Worst Possible Disaster to Befall Earth

reply to post by Avarus


I think you could look to what occurred after Hurricane Katrina for a good analogy.

First, when it is known what is to occur, the general populous will ignore it and even go out of their way to pretend nothing is going to happen. To me it seemed like a denial of sorts. Like the denial an alcoholic goes through. It is almost like a mental survival instinct in that our minds know that if we act as though nothing is going to occur, in the end it will give us the best outcome. If we panic it does us no good and we instinctively know that.

Then just before it occurs we start to split into groups. One side goes into an appropriate panic mode, packs its bags and seeks shelter. Pragmatism and common sense are the rule of the day for this group which includes most of those most important to the infrastructure.

Another group goes into heavy denial. They tell themselves that it probably won't happen, don't trust those who say it will and adopt an air of invincibility and insist on riding out the storm in THEIR House, no matter what.

Another group settles into a kind of funk out of pure fear and irrationality. They don't know what to do and are so overwhelmed by fear that they do nothing. They wait for someone else to come along and tell them what to do or do it for them. If nobody does, they end up with denial group still sitting there.

Then we have the Hero group, both genuine and as a result of faulty brain wiring. These folks ship off their families to safety and stay behind to sacrifice themselves to save the deniers and the irrationals who put all their lives at risk. They fancy themselves invincible or in the rare case they are actually heroes.

Then we have the opportunists. Those who stay behind to loot and steal or to take advantage of the irrational weak people trapped by their own fears. Some are Authorities who stay not as heroes but to take advantage in the same way as the common thugs who see disaster as an opportunity.

Then we have the group I find the most offensive. Those who think the world owes them. They don't lift a finger to help themselves in their arrogance they believe it is others duty to save them. They demand it in fact. Even if they could walk to safety they would not. Need a hand putting up a shelter or unloading a truck, don't ask them. Of course they will be there come dinner time, but help unload the food from the truck; no way man.

I think in the midst of real danger and emergency we see these same groups always form. I think realistically we would see this on a global scale. In this case we would see entire countries via their governments assume the roles of everything from looters to heroes.

What we will never see is the Independence Day scenario of coming together and singing Kumbaya.

Originally posted by Blaine91555
reply to post by Avarus

 

I think you could look to what occurred after Hurricane Katrina for a good analogy.

Great analogy! This is a fantastic list too. I think on a global scale, we would see mostly looters unfortunately.

Read 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy, it deals with all this stuff and more.

It's a story about the horrid aftermath of a global disaster, and the survival of a father and his son. Looting is very mild compared to some of the stuff that happens.