Regression of our Society

Has anyone seen those old movies where a world had such a large economic collapse that eventually governments collapsed, many people died and the world regressed culturally, technologically an socially? I remember watching these movies when i was a kid. The people lived in small cities and villages each with their own laws and systems of government. People traveled once again by foot and my horse, and although some things were clearly advanced technologically others were not, such as cloths for example.

Is it possible for such a thing to happen now? I mean we are in an " Economics Crisis" as the media calls it, and I think it i only the beginning. Two very large companies, Chrysler and Ford, are on the verge of collapse and after they fall many others will follow. Imagine if companies that produce, lets say things like cloths all or most collapse we would have to rely on small business on providing cheap, and comfortable cloths that we could wear. If all automakers collapse we will not be able to service our cars, so we would have to use other forms of transportation. If the car industry collapses then the oil industry will defiantly follow, which means that airplanes, ships, and anything else powered by gasoline/petrol will no longer function.

Alongside such a large scale collapse there is inevitably going to be some sort of war/ struggle for power that will cause the deaths of many people. Initial hunger due to collapse of food production and distribution will also kill millions, if not more. shortages of necessities such as medicine will cause widespread panic, also causing the deaths of many people either through riots, or just plain sickness that would normally be cured by just a few antibiotics.

This is just how I see things happening. There could obviously be different scenarios but I just laid out how i thought it would be. Anyone agree that thats is where our world is heading?

Hope to hear everyone's comments on what I have said, and feel free to add anything.

Who cares....your not doing a thing about it....and only adding to the whole of it...so lets smoke some good stuff and be happy.......

reply to post by Nick655

I was just reading craigslist rants section and I am starting to see some alarming things.
We are in the middle of a bus strike where I live and I just read about people who are starting to lose their jobs bcuz they can't get to work.This was a guy with a family to feed.Sad.
Another dude posted that he lives in an area with low employment and was eating kraft dinner and worrying about rent.
I am not sure if I agree on exactly how bad it will get but to start seeing it happen in little ways here and there is something that is making me pay attention a little more and not take things for granted so much...it might be gone tomorrow.
Here theres alot of people that can't find a carpool to get them to work.
If this strike doesn't end soon then it might get a bit troublesome.

The good thing is that I have started seeing people helping out as much as they can.I have heard a few times of strangers just showing up at a carpool lot and taking as many strangers as they could to work.



[edit on 19-12-2008 by DrumsRfun]

Well, cars / trucks are easy. There will be enough cars / trucks abandoned that parts won't be a problem. A few adjustments to newer cars / trucks and they will run on alcohol. Personal generators also. If you live in the sticks you can grow your own food. You just have to worry about others for roughly six months to a year and be careful where you drive.

reply to post by Bramble Iceshimmer


Yea parts are one thing but i dont think THAT many people know how to fix their car / truck. And if alcohol is not in production they wont be able to use it s fuel, its not like they are going to use moonshine. Above that only about 5% of the population of the planet probably know how to alter their engine to work on ethanol anyway.

Im not saying that all of this will happen tomorrow, if it happens at all. Serious regression could take decades, but at this point in time i fear it may happen.

In a mad max type sit-x world:

People who can repair things will be well off because people will pay them to fix stuff. Anyone who knows how to actually MAKE anything useful out of something else, especially out of raw materials, will be a person of means because people will barter skills and trade goods with him. And doctors will also be rich. Maybe not the brain surgeon kind but down-to-earth doctors who can help with everyday injury and sickness. A knowledge of herbal/natural pharmacology would be a plus.

Those in high-water-availability rural areas who can make their own electricity (wind, solar, generators which run on alcohol - also must be able to make their own alcohol) AND who can grow their own food will be OK, but will need weapons and a small militia to protect their land/vegetables/animals. Isolated rural compounds with small populations will do best. If such a community has a few people who can make things, one who can fix things, and a doctor, you'd be doing OK.

The rest of us are outta luck.

(I am sure I missed some important things that would be needed. This was just off the top of my head.)