Schneier on Security

Clive Robinson • June 4, 2019 7:33 AM

@ A90210,

With regards the quote

So—but after 9/11, …

There are a number of notable dates in history. One was the successful “Trinity Test” where “Physics lost it’s innocence” another was “The day the eagle landed” and the “one small step” and mankind took the first step of the journy from it’s cradle. Some are remembered favourably others as uncertain beginings but others in infamy.

9/11 was one of the latter, a fundemental tenent of US Exceptionalism died that day, and it became a catalyst for worse, far worse to come.

It’s been remarked that the Moon landings were the last event of the brief “era of hope” and from there on the US descended bit by bit into a mire of ultra-conservatism. But 9/11 also marked the begining of the end when the ultra-conservatism became exploited and the US turned in on it’s self to nihilism.

Whilst there have since WWII been some in the US and other places who “saw” a descent into some armageddon where the light of democracy will fail and an increasingly “Police State” will be struck down and lawlessness prevail, it was seen by most as a minority “Whacko” group of social misfits.

But now after 9/11 the failures of FEMA and failings of other Federal entities like the NSA, the rabid cronyism of legislators to corporations and others less visable entities, rampant suspicion of the US Government is growing faster than the US population. That is what was once “Whacko” is becoming normalized.

It goes by many names but “Preping” or “for when the SHTF” are but two that are easy to find, some of it is actually a good and healthy response others very far from.

Whilst “climate change” is contested there is little argument that US Government response to increasing natural disasters is at best ineffective. Worse it’s highlighted the fragility of technology under Corporate Managment where “maximising shareholder value” is the mantra and “short term profit” won at dangerous cost cutting the norm.

Worse for various reasons newer generations have become totaly dependent on this increasingly fragil technilogy for eveb their very basic functioning. That is it’s taken less than a century for US and other Western societies to loose their robustness through “self reliance” with more than a few now compleatly incapable of actually maintaining themselves without the fragily technology effectively keeping them on “life support”. They are in effect the denizens of “the kingdom of the blind” where their “one eyed king” is flaky fragile technology stacked on other flaky fragile technology piled high. And as with “Humpty Dumpty” we know what is going to happen, it’s not a question of “if” but “when”, and with each day that passes the odds are getting shorter.

Thus perhaps unsuprisingly we are starting to see a renewed interest in things like how to do basic “raw ingredient” cooking, through preserving. But also now how to make the preserving agents, and other things like other basic living requirments in life such as soap. But also not just how to do basic home repairs through various craft skills upto and including how to build homes from the diminishing natural resources around us with just one or two hand tools that you could “lightly carry” on your belt or backpack. People are actively “going off grid” and learning the skills “home sanitation”, making potable “white water” from grey or black water with minimal energy. Which includes technology such as “gasification” to run engines on biomass fuels, but also TUD etc methods such as “rocket stoves” to not just get maximal energy out, but also minimise polution. Likewise storage technology and “green energy” sources.

My own grandmother used expressions like “Mend and make do” and “thrifty” she was born in the Victorian era whilst “Empire” still had meaning and was expanding. My father learnt how not just to maintain a house but improve it including making furniture, “full works” building/construction and decorating. All whilst growing food crops in the garden and holding down a full time job as a senior Chartered Accountant in a large organisation. Likewise my Mother did much in the way not just of “raw food” prep, cooking and preserving, clothes making and the like she also had a full time job as the head of a teaching department in one of the largest academic institutions in the area. We were a “three car family” at a time when “one car” was considered a status symbol. In short neither of my parents had even the remotest need to do the things they did, but it was not just the teachings of their parents and grandparents, they had both served and lived through WWII and full well knew the value of what many now strangely call “survival” or “prep’ing” skills.

As a result by the time I was eight I knew how to do basic carpentry, concreting, brick laying and plastering. But also how to turn a live chicken into a sunday roast with all the trimings in one pot and turn a pigs head into “brawn” in a preasure cooker and make other charcuterie including “air cure hams”, bacon and proper “salted beef” and it’s cousin “corned beef”. Then there was rendering of fat and skin to get lard, suit and gelatin for the making of pies, pastries, pudings. Which also included the making of jams and cheeses both fruit and dairy.

Perhaps more importantly sustainability wise also how to raise a chicken for the eggs, likewise the pig for the sausages and baccon and grow tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes cabbage and onions and bake the bread for a “Full English” (I’ll leave out the “Black Pudding” details as some readers are squeamish). Thanks to a local farmer by the time I was a little older I knew how to set traps and shoot both rabbits and pigeons not just for “vermin control” but also “for the pot”. Further I learnt –though I’ve not done it for several years– to take a live sheep, pig, goat or deer and get a freezer full of “joints and offal” and have the skins preped and stretched for leather making on my own.

I learnt these skills as what was then for some still “a normal part of growing up”.

So in my lifetime I’ve seen “life skills” for living be entirely lost by most, and now, out of fear of the pervading nihilism or faux patriotism some are desperatly trying to find and learn all these “living skills” again. Because of their quite realistically in their view deteriation of society, where it has lost to totalitarianism and soon worse self destruction. Therefor they see they are going to need these life skills again and “real soon now”.

Whilst it does not matter if you or I consider their outlook Whacko/Realistic, it’s fairly clear that loosing these “life skills” is far from a healthy or a robust way to live or for society to exist. But conversely desperately trying to learn not just those life skills but those of “Covert paramilitary skills” including “improvised offensive defence” weaponry/usage/tactics is likewise not at all healty. As history teaches us soldiers are almost always a scurge on society, and unless held checked become via what you might call “a protection racket” feudal leaders, preying on society by the naked theft of “eminent domain” which is enforced by the faux mantra of “for the greater good” to make the wrong of “might is right” thuggery rest more easily on peoples shoulders. However as was once pointed out to me “Puting a blanket under yoke or saddle, does not make the heavy load any the less for those who have to bare it”.

Thus whilst I’m happy to see people prepare to live more in keeping with narure and the available sustainable resources, I am not happy to see people prepare to partake in the destructiveness of war be it national, civil or warlording, that can not end well, even if it is just “lost opportunity costs”.