I was inspired to create this discussion after finally watching The Road, which did, eventually, come to little one-stoplight Bloomington, Indiana. (I thought the movie was pretty disappointing and boring, but that’s for another thread.) It definitely got me thinking, as such films often do, about survival in a scenario where there was a collapse of society and a shortage of resources.
Now, there are so many different permutations of this scenario, it would be impossible to list every one, but I’ll say for the sake of simplifying it that in this context, a post-apocalyptic event would be something worse than, say, Hurricane Katrina or another disaster which the government and military is at least nominally able to control, even if only to a small degree. The survival scenario I am working under is one in which there is no government power; there is intense competition for scarce resources; large numbers of people have died (from disease, from radiation, whatever) and communications technology is completely or almost completely inactive. So, basically, like the scenario of The Road, although the total lack of vegetation and animal life (with no explanation) need not be assumed.
Some things to consider:
Cooperation
Most post-apocalyptic films, with the exception of the much-maligned The Postman, suffer from a fatal flaw which is that there are either no organized groups of people working in cooperation, or what organized groups there are are evil and seek only to rob and kill everyone else. The hero is inevitably a lone-wolf character who subsists completely on his own. This scenario is absurd. In reality, there would be at least some degree of cooperation among people who are trying to survive and not act in a predatory way. I am not willing to believe that small towns or neighborhoods would immediately turn on each other. Small communities with access to food and water, and presumably with weapons, would build fortifications and shelter, and work towards the common goal of sustaining life, possibly allowing other people to join the community, and growing strong through numbers.
Travel
In a scenario such as The Road where travel is somehow necessary (to escape radiation, say) there would be mobile groups of people. Travel would be initially accomplished by motor vehicles. Large 4x4 trucks that can get over rough terrain and bypass traffic jams on the road would be ideal. Some would also use motorcycles, like dirt bikes, for even greater mobility. In this case the most successful people would probably be those who have large reserves of gasoline. Vehicles such as the army’s K5000 Blazer, which are designed to run on different types of fuels, would be prized.
Gasoline would be obtained initially from filling stations, and then from other travelers (probably through either barter or outright robbery.) If gasoline were to run out, travel by horseback would be useful. If the conditions were so bad that even horses couldn’t be sustained (as in The Road) then foot travel would become the only viable form. In this case, again, strength would be in numbers. Large groups of people traveling in battle-style formations with a vanguard and a rearguard of armed men would be the safest, with the women and children in the center, along with maybe designated supply-carriers.
Trade
Certain items would be invaluable. Obviously, nonperishable food and water. Gasoline. Cigarettes and alcohol would be very desirable, as would opiates to numb pain and stimulants to keep people awake. “Recreational” drugs like pot and hallucinogens would be useful only in the context of a fortified and safe area where people could afford to let their guard down. The most important drugs would be the “practical” ones - the ones with medicinal uses, even cocaine (as a numbing agent or to keep guards more alert in a desperate situation, like extreme sleep deprivation.) BIRTH CONTROL would be a huge commodity and condoms and hormone pills would be as valuable as gold.
Protection
Save the gun debates for another thread - it’s simply an inevitability that firearms would play a role in any survival scenario. This would be a practical consideration that everyone would have to keep in mind. Military caches of automatic rifles and ammo would be the best source (although the role of the military in this scenario could be one of many things - they might be unified and guarding the equipment like Dobermans, or they might be fragmented into different factions and scattered around the country, leaving bases and warehouses unguarded.) Long range rifles (and binoculars and scopes) would be important for engaging targets at a distance (and hunting), pistols would be needed for personal protection especially for someone who was traveling alone, and machine guns could be mounted on trucks. It is not a given that the world would immediately degenerate into fighting, but there would probably be some groups of robbers and predators just looking to steal food and gasoline, and protection from them would be necessary.
Entertainment
It’s no joke - entertainment would be important. In a wasteland, people would need something to pass the time and a reason to live and not simply commit suicide out of desperation. Even under the shittiest circumstances people would find a way to have a good time (there were people painting and playing music in the Nazi concentration camps.) Musicians, artists, entertainers (people who memorized theater or could do stuff like magic acts), they would be much-appreciated by the downtrodden citizens of our sorry world.
Sex
Women would be in danger of being raped - they would have to be extra careful. Again as before, like men or anyone else, their best hope is in numbers, in organized groups that can fight off potential attackers.
I will add more to this thread as I think of it. But feel free to share any thoughts you might have.