Well, *I* thought it was funny ...

[Pixelated]

Wasn't sure whether to put this in 'Politics' or here but it's not party-specific so ...

I have a relative who is extremely intelligent. For whatever reason, he also embraces a wide variety of conspiracy theories as if they were long-lost relatives.

This past weekend I'm telling my coworkers: "He's become a doomsday prepper. He's stockpiling supplies in preparation for World War 3. Isn't that hilarious? Hahahahaha."

Suddenly I realize ... nobody else is laughing.

So now I'm wondering whether it's me ... you know, whether I'm in water up to my knees and staring at the Pyramids.

I tend to like my brother's approach when I asked if he was stockpiling anything: "Yes. Beer. If those missiles go up, I'm just gonna start drinking."

[wolfie]

I tend to like my brother's approach when I asked if he was stockpiling anything: "Yes. Beer. If those missiles go up, I'm just gonna start drinking."

Your brother should re-think his planning. Beer has a shelf life, and will go stale. Hard liquor, on the other hand, can be stored indefinitely - and packs more "value" in a given space.

[mjr]

So now I'm wondering whether it's me ... you know, whether I'm in water up to my knees and staring at the Pyramids.

Well...history and religion are replete with things like this. I mean, Biblically, when Noah was instructed by God to build the ark, people laughed at him. Until they didn't. Then they essentially begged him to let them in. He didn't.

Heck, even in the world of Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Thriller/Suspense we see that. There was an episode of The Twilight Zone where that happened:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sh..._Twilight_Zone)

It's always good to be prepared. Though I think the "doomsday" people who are hoarding gold are a bit foolish. You can't rely on gold for sustenance. And that food and water you have stored is going to be FAR more valuable than gold at a time like that. Food (and ways to heat/eat it), water, protection. Everything else at that point is kind of secondary.

[s_stabeler]

Actually, they're foolish for a different reason. Assuming that the reason for you needing to use your stockpile is the financial collapse of the government, then you have just made yourself a target. Since gold would need to be exchanged for the supplies you need, you introduce a vulnerability. (that, and it has occurred to be that a sufficiently large stockpile could be used to pay people in supplies to help you- including in defending your stockpile- since most situations where you'd need the stockpile are temporary.)

[wolfie]

Though I think the "doomsday" people who are hoarding gold are a bit foolish. You can't rely on gold for sustenance. And that food and water you have stored is going to be FAR more valuable than gold at a time like that. Food (and ways to heat/eat it), water, protection. Everything else at that point is kind of secondary.

Don't forget the most valuable things to "store" - those that don't get used up (skills that would be useful in a SHTF situation).

Actually, they're foolish for a different reason. Assuming that the reason for you needing to use your stockpile is the financial collapse of the government, then you have just made yourself a target. Since gold would need to be exchanged for the supplies you need, you introduce a vulnerability.

There's also the matter of granularity. If someone has stockpiled 1 ounce gold bars/coins, the smallest unit they could trade for is 1 ounce of gold. Some people are stockpiling 'junk silver" (U.S. coins from before the switch to the current "sandwich", when the dime/quarter/half dollar were still made of silver) for this reason.

[jackfaire]

Actually in a collapse like that Gold would be worthless. Gold isn't Wealth.

Lumber, seeds, food, etc things necessary for survival are wealth.

Gold is a mutually agreed upon form of money.

Money is an entirely social construct that after the collapse of Society would lose meaning. Spain lost their hold on the Americas because they imported a lot of Gold but not much to actually buy with the gold.

In a collapse we would most likely be back on a Barter system as that's the most advantageous in that situation. Your society needs to be more complex than "Let's try not to die today" for Money to be worth anything.

As to the OP it could be they are thinking your Relative isn't a DOOMSDAY prepper but is a EARTHQUAKE prepper and you just don't get it.

There are legitimate reasons to stockpile things in case of something like the flood in New Orleans or the Earthquakes in Haiti.

Often times people use Doomsday prepper in place of someone who just makes sure they are covered for a few days in wake of a Natural Disaster. So your co-workers may think that's your relative or they are crazy too.

If it's the latter...RUN!

[Pixelated]

Well, where my relative lives, earthquakes are not exactly a common occurrence ... we're talking land so flat you can watch your dog run away for three days.

I do agree that SOME emergency preparation is always a good idea (and I'm woefully unprepared in that regard too). But no, he is absolutely prepping for the next world war.

The comments about gold being worthless (and making you a target) are spot on, I think. Jackfaire put it best: "Your society needs to be more complex than 'Let's try not to die today' for Money to be worth anything." In the nightmarish British docudrama "Threads," the narrator says there's only one thing that has any value after the nuclear holocaust: food. It's given as a reward for work ... or withheld as punishment. You can't eat gold.

Wolfie: I'll pass that along about hard liquor versus beer.