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 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
For the sake of the surviving 10%, I really hope Baronlveagh is one of the 90%.

He's been telling us here on Dakka in this thread and that others he's part of an ultra secret government think tank, his family helped build the ABomb, he's a master warrior, etc., so I imagine his bet is on he'll be in the 10%.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:

Right. Because when someone reads about something, they are instantly an expert in it. Man, all those students spending multiple years to learn the basics in their fields must feel really stupid right now.

On the flip side of that, there are quite a large number of people who have a "hobby farm" or some form of food producing plant that they grow in their garden. Obviously, this is on a small "personal" scale. To me, that is that absolute basics of farming, and I would think that if you can get that down, upping the scale to support a small community, or collectively upping the scale shouldn't be as big a problem as one would think.

I think the bigger problems will come from all the hybrid seeds. Ya know, the ones that cannot be used but for one season, and don't produce seed at the end of that life span? Those kinds of seed, which seem to be the bulk of modern day agricultural business (Monsanto, et al) will cause some havoc in the food supply, if there is a 90% reduction. This isn't to say that those who remain won't figure something out, but it'll be a rough period of time.

How about Hobby nuclear Physicists?

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Experiment 626 wrote:
Seeing a topic like this and what the OP is proposing makes me wish that Yellowstone would just do us all a favour and blow...

And yet, I'm horrible for proposing doing in a controlled and fair manner what you are advocating be done on much grander scale.

And then Godwin came to visit.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:

Right. Because when someone reads about something, they are instantly an expert in it. Man, all those students spending multiple years to learn the basics in their fields must feel really stupid right now.

On the flip side of that, there are quite a large number of people who have a "hobby farm" or some form of food producing plant that they grow in their garden. Obviously, this is on a small "personal" scale. To me, that is that absolute basics of farming, and I would think that if you can get that down, upping the scale to support a small community, or collectively upping the scale shouldn't be as big a problem as one would think.

I think the bigger problems will come from all the hybrid seeds. Ya know, the ones that cannot be used but for one season, and don't produce seed at the end of that life span? Those kinds of seed, which seem to be the bulk of modern day agricultural business (Monsanto, et al) will cause some havoc in the food supply, if there is a 90% reduction. This isn't to say that those who remain won't figure something out, but it'll be a rough period of time.

How about Hobby nuclear Physicists?

y

Like this, perhaps?

http://gajitz.com/1950s-radioactive-science-kit-most-dangerous-toy-ever/

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I think the bigger problems will come from all the hybrid seeds. Ya know, the ones that cannot be used but for one season, and don't produce seed at the end of that life span? Those kinds of seed, which seem to be the bulk of modern day agricultural business (Monsanto, et al) will cause some havoc in the food supply, if there is a 90% reduction. This isn't to say that those who remain won't figure something out, but it'll be a rough period of time.

You'd want 'heirloom' varieties (they're actually marketed as such). Even figuring a 10% population, Pennsylvania would be left with a fair number of Amish who'd be happy to demonstrate the basics. One thing that seems ot throw people is the 10% figure. It's still a VERY large number of people still alive. It would set the US back, population wise, to around the Civil War.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Relapse wrote:
He's been telling us here on Dakka in this thread and that others he's part of an ultra secret government think tank

Nothing secret about it. Hell, we were just featured in a agency wide video. Yes, i worked for a PMC, a Casino, SNI, and now Uncle Sam (paygrade now: GS-10). Whoopdy Do. You would not believe how boring finding ways to preserve your paperwork for all time actually is. think about every government form you have ever filled out and know that our job is to make sure nothing ever happens and that a copy of it will exist forever.

That does, however, necessitate that we consider the possibility that the world end and how to determine how to prevent that from damaging your documents. When you try and collect your social security payment or military pension after some manner of large scale disaster, you'll be glad we did.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Experiment 626 wrote:
Seeing a topic like this and what the OP is proposing makes me wish that Yellowstone would just do us all a favour and blow...

And yet, I'm horrible for proposing doing in a controlled and fair manner what you are advocating be done on much grander scale.

And yet, he is talking about a natural disaster, but you are talking about deliberately bringing about a new Holocaust that will make Hitler and Stalin look like amateurs.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Experiment 626 wrote:
Seeing a topic like this and what the OP is proposing makes me wish that Yellowstone would just do us all a favour and blow...

And yet, I'm horrible for proposing doing in a controlled and fair manner what you are advocating be done on much grander scale.

I don't see whats fair about it.

Demanding billions of people submit to a lottery to see who gets to live and who is exterminated.
Murdering those who object and resist.
Turning a blind eye to the rich and powerful using their influence to game the system.

Baron, don't forget to talk about the SEALs and Marines you habitually beat up on 2 and 3 at a time, as you PM'd me about.

Relapse wrote:
Baron, don't forget to talk about the SEALs and Marines you habitually beat up on 2 and 3 at a time, as you PM'd me about.

Curiouser and curiouser...

 BaronIveagh wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I think the bigger problems will come from all the hybrid seeds. Ya know, the ones that cannot be used but for one season, and don't produce seed at the end of that life span? Those kinds of seed, which seem to be the bulk of modern day agricultural business (Monsanto, et al) will cause some havoc in the food supply, if there is a 90% reduction. This isn't to say that those who remain won't figure something out, but it'll be a rough period of time.

You'd want 'heirloom' varieties (they're actually marketed as such). Even figuring a 10% population, Pennsylvania would be left with a fair number of Amish who'd be happy to demonstrate the basics. One thing that seems ot throw people is the 10% figure. It's still a VERY large number of people still alive. It would set the US back, population wise, to around the Civil War.

But, what if, say, Amish, being fairly insular, have missed out on the gene which gives resistance to the population bomb? Heck, lets go further. Lets say that people of African descent picked up some gene which gives them much higher resistance to the population than any other demographic. In the US, they can form that coveted 10% by themselves, even without a 100% survival rate. To my knowledge, there are not a lot of Black Amish. Then, lets consider the fact that African-Americans, as a group, are still less well educated on average than other groups. So while this 10% still catches a lot of brilliant people, the average is lower than a clean cut across demographics.

Relapse wrote:
Baron, don't forget to talk about the SEALs and Marines you habitually beat up on 2 and 3 at a time, as you PM'd me about.

My lifetime bar-fight score has changed in the last three years, btw. and it was only one supposed SEAL, and only two marines that one time. Since then, you can add one more sailor and one more loss (same sailor, on another occasion. Watch out folks, some of those guys really know their way around a length of chain). And I'd like to thank the owners of the Landmark Hotel for having provided such excellent entertainment.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:


I don't see whats fair about it.

Demanding billions of people submit to a lottery to see who gets to live and who is exterminated.
Murdering those who object and resist.
Turning a blind eye to the rich and powerful using their influence to game the system.

No, those are all the things you've been accusing me of. As I pointed out, if, I, personally, were going to design a cull, I'd make it so there was no way to game the system. You can't bribe an electron or a virus. They don't care how rich you are. Alfonso 'the Implacable' of Castile was a brutally efficient ruler who could run politics and armies with the best. He was just as dead.

If it were me, i wouldn't be asking anyone submit to anything. I'd just set it up and let it go. By the time anyone knew what was in motion, it would already be over. I'm not. I don't even pretend to have the technical background to pull it off. But, if I were to be the one creating something like that, that's what I would do. You can have one infected person ride the major airlines through the main transportation hubs, and, as long as symptoms don't manifest for a month or more, you could infect half the planet in a few weeks.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:

But, what if, say, Amish, being fairly insular, have missed out on the gene which gives resistance to the population bomb? Heck, lets go further. Lets say that people of African descent picked up some gene which gives them much higher resistance to the population than any other demographic. In the US, they can form that coveted 10% by themselves, even without a 100% survival rate. To my knowledge, there are not a lot of Black Amish. Then, lets consider the fact that African-Americans, as a group, are still less well educated on average than other groups. So while this 10% still catches a lot of brilliant people, the average is lower than a clean cut across demographics.

It's.... unlikely but possible. Your supposition depends more on them being Old Order Amish than some of the newer offshoots. That said, while the education level might be low, it would most likely catch up quickly as people sought to fill vacancies.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:

Curiouser and curiouser...

You find it curious that in bar fights, the biggest guy in the room is not going to go down easily? this isn't the movies, smash someone with a large enough object, it it doesn't matter what training they've had. A lot of them have made the mistake to try and go for the solar plexus, but what you want to do in a bar fight against someone my size is go for the knees.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

 Iron_Captain wrote:

I don't like making fun of you, but you have to admit your proposition is a little... odd... to say the least.

Well, I do spend a great deal of time these days coming up with ways to end the world so that plans can be drawn up to prevent it from damaging government documents.

Haha, sounds like an amazing job to me.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

 Iron_Captain wrote:

Because advocating the murder of 90% of all people is actually pretty damn monstrous maybe?

Yeah, it is, but compared to the alternatives, it may be the lesser of two evils.

How so? And what exactly are the alternatives according to you?

 BaronIveagh wrote:

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:


I don't see whats fair about it.

Demanding billions of people submit to a lottery to see who gets to live and who is exterminated.
Murdering those who object and resist.
Turning a blind eye to the rich and powerful using their influence to game the system.

No, those are all the things you've been accusing me of. As I pointed out, if, I, personally, were going to design a cull, I'd make it so there was no way to game the system. You can't bribe an electron or a virus.

How would you ensure that, if I may ask. You may not be able to bribe a virus, but you can bribe the scientist making the virus. Also, with enough power and money, you can get scientists to make a cure for you.


Also, 3000th post! Yay!

 Iron_Captain wrote:

Haha, sounds like an amazing job to me.

It's really, really boring. Every day, I make sure 70k odd documents are preserved to the current standard, and every week there's a new standard. Putin says something crazy: new standard. Some scientists announce a discovery: new standard. OPM losses everyone's data: new standard. Seriously, I've had water cooler conversations that went:"What if Putin joins ISIS?" "But what might they do?" "How about a computer virus that strobes a hypnotic patten that makes everyone who sees it a suicide bomber...? " "We better draw up a new form for that one..." And thus, there is a procedure in the event of the 'Sexy Putin Allah Hypno-pocalypse.'

 Iron_Captain wrote:

How so? And what exactly are the alternatives according to you?

Famine, plague, and world war are all likely in some combination before the current century is out, brought on by the struggle for resources. Not so much oil and gas as food and water. The closer we get to the 10 billion mark, the more likely it gets. And then, all bets are off. Though it most likely will not be nuclear, as that would destroy too many of the resources people would be fighting for.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Iron_Captain wrote:

How would you ensure that, if I may ask. You may not be able to bribe a virus, but you can bribe the scientist making the virus. Also, with enough power and money, you can get scientists to make a cure for you.

Cures take time, and in some cases are highly difficult. Virii for example are hard to cure. And there's no point in bribing the original guy, as i someone were willign to do soemthign like this, they're probably not in it for the money. Funny thing, but the worst crimes are committed in the name of ideology, not wealth.

 BaronIveagh wrote:
You can't bribe an electron or a virus.

You can, however, have won the genetic lottery that allows you to no-sell the Population bomb.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Followign the Black Death, workers frequently moved ot new areas in search or work, and/or higher wages.

The Black Death didn't come anywhere close to killing off 90% of the human population (Most figures I've seen are around 50%, varying widely by region.), nor did it incite the downfall of society; which the random loss of 90% of the human population would cause.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

That said, some people would be looking for new employment. People retrain for new jobs all the time now. You don't see VCR repairmen putting together too many scrap vehicles, painting themselves blue, and hunting Mel Gibson through the sand dunes.

Of course not, because society continued to exist after the VCR became obsolete. Your analogy is a poor one.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Let me introduce you to something, you may have heard about them from the days before the the personal computer...

I'm aware of what books are, and I am also aware that people can learn. However I know that learning takes time (especially when the concepts involved are complicated), and that time is not a luxury people have in the wake of societal collapse. I can guarantee a large number of the 10% left alive after your population bomb would be dead within the first year simply due to scarcity and ignorance, to say nothing of violence. Remember, when the Black Death hit a really large chunk of the population survived through farming, so food production wasn't an issue for them. Compare that to the modern world in which the vast majority of people would struggle to keep individual tomato plants alive.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Further, the flip side is also true, people who had the knowledge to do a job but instead worked in in other areas due to a lack of positions would have opportunities to advance themselves.

That phenomenon tends to be more prevalent at the higher end of the educational ladder, particularly in highly technical fields that would have little use after your population bomb.

 dogma wrote:
The Black Death didn't come anywhere close to killing off 90% of the human population (Most figures I've seen are around 50%, varying widely by region.), nor did it incite the downfall of society; which the random loss of 90% of the human population would cause.

Actually parts of China saw casualties as high has 90%. England saw 70%. Norway saw 60% and France, Spain and Portugal may have seen as high was 80% according to some estimates, though the on-going Hundred years war in France and war against the moors in Spain muddies the issue. None of these places collapsed, despite being reduced to vastly smaller numbers than 10% of the current population.

 dogma wrote:

However I know that learning takes time (especially when the concepts involved are complicated), and that time is not a luxury people have in the wake of societal collapse. I can guarantee a large number of the 10% left alive after your population bomb would be dead within the first year simply due to scarcity and ignorance, to say nothing of violence. Remember, when the Black Death hit a really large chunk of the population survived through farming, so food production wasn't an issue for them. Compare that to the modern world in which the vast majority of people would struggle to keep individual tomato plants alive.

Maybe it's just because of where I'm from, but around here most people can garden, and some towns even still allow the keeping of chickens in town. As far as the collapse of society, i doubt it. Even the Mayans, who actually did undergo a series of massive contractions survived as a functioning society until the Spanish Invasion finally put an end to it.

 dogma wrote:

That phenomenon tends to be more prevalent at the higher end of the educational ladder, particularly in highly technical fields that would have little use after your population bomb.

Visiting my local WalMart today, I put together a mechanic, two farmers, a medical student, an engineer, and an English Lit major. I'm gonna say none of them worked there by choice, and only one of them is likely not to be much use come the apocalypse.

 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:
Heck, lets go further. Lets say that people of African descent picked up some gene which gives them much higher resistance to the population than any other demographic.

Soo.... Sickle Cell.


@dogma... One could actually argue that the Black Death incited an "uptick" in society. After that 50-60% drop off in population, all those "low class" merchants who were now the wealthiest in the country wanted their say in government.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
One could actually argue that the Black Death incited an "uptick" in society. After that 50-60% drop off in population, all those "low class" merchants who were now the wealthiest in the country wanted their say in government.

It also spurred the development of labor saving devices and an increase in animal husbandry, since there were now large areas of farmland available for pasturage. Further, it signaled the end of alchemy as accepted medical practice.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Actually parts of China saw casualties as high has 90%. England saw 70%. Norway saw 60% and France, Spain and Portugal may have seen as high was 80% according to some estimates, though the on-going Hundred years war in France and war against the moors in Spain muddies the issue. None of these places collapsed, despite being reduced to vastly smaller numbers than 10% of the current population.

You'll note the part where I said "...varying widely by region.". But anyway, the figures you've presented are on the high end of historical estimates. England, for example, is generally thought to have lost ~50% of its population, not 70% and the figures that are generally accepted for France, Spain, and Portugal hover in the 60% range. I'll also point out that the gross number of survivors is far less relevant than their pattern of dispersal, and percent change from the status quo.

Regardless, comparing your depopulation bomb idea is a fools errand for several reasons:
1. Modern society is nothing like 14th century society. In particular the skills necessary to essentially start from scratch were much more widely possessed.
2. Your entire premise is based on a randomized selection process, but the Black Death clearly affected certain regions (and population classes) more heavily than others; meaning it was not random.
3. Feudalism, being highly decentralized, is extremely resistant to the issues created by depopulation; particularly in the case of something like the Black Death where the wealthy and their retainers would have been less affected.

 dogma wrote:

As far as the collapse of society, i doubt it. Even the Mayans, who actually did undergo a series of massive contractions survived as a functioning society until the Spanish Invasion finally put an end to it.

Sure, but that society changed dramatically over the history of Mayan civilization, punctuated by the preclassic and classic collapses ("Mayan" is a word with a very broad meaning.). Bear in mind when I say that society will collapse, I'm not implying that it won't be replaced by something else.

 dogma wrote:

Visiting my local WalMart today, I put together a mechanic, two farmers, a medical student, an engineer, and an English Lit major. I'm gonna say none of them worked there by choice, and only one of them is likely not to be much use come the apocalypse.

I question the ability, and honesty, of an engineer and a mechanic that are stuck working at Walmart. Farmers and students I understand, the latter group have significant time constraints (given the time of year its likely a summer job), and the former have few readily transferable skills.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

@dogma... One could actually argue that the Black Death incited an "uptick" in society. After that 50-60% drop off in population, all those "low class" merchants who were now the wealthiest in the country wanted their say in government.

Actually the greatest benefit was seen by the peasantry, as their labor was now in much greater demand. Of course, that didn't last and landowners actively fought against increasing wages, with mixed results.

The hierarchy of gentry and nobility stayed pretty much the same, though some members of the gentry were able takeover land from their recently deceased neighbors, and increase their status that way.

This theory sounds like an inefficient global solution to localised problems.

Who is causing overpopulation, where, and why? Demographics is a fine art, you can't brush the world with broad strokes. China being overpopulated doesn't mean you bomb Argentina to balance the books.

 VorpalBunny74 wrote:
This theory sounds like an inefficient global solution to localised problems.

Who is causing overpopulation, where, and why? Demographics is a fine art, you can't brush the world with broad strokes. China being overpopulated doesn't mean you bomb Argentina to balance the books.

The problem is that there's no such thing as a 'local' problem when it comes to water and food issues. Trade usually evens things out, but there's a certain tipping point where the planet simply cannot support sufficient food production to feed the human population anymore. Individual countries can have overpopulation before that point, but once that point is reached, that's all she wrote.

Once that point is reached, countries without are going to start attacking countries that are not overpopulated, to try and feed themselves.

 dogma wrote:

1. Modern society is nothing like 14th century society. In particular the skills necessary to essentially start from scratch were much more widely possessed.
2. Your entire premise is based on a randomized selection process, but the Black Death clearly affected certain regions (and population classes) more heavily than others; meaning it was not random.
3. Feudalism, being highly decentralized, is extremely resistant to the issues created by depopulation; particularly in the case of something like the Black Death where the wealthy and their retainers would have been less affected.

1) yes, but on the flip side you don't actually have to start from scratch.
2) yes, like all diseases, the black death tended to gravitate in cities. At one point over 1/3rd of London was empty.
3) less effected is not unaffected. and, mind you, at the same time several long going wars were being fought which radically cut into the numbers of the wealthy and their retainers.

 dogma wrote:

Sure, but that society changed dramatically over the history of Mayan civilization, punctuated by the preclassic and classic collapses ("Mayan" is a word with a very broad meaning.). Bear in mind when I say that society will collapse, I'm not implying that it won't be replaced by something else.

Society has changed dramatically in the last 100 years without massive die offs. It will simply change again.

 dogma wrote:

I question the ability, and honesty, of an engineer and a mechanic that are stuck working at Walmart. Farmers and students I understand, the latter group have significant time constraints (given the time of year its likely a summer job), and the former have few readily transferable skills.

It's easy when there's no work. and frankly it's easy to see it in the economic 'recovery' numbers. Number of jobs is up, but average wages is lower, meaning that people who previously took higher paying jobs instead took lower paying positions to make ends meet. ATM there's little work in this area for either, and if you can't relocate...

 BaronIveagh wrote:

 VorpalBunny74 wrote:
This theory sounds like an inefficient global solution to localised problems.

Who is causing overpopulation, where, and why? Demographics is a fine art, you can't brush the world with broad strokes. China being overpopulated doesn't mean you bomb Argentina to balance the books.

The problem is that there's no such thing as a 'local' problem when it comes to water and food issues. Trade usually evens things out, but there's a certain tipping point where the planet simply cannot support sufficient food production to feed the human population anymore. Individual countries can have overpopulation before that point, but once that point is reached, that's all she wrote.

Once that point is reached, countries without are going to start attacking countries that are not overpopulated, to try and feed themselves.

And what is so bad about that? War is part of human nature. Wars have been fought over food, living space etc. before, why will it be so bad this time? Besides, Europe and North America will be fine. Virtually limitless water, the most fertile soil in the world, and far from overpopulated. Combine that with the military power to easily destroy any attackers, and I think it is going to be pretty quiet around here. I don't see this being a global problem.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

 VorpalBunny74 wrote:
This theory sounds like an inefficient global solution to localised problems.

Who is causing overpopulation, where, and why? Demographics is a fine art, you can't brush the world with broad strokes. China being overpopulated doesn't mean you bomb Argentina to balance the books.

The problem is that there's no such thing as a 'local' problem when it comes to water and food issues. Trade usually evens things out, but there's a certain tipping point where the planet simply cannot support sufficient food production to feed the human population anymore. Individual countries can have overpopulation before that point, but once that point is reached, that's all she wrote.

Once that point is reached, countries without are going to start attacking countries that are not overpopulated, to try and feed themselves.

How aren't food and water local issues? You're looking too hard at the macro. Predictive modelling dies when you ignore too many variables.

Besides, your cull ignores the central issue - if mankind is 'better off' with a 90% drop in current population, what if our numbers grow to the exact same in a century? Another cull?

 BaronIveagh wrote:

1) yes, but on the flip side you don't actually have to start from scratch.

Losing 90% of the global population (And as I pointed out before, it wouldn't stop there.) would fundamentally alter (if not outright eliminate) so many basic components of our daily lives that we may as well be reduced to subsistence farming. At 10% of the current global population you're talking supply chain disruptions that would massively reduce the availability of modern necessities like electricity and gasoline, not to mention food.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

3) less effected is not unaffected. and, mind you, at the same time several long going wars were being fought which radically cut into the numbers of the wealthy and their retainers.

That might be why I said "less affected" and not "unaffected".

Anyway, the loss of the wealthy and their retainers was only an issue in certain regions, and not quite so important as you might think, given that the Black Death basically caused a break in the primary conflicts of the 100 Years' War. The fighting on the Iberian Peninsula had ended about 100 years before the Black Death, with the only remaining Muslim territory being the Emirate of Granada; which was aligned with the Crown of Castile.

 BaronIveagh wrote:

Society has changed dramatically in the last 100 years without massive die offs. It will simply change again.

Then why bother with the whole "Let's kill 90% of the population." plan in the first place? If society can change without mass death, why intentionally cause it?

Also another thing to consider is how this influx will of mass bodies with no manpower to bury them will effect the survivors. The effect on the environment will be short term, but the effect on the final 10% will be horrible I imagine. Stench waves (which can kill) and a ton of pests being born as a result.

Also the other issue is that this 10% will be scattered all over the world. So most of these 10% will more than likely not even be near each other or have a chance at finding each other. So many of that 10% will likely die afterwards because:

Medical conditions
Infants
unable to survive
Bodies spreading disease or stenching up the cities
and so on

I reckon killing 90% of people would leave more than 90% dead within the month.

I guess that, in the event this happened as planned, there will still be a major problem with regards to the worlds remaining resources.

10% of humanity remains.

Relapse wrote:

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
For the sake of the surviving 10%, I really hope Baronlveagh is one of the 90%.

He's been telling us here on Dakka in this thread and that others he's part of an ultra secret government think tank, his family helped build the ABomb, he's a master warrior, etc., so I imagine his bet is on he'll be in the 10%.

I bet he also knows Kung Fu.

 BaronIveagh wrote:


Once that point is reached, countries without are going to start attacking countries that are not overpopulated, to try and feed themselves.

So, Africa in a nutshell then?

 Daba wrote:

Relapse wrote:

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
For the sake of the surviving 10%, I really hope Baronlveagh is one of the 90%.

He's been telling us here on Dakka in this thread and that others he's part of an ultra secret government think tank, his family helped build the ABomb, he's a master warrior, etc., so I imagine his bet is on he'll be in the 10%.

I bet he also knows Kung Fu.

And he goes by the alias of Neo.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:

 Daba wrote:

Relapse wrote:

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
For the sake of the surviving 10%, I really hope Baronlveagh is one of the 90%.

He's been telling us here on Dakka in this thread and that others he's part of an ultra secret government think tank, his family helped build the ABomb, he's a master warrior, etc., so I imagine his bet is on he'll be in the 10%.

I bet he also knows Kung Fu.

And he goes by the alias of Neo.

Whoah.

 Daba wrote:

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:

 Daba wrote:

Relapse wrote:

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
For the sake of the surviving 10%, I really hope Baronlveagh is one of the 90%.

He's been telling us here on Dakka in this thread and that others he's part of an ultra secret government think tank, his family helped build the ABomb, he's a master warrior, etc., so I imagine his bet is on he'll be in the 10%.

I bet he also knows Kung Fu.

And he goes by the alias of Neo.

Whoah.

He's the hero Dakka deserves. But not the hero we need right now. So we'll mock him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector of America's paperwork. A Dark Bureaucrat.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 BaronIveagh wrote:

 VorpalBunny74 wrote:
This theory sounds like an inefficient global solution to localised problems.

Who is causing overpopulation, where, and why? Demographics is a fine art, you can't brush the world with broad strokes. China being overpopulated doesn't mean you bomb Argentina to balance the books.

The problem is that there's no such thing as a 'local' problem when it comes to water and food issues. Trade usually evens things out, but there's a certain tipping point where the planet simply cannot support sufficient food production to feed the human population anymore. Individual countries can have overpopulation before that point, but once that point is reached, that's all she wrote.

Once that point is reached, countries without are going to start attacking countries that are not overpopulated, to try and feed themselves.

And what is so bad about that? War is part of human nature. Wars have been fought over food, living space etc. before, why will it be so bad this time? Besides, Europe and North America will be fine. Virtually limitless water, the most fertile soil in the world, and far from overpopulated. Combine that with the military power to easily destroy any attackers, and I think it is going to be pretty quiet around here. I don't see this being a global problem.

I doubt we'll ever see another 'conventional' large scale modern war... Insurgent/guerilla warfare and the likes of civil conflict as is happening across the Middle East & the Ukraine sure, but full out nation-on-nation ala WWII? Nope, not happening.
If a scenario where to happen such as say a Yellowstone super eruption, or the entire Ring of Fire popping off, you'll be much more likely to have nations attacking eachother through cyber and/or chemical means.


Besides, the whole idea of the planet becoming too overpopulated within the next century is somewhat silly anyways... Most of the human population still lives in high risk areas for natural catastrophes, and as we've been seeing over the past 20+ years, these events are causing record setting death tolls.
The majority of the newest generations are being forced into areas that weren't populated in the past for example, because those areas were so prone to events like regular hurricanes/cyclones, are too arid for proper farming/sustainability, etc... And then there's countries such as China, where there soon won't be enough women to sustain the current growth rate.

The main concerns for an actual 'depopulation bomb' event are more likely to be caused by;
1. A near Earth object collision.
2. A VEI.8 level eruption.
3. Massive climate shift caused by our Sun.
4. Pandemic.
5. Zombiepocalypse!

A rouge state or some insane genocidal scientist gone rouge? Not so much.