# How useful would you be in a survival situation? (poll) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054 "2010-08-22T12:34:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/41 "2010-08-23T01:00:16Z")
I have some basic blacksmithing skills and can build a forge. I built a furnace that is fueled with charcoal and learned to melt and cast aluminum. It used an electric blower but I have plans to make a hand-powered centrifugal blower out of sheet metal. I can make charcoal or coke and the furnace can be adapted to burn vegetable oil or burnt motor oil. I know how a cupola can be made from an old water heater. I’ve kept bees for 30 years since I was sixteen. I am knowledgeable in aquaculture. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/42 "2010-08-23T01:11:13Z")
_still waits for something bright ‘n’ shiny_ Just teasin’, any skills one knows beyond the usual are almost always welcomed skills. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/43 "2010-08-23T01:50:18Z")
> [@elelle](#): > > Heyyyyy, Broomstick…way up there above you were all jazzed about taking charge with it all. Que pasa, there, Hon? S’up with the switch? I am neither immortal nor invulnerable. It would not be prudent for our little community or Ark to be entirely dependent on any one person - so obviously other people must also assume leadership roles and tasks besides just myself ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/44 "2010-08-23T01:58:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > > I would be useless beyond providing basic manual labor. I don’t know anything about growing food, fixing/building things, etc. > > Can you follow instructions? (I don’t want to say “orders” although it’s almost the same thing - clearly cooperation will be a big part of survival in such a situation and voluntary compliance is best if it can be achieved). Because a LOT of the survival stuff that needs to be done isn’t that complicated but does require human labor. With the energy grid down and no doubt the gasoline going quick we’ll be back to human muscle power very quickly. If you can follow the directions of those who have more knowledge and skills you are a valuable and welcome addition to my “Ark” Sure thing. I’ll be especially useful in the repopulation efforts. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/45 "2010-08-23T02:33:09Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I might be useful as food for the others… Yup, you might think of me as livestock. OTOH, I am pretty clever and I might think of a useful solution to a novel problem. I’m also very widely read, and I know lots of things that I don’t even know I know. So maybe some key piece of information might pop up in my brain at the right moment… until the point where you slaughter and cook me. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/46 "2010-08-23T02:59:09Z")
Well, hmmm. I’m a 26 year old male who is a bit out-of-shape, but I can perform physical labor just fine. On the surface, that’s about it sadly. I don’t have any practical skills that I can think of, nor do I have knowledge of any useful civ-building arts. That’s actually a bit too harsh. Although this is probably shared by most posters here, I do think myself capable of teaching basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and various liberal arts up to a roughly high-school level. I would not mind being an elementary/middle-school teacher to the new breed of survivors. Other than that, in the one instance where I was in a pseudo-survival situation (hopelessly lost in the woods for 8 hours), I stayed remarkably calm. I like to think of that as a possible asset. Sooo, in summary, I’m not sure how useful I will be, but I don’t think of myself as a negative. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/47 "2010-08-23T03:08:33Z")
You’d probably want me around. I can make a fire from sticks. I swing a pretty fair axe, can shoot rifle (very well) and bow (tollerably), can cook over an open fire, know most of the local edible plants, and all the local poisonous ones, can make a fishing pole and line from found materials and use it acceptably well. I can make a warm, waterproof shelter from found materials, and also make a pretty nasty snare from same. I can use a map and compass, can determine north using a couple sticks and some twine, and know a fair bits about the habits of local wildlife. BUT: I’m rather seriously out of shape, and effectively blind without my glasses. _Edit:_ Oh, and I can tan leather, can sew, and know a bit about basic agriculture. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/48 "2010-08-23T03:11:17Z")
I do not expect any of you to accept my word, but in a real "shit hits the fan"scenario only a few of you so far would I accept into my fold. Beyond that, some of you seem to have real world practical knowledge and perhaps survival fortitude to make me think I might risk your inclusion in my tribe. Otherwise, for the most, I am continent to set back and watch the rest of your so called civilization erode into dust. FYI… I like y’all, but I must look after my own first and foremost. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/49 "2010-08-23T03:21:17Z")
Smile when ya say that, or your sassafras tea might have a little sumpin special in it. 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/50 "2010-08-23T03:31:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Even outside of the massive urban casualties in this scenario there will be a nasty die-off in the first year or two as people sustained by modern medicine succomb to chronic illness (insulin dependent diabetics, for example, will probably all be dead within a few months at most, two years or so at best). I have a lot of useful skills, but I’ll probably be useless in a couple of weeks, and dead in a month. I’m an insulin dependent diabetic, and without refrigeration, my insulin will go bad quickly…and the scenario DOES say that the power’s out and it’s been out. So, I guess that I can show how to start a fire with just one match, or no matches at all, how to do basic knitting, and other simple skills that can be taught QUICKLY. Because time’s running out for me. When my blood sugar gets too high, I can’t think clearly, and the sugar starts damaging my organs. Sooner or later, that damage will kill me. And it will probably be sooner. I know a great deal about cooking from scratch, about making fiber and fabric, about sewing, about woodworking, among other things. I’ve always been fascinated about how people did things before modern times, and I have a very good memory for things that I’ve read. If you’re going to give me back my healthy body, I’d be a very useful person to have around. I have mobility issues, but I’m not in a cart…yet. My doctor keeps pushing me to let him prescribe one. I’m not ready to do that yet. I can walk, but not very fast and not very far. I used to be an excellent camper, and could easily camp out in a place with no power of any kind, other than wood fires, and no running water. Those days are long behind me. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/51 "2010-08-23T03:33:41Z")
Is there any danger in eating diabetic meat? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/52 "2010-08-23T03:43:15Z")
Well, in my case, I’m going to try to commit suicide before my mind has completely fizzled out. I’ve seen the end, and it’s not pretty. So I’m going to try to get hold of some sort of poison, preferably a narcotic. Or I’ll find a venomous snake and aggravate it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/53 "2010-08-23T05:29:58Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Is there any danger in eating diabetic meat? 😛 It will probably be nice and sweet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/54 "2010-08-23T06:05:44Z")
I have a fair deal of book knowledge, but no practical experience with most of the skills needed. What I do have is common sense and an ability to follow instructions. I’m not going to be the one leading the way, but I’ll have a solid place as one of the many people needed to do the dirty work that needs to be done. ---
**Author:** ![AnnaKareninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@AnnaKareninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnnaKareninja)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/55 "2010-08-23T06:23:55Z")
I know the dewey system , I’m good at following instructions…and I have good child bearin’ hips. Pretty sure that’ll be enough to ensure my survival… right? ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/56 "2010-08-23T11:55:58Z")
I suppose since I started this I ought to chime in with my skills list. I have a thorough working knowledge of all primitive survival skills, and can handle myself in nearly any environment. For the long term, my degree is in sculpture and fabrication. I can make anything out of anything. I have basic knowledge of carpentry, masonry, blacksmithing, and plumbing. I’m a fair shot with a rifle and decent with my a handgun. I’m an experienced practitioner of an applied form of martial arts and comfortable teaching those techniques to others. I’m a good hunter, (including hunting with dogs), and excellent fisherman. I have extensive wildlife handling experience and I’m not afraid to try those skills out with livestock we might come across. Though I’m not the best at long term planning; I have excellent leadership skills and I’m quite comfortable making decisions and quickly implementing courses of action. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/57 "2010-08-23T12:10:38Z")
Heavy lifting, ditch digging, and camp defense. I also look good in shoulderpads made from quarter tires. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/58 "2010-08-23T12:33:57Z")
In a pre-built town with a full, healthy population of people, I’d be most useful at thinking without panic and knowing what questions to ask to find the right people to organize a self-sufficient local economy. But that implies that I’d be able to take command in the first place. Far more likely is that I’d be able to get a sane group formed of 10-20 people that worked to last through the panic, then simply joined along as the town governance picked up on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/59 "2010-08-23T12:51:00Z")
Without reading everything… Extremely… I taught survival skills at Ft. Sill for almost 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054/60 "2010-08-23T12:59:35Z")
…how come \*\*MegaBee \*\*gets to wear the tire armor? I so wanted that. :mad: Oh well, I’m sure someone mentioned making inks; I’m calling dibs on skull war-paint, and possibly a headband. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-would-you-be-in-a-survival-situation-poll/551054.md?page=4)