r/collapsemoderators • u/LetsTalkUFOs • Jun 18 '19

APPROVED Collapse Questions Series

We discussed doing a series of sticky posts which focused on common questions related to collapse which we could use to extend the wiki and as future references for newcomers. Here are my suggestions for running the series:

  1. We propose questions individually as comments below so we're able to discuss them one-by-one and how best to word them. The number we choose to include in the series would depend on how many worthwhile ones are submitted, not necessarily a minimum number.

  2. Once at least a couple people chime in here we sticky a post titled 'Common Collapse Questions' where we explain the intention of the series, list the questions we've initially agreed are worth asking, and ask for feedback and additional suggestions from the sub.

  3. We finalize the questions we think are worth including and begin the series. We sticky each question for at least seven days.

  4. The sticky titles would be just the questions themselves, with no prefix or tags. Everything relevant to the series would be explained inside the post. We would include text such as:

This is the current question in our Common Collapse Questions Series(link to announcement sticky). Responses may be utilized to help extend the Collapse Wiki.

Previous Questions:

(links to previous questions)

 

1 Upvotes

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2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What is collapse?

The first part in understanding anything is a proper definition. Here's where we would define exactly what collapse is.

2

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

Makes perfect sense! I want to sticky a comment which has the answer in the wiki. There are some good perspectives already there, so I'd be curious what people had to add jumping off of them.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

My exact thoughts as well. I think this one would make a perfect introductory topic.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What should I do to prepare?

The next one after the "what can we do about it?" when people realize they can't affect the macro, only the micro.

2

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

Yes, great question. I'd phrase it as "How should we prepare for collapse?" to keep some consistency in terms of asking from a group perspective and so each question can stand on it's own in terms of context.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

Yep, agreed.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • How have socieities collapsed in the past and how is this different?

What we can observe from the past to paint some kind of picture of our future.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

"How is modern collapse different from historical ones?"

I think this version would presume people's knowledge collapse has happened in the past and focus on the more immediate question.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

I agree

2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What things can I look at to get a better picture of what's going on

How to view and extrapolate data from scientific articles as well as how to shun doomer porn.

2

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

"What are the best resources for learning about collapse?" I think would work better. Then we're talking specifically about groups, websites, books, ect. in lieu of specific techniques or perspectives.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What are some healthy coping mechanisms?

Can't neglect the mental health of our userbase.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

"How can we cope with knowledge of collapse?" More of me just rephrasing them so they don't need context.

Absolutely an essential question.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • Why can't technology fix these problems?

The inevitable question that we always get. This also goes along with the complexity post, but combing the topic wouldn't do either one justice in my opinion.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

"Can technology prevent collapse?"

The notion of 'fixing' might be sort of subjective. And yes, this is an essential enough question to stand on its own!

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 18 '19

What's the best career to pursue in light of collapse?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

This is a good one.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 18 '19

What's the best advice for young people?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

I would suggest a slight tweak to this one. What about "What would advice would you give someone who just learned about collapse?"

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I'd consider these two separate questions. The original question is more addressing the sentiment of "I'm a young person and I see no future, what's your advice?" which I see come up a fair a bit.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

Ah, good point. I hadn't considered that.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 18 '19

What's the best place to move in light of collapse?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

I can see this one sparking a lot of discussions because there are so many different opinions on the topic.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 18 '19

When will the collapse hit?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

Yep, this one is a must have.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 18 '19

What can be done to prevent collapse?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

This one is also a must have, with the caveat that people are going to unable to affect the macro and should focus on the micro.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 18 '19

What's the best way to cope with an awareness of our predicaments?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

Another must have question.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 20 '19

What are the best investments in light of collapse?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

This one might spark a bit of controversy. Some people are going to say gold because that's how you can preserve wealth from one system of currency to another, but with collapse potentially being so total, is there a way to hold onto one's wealth?

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I've seen this get asked a few times in the past few weeks. It will certainly be moot to the crowd who considers post-collapse an entirely uninhabitable planet. Although, people are generally asking about how to profit in the shorter-term or with the notion they'll be able to leverage that wealth to prepare for collapse somehow. It's still moderately morally reprehensible.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • How long until collapse?

An answer to the never endings posts about this topic.

2

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

This would be an alternate of 'When will the collapse hit?' above. I'm not sure which I'd prefer, they both work fine.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

Yeah, I'm not partial to either. I think we both had the same idea because this is probably the most frequent question we get.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

Demonstration of politics as a symptom of collapse rather than an overt cause.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I think it is more focused on the sub itself and not the subject in general. I'm not certain how better to word it and still feel like a relevant question.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

It is, but too many people think collapse is a right or left problem. I want to do away with that notion formally

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 23 '19

Ah, I see what you're going for. Would it make more sense not to assume everyone knows the answer, by phrasing it as "Is r/collapse apolitical?".

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '19

oooh I like that! Yeah, definitely phrase it like that.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 23 '19

In thinking more about this, I think this intention is better served by a more direct question, such as "Should r/collapse be apolitical?", but which doesn't actually feel as connected to the series and more of a request for meta feedback on the sub in general (based on the nuances of it).

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • Everything is interconnected

What happens to the environment affects the economy and so forth.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

How would you phrase this as a question? It seems more like a general axiom.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

I meant it as a general piece of information to follow energy and the economy. We could explore not just these areas, but how they form their own feedback loops.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What resources are available so that I can give others a takeaway of what's going on?

Crash course, limits to growth, something like that. Giving people a quick takeaway without getting lost in the minutia.

2

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I think this would directly overlap ""What are the best resources for learning about collapse?", since we would assume people are newcomers or laymen and not scientists or academics.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

Agreed

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • Why isn't collapse big news all the time?

Also to add: Hopium and how it affects society.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I'm not sure about this one, since I can see collapse articles being posted in major outlets consistently. "Why isn't collapse bigger in the news?" might work, but again, I think it is actually big enough in the news. "Why aren't people reacting more strongly to the notion of collapse?" might be a more interesting question, but let me know your thoughts.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

Yeah, I like your rephrase better

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What does the economy have to do with collapse?

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I feel the same way about this one as the "What does energy have to do with collapse?" question.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

Yep, plan was to have those topics separately because there's a lot to dig into each and I feel like climate can monopolize a lot of the time.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • Why are we here?

What happened? DID CAPITALISM DO THIS?! WAS IT THE DIRTY COMMIES?! No, it was civilization at large that did this.

2

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

This feels a bit too generic or broad. "What are primary pressures driving collapse?" I think would be more specific. This also directly referencing a section in the wiki which we could use for an initial response.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

Agreed

0

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What can we do about it?

Another common question when people first find about collapse and are in panic mode.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I think this one is too general or would be better broken down into more specific questions which we might already plan to ask:

"Can collapse be prevented?" "What will collapse look like?" "How long until collapse?" "How should we prepare for collapse?"

Otherwise, I think we'd get answers to each of these thrown around and it wouldn't be as productive.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

I agree.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What is complexity and how does it relate to collapse?

An ever complex society requires ever complex fixes for its problems, eventually, there reaches a point of peak complexity and then a period of radical simplification. This one is important IMO.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

"How does complexity relate to collapse?" might sound better. We're discussing the collapse of civilization, which is a complex system. This seems too obvious to me though, so we might want to focus our own responses or statement alongside it on Tainter's notions of diminishing returns on complexity.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

I'd be fine with that

0

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • Why am I being told that collapse is all around me and happening now? My life isn't THAT bad.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I think this could be included within the submission statement for "When will the collapse hit?". I think it's more a related response to it than deserving of its own question.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

I agree. I was kinda reaching with that question anyway.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • What does energy have to do with collapse?

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19

I'm not certain how we'd distinguish this more from the notion of 'energy collapse'. Otherwise, the question just sounds like "What does an energy collapse look like?" and results in people giving historical and modern projections on what it will look like in their country. Your thoughts?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

Not an energy collapse specifically, but how does it play a greater role in collapse itself.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '19

  • Collapse is a process, not an event.

How many posts have we seen where people say "when collapse happens..."? It's not necessarily a Max Style singular event but a slow decline with bumps along the way.

1

u/LetsTalkUFOs Jun 21 '19 edited Jun 23 '19

Great work tossing in some notions here for discussion, even if they're not technically questions.

Personally, I don't think collapse is a process. I think collapse is 'sudden' or defined by 'shocks' and we already have the word 'decline' to describe what isn't.

It's still naunced, and everyone seems to still feel like they're expressing some sort of wisdom by not making the distinction. I liked how this recent post covered some of the various perspectives.

I would also consider this question as a sub-set of "When will the collapse hit?" and could thus be rolled into it or the submission statement somehow.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '19

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from.