Surviving the end of the world as we know it?

[Gawen]

I don't think life would go back to the hunter gatherer stage of humanity but rather the bronze age small communities.

This ^

I can see a Mad Max Thunderdome sort of life. Small, close knit communities using a barter system. Almost like Old West communitees without money. Perhaps something like Stephen Kings The Stand, but more communitees. And what would be the high cost commodities? Guns, ammo, alcohol, tobacco, medicine, clean water, certain foods, gasoline clothing, batteries.

If the shit hits the fan, in 6 months, after all the grocery stores have run out of food and the people in the military have deserted to be with their families - tired of arresting and shooting their own countrymen...the out of the way convenience stores have been robbed clean...when all the gasoline is dried up...the authorities have searched your houses for those that have stockpiled everything and thrown them in jail or press ganged...when the government is virtually powerless and the anarchy finally subsides...after all the power plants have shut down, people will have no choice but to band together.

I plan to be far enough under the radar in a place far enough away to never be noticed by the authorities and only by those looking for trouble.

[Crow]

I can see a Mad Max Thunderdome sort of life...

Or the corporations take over, people are attracted to companies such as BP due to their resources and infrastructures, with a commodity everybody wants they swiftly take over.

[xSilverPhinx]

Mad Max is exactly what I was thinking about

I think some more modern version of feudalism is highly plausible, where people essentially contracted back into more sustainable groups.

With corporate leaders as the new kings, of course.   

[Gawen]

I can see a Mad Max Thunderdome sort of life...

Or the corporations take over, people are attracted to companies such as BP due to their resources and infrastructures, with a commodity everybody wants they swiftly take over.

It's a thought. But if the economic situation is basically null, what would the corporations do to pay employees? What would buyers use for money?

I'm thinking total collapse. Perhaps 6 months to a year after everyone realises it's just no good. Try as they might, local, state, federal governments are powerless to fix the problem or to maintain martial law.

[Gawen]

Mad Max is exactly what I was thinking about

I think some more modern version of feudalism is highly plausible, where people essentially contracted back into more sustainable groups.

With corporate leaders as the new kings, of course.   

'Corporations' will take on new forms. Whoever has control of even one considered commodity will have some sort of control over their locality. The Thunderdome scenario was lacking because all they had was energy, in the middle of a desert with no way to exploit it. It would be interesting to see what happens 20 years after the 'meltdown'.

I'm more interested in the first couple years. It'll be total chaos. A hard time to live and a harder time to stay alive. But I think it can be done with proper preparations and good people at your side. And no more than 30 good people at your side. It is difficult to maintain control with more than 30 people in a group.