this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2024
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[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Thiel has a bunker in NZ that he plans to retreat to if "shit hits the fan".

How hard would it be to convince him to bug out and seal himself up in that place, cutting off all communications? Obviously, I'd prefer if he were dead, but sealed up in a hole in the ground terrified about what's happening in the outside world would be an acceptable compromise.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 week ago (2 children)

They’re absolute fools to think they can survive long in a bunker.

The only solution to survival is building community - a sustainable socialist society where people work together to live good lives and take of each other and our planet.

These absolute fools think they can turn the world to ash and go live in a concrete prison underground. Then emerge when? To what kind of existence?

If shit really hits the fan the first thing we’ll do is go after the bunkers and space ships.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah, Douglas Rushkoff has a book about that, Survival of the Richest. For some reason, billionaires consulted him about their "shit hits the fan" plans, and he laughed at them and wrote a book about it. They had all these elaborate fantasies about how they were going to keep their security team loyal after civilization collapsed, or about how they'd avoid having any humans working for them and use robots instead. But, they hadn't even thought about the most basic things.

Like, one guy had an underground bunker complete with a swimming pool (or at least plans for one). Rushkoff said to the guy that his neighbor had a pool and frequently had contractors over to clean it, or replace parts, etc. He asked what the guy was going to do about basic pool maintenance. The guy got out a notepad and wrote "get replacement parts for the pool" or something. He basically hadn't even thought 1 step beyond the initial idea.

You're right that the best plan for an apocalyptic scenario is to have useful skills that other people will appreciate, so that you can be a valuable, contributing member of their community. And no, billionaire CEOs, "leadership skills" don't count. Or, if they do, the leaders will either be strongmen who are personally very comfortable with using violence to ensure everyone falls in line, or they'll be very empathetic people who resolve disputes and make sure everyone works in harmony. It won't be people who make "cut-throat decisions" but who faint at the sight of actual blood.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Thank you for posting this - I may have to add that to my reading list.

One thing that's been in the back of my mind for a few years now, was basically this. I think we're seeing the wealthiest going full-mask-off-kleptocracy in an effort to hoard wealth only to leave (somehow) when the physical and metaphorical heat gets to be too much. A true rich-man's response to climate change. But I struggled to square the concept of building wealth that is ultimately based on the current economy, with how that could possibly be useful in a worst-case scenario. Now I can see that there really is a disconnect in the minds of these people, as though the medium to long-term isn't a consideration.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

The problem with living in a bunker is that it's too easy to backfill the air pipe and entrance with concrete.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

They’ve built their own prison cells.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

So, roll out, the fallout,

The front rows are sold out.