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mutantmagnet

Member
Oct 28, 2017
12,401
Like the guards are willing to put on the disciplinary collars? Or the engineers will even make said collars in the first place? How about the technicians doing maintenance? Or the software engineers doing updates? Who's going to pickup their trash? See where I'm going with this?

It's really, really hard to isolate yourself from society without needing outside help no matter how much money you have.

The movie Elysium is a pipedream. They're as good as dead and they know it if they try to go down that route.

People will definitely create those collars. I'm just unsure if the first ones will be made in United States or China before the other nation. Our prison culture is fubar.
 

Trickster

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,533
Didn't we already have this thread, or am I just getting dejavu? Regardless, hard not to laugh at this stuff. 5 men with more money than sense decided to hire a professor for a private QA session so they could ask him about how to keep their private militia guards in check after the end of the world. If that's how they wanna waste their money and time, I say let them.
 

FeliciaFelix

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,778
Fantasy: the rich guys will protect themselves

Reality: the rich guys will turn on each other, Lord of the Flies-style
 

Deleted member 19003

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,809
"This single question occupied us for the rest of the hour. They knew armed guards would be required to protect their compounds from the angry mobs. But how would they pay the guards once money was worthless? What would stop the guards from choosing their own leader? The billionaires considered using special combination locks on the food supply that only they knew. Or making guards wear disciplinary collars of some kind in return for their survival. Or maybe building robots to serve as guards and workers – if that technology could be developed in time. "

This seems like a simple answer. Just guarantee the guards families will be given a place in the secure compound and part of the survivors + Food of course.
 

thediamondage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,234
The best strat seems to be to become a charismatic leader of a group of mercenaries, hire yourself out to various billionaires to scope out their bunkers, and then become head of security for whichever seems to be situated best (closest to food sources, furthest from civilization, good weather, probably a million other things) and then if shit goes down just lead a revolt and declare yourself a warlord.

Ain't gonna go well for the billionaires no matter how it shakes out. Even if robots and stuff get developed, the person on top will be the robot coder.
 
Oct 27, 2017
6,467
Welcome to the shortcoming reality. Get prepared:

h8CF6CA82

FxHT.gif
what's the 2nd gif from?
 

samoyed

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
15,191
This seems like a simple answer. Just guarantee the guards families will be given a place in the secure compound and part of the survivors + Food of course.
It says a lot that this answer, which has been the default answer of dictators and warlords throughout history, didn't strike them (or if it did they made no mention of it).

"Me help others? That's unpossible!"

We'll be saved by their inability to despotism correctly.
 

Zoc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,017
It's a little hard for me to understand what kind of world these billionaires are imagining and how they hope to maintain any reasonable quality of life in it. If the world were so far gone that money no longer meant anything, there won't be any more mines, factories, or supply chains. They could never maintain their elaborate robot soldiers and bomb-collared guards.

There's also a larger problem with descendants and maintaining a family line. The founders of powerful families are by default very effective at gathering and maintaining power, and are there to train the second generation, but the third generation often turn out to be incompetent Nero types that bring about the destruction of the line.
 

Doggg

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Nov 17, 2017
14,437
Their guards will off them at the earliest possible opportunity. Locked food storage? They'll torture them first, then kill them.
 

Dennis8K

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,161
When I take over the Wasteland I will make the tech billionaires fight in the Thunderdome.
 

Koo

Member
Dec 10, 2017
1,863
This seems like a simple answer. Just guarantee the guards families will be given a place in the secure compound and part of the survivors + Food of course.
It says a lot that this answer, which has been the default answer of dictators and warlords throughout history, didn't strike them (or if it did they made no mention of it).

"Me help others? That's unpossible!"

We'll be saved by their inability to despotism correctly.
But what incentive does the guard have to keep a billionaire alive in this scenario? If they have free access to all the supplies, wouldn't the guards and their families live a more comfortable life with one less person around? What is the billionaire even contributing. If anything he'll probably see himself as their eternal boss and always ordering them and their family around. Fuck that business, the billionaire would be the first person getting tossed out of the compound.

Anyway, future tech isn't going to save these billionaires from the apocalypse. Guards could turn on them, their compound could get over-run. And what happens if one piece of tech in the compound fails; will they even know how to repair it? Most complicated pieces of tech almost always require a person specialized in maintaining and repairing it. Their compounds are going to have so many interconnected systems for water and air purification, waste storage and disposal, etc. Will they even recognize when something goes wrong and can they fix it if it does? Probably not.

They should abandon any plans for future proofing their bunkers. About the only good idea from this was finding the place on the planet with the least environmental impact in the event of a climate change catastrophe. But they should be focusing on wilderness and harsh environment survival training. Have someone teach them to defend themselves and live off the land, etc. Have someone randomly kidnap them to test them, dropping them off in a desert and told to survive for a week with no supplies.
 

nomis

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,013
anyone who thinks capitalism can avert a problem that capitalism itself has created for the atmosphere, i give you Exhibit A for why you're utterly mistaken

they won't use their absurd wealth to create magic devices that can pull trillions of tons of carbon out of the atmosphere, they're just gonna build more walls, or in elon musks case, maybe fuck off to mars
 

Richietto

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,957
North Carolina
This shit is unsettling. They would rather live through the end of the world instead of help prevent it. Why are the mega rich such sociopaths?
 

samoyed

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
15,191
But what incentive does the guard have to keep a billionaire alive in this scenario? If they have free access to all the supplies, wouldn't the guards and their families live a more comfortable life with one less person around? What is the billionaire even contributing. If anything he'll probably see himself as their eternal boss and always ordering them and their family around. Fuck that business, the billionaire would be the first person getting tossed out of the compound.
The boss provides hierarchy. Without hierarchy there's power struggle. There's no guarantee you or your family will survive the power struggle. So long as you and your family's needs are met, it makes more sense to keep the boss alive than to invite chaos.

Coups are only possible when there's a sufficient number of mutineers willing to band together against the boss, because having a large number reduces the chance of a power struggle and makes it feel safer to rebel. This has its own risks as every person you try to recruit can betray you to the boss for benefits.
 

sirap

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,209
South East Asia
They can have it. When the world turns to shit I want to be the first to go. Hell if these assholes start launching nukes, land that sucker right on my head.

Life is too good right now. I won't last a day living in Mad Max.
 

Ether_Snake

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
11,306
Because money has meaning right now

But this won't happen over night. See my post on the first page. You need an economy to get supplies, so they have to protect the power that keeps the economy going, but this empowers those with wealth, so the "guards" end up as a subservient caste to the wealthy as they make sacrifices to hold their position of privilege in the hierarchy, weakening themselves over time. They can never "take over". A member could, but those guards as a group can't, their caste has to keep existing to protect those above and themselves from one another, it's inherent. They become ever more subservient due to the sacrifices they must make to hold their status, and we can imagine this eventually leads them to be replaced completely, such as by machines.

The boss provides hierarchy. Without hierarchy there's power struggle. There's no guarantee you or your family will survive the power struggle. So long as you and your family's needs are met, it makes more sense to keep the boss alive than to invite chaos.

Coups are only possible when there's a sufficient number of mutineers willing to band together against the boss, because having a large number reduces the chance of a power struggle and makes it feel safer to rebel. This has its own risks as every person you try to recruit can betray you to the boss for benefits.

The coup doesn't change the system, only the members. The ones holding the guns never rule.
 
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Yoshimitsu126

The Fallen
Nov 11, 2017
14,677
United States
I guess when you dont have to worry about paying the roof over your head with the blood sweat and tears of the planet you're fucking with you worry about these things instead.
 

Amnesty

Member
Nov 7, 2017
2,680
The boss provides hierarchy. Without hierarchy there's power struggle. There's no guarantee you or your family will survive the power struggle. So long as you and your family's needs are met, it makes more sense to keep the boss alive than to invite chaos.

Coups are only possible when there's a sufficient number of mutineers willing to band together against the boss, because having a large number reduces the chance of a power struggle and makes it feel safer to rebel. This has its own risks as every person you try to recruit can betray you to the boss for benefits.
Yeah, but they're fucked if the lead-guard is charismatic and respected by his subordinates. Then he can just be like 'nah, I'm the boss now' while his unit backs him up and there's no power struggle at all.
 

hombremalo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,959
Guards will always end up taking power as the rich will make decision they don't like , why wouldn't then?
 

samoyed

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
15,191
Yeah, but they're fucked if the lead-guard is charismatic and respected by his subordinates. Then he can just be like 'nah, I'm the boss now' while his unit backs him up and there's no power struggle at all.
A lot of their challenge, and I feel gross just writing this, is hiring the right kinds of guards. The ones that are smart enough to fend off the angry peasants but too dumb to plot a coup. They would also have to filter for psychological instability.
 

ishan

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,192
big deal psycho rich guys. Literally transferring consciousness? If that was possible it would take endless studies and times to fix it to make it effective. yada yada. All this bs about billionares. The solution is simple . No citizens united. But ppl in general dont focus on that. Its hes rich hes some evil influencer etc. Cut out the ability for the rich to influence policy end of story.
 

Dingens

Circumventing ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,018
didn't I read this exact same article like a year ago?

You mean the guy actually doing something significant about climate change?

yeah, by promoting the status-quo through selling luxury cars, thus hindering the adoption of proper public transport and burning tons of fuel to launch rockets, he sure is doing something significant about climate change
 

plié

Alt account
Banned
Jan 10, 2019
1,613

Chairman Yang

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,587
yeah, by promoting the status-quo through selling luxury cars, thus hindering the adoption of proper public transport and burning tons of fuel to launch rockets, he sure is doing something significant about climate change
I have to admit, "electric vehicles are bad because it'll somehow make people use public transport less" isn't an argument I expected anyone to ever make. I don't think most environmentalists would agree with you.

Shutting down all space exploration because of the insignificant impact of a few rocket launches a year (compared to the billions of vehicles on the roads or in the air) seems strange to me as well.
 

Clefargle

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,120
Limburg
Ironically, redistribution of the wealthy's riches would accelerate climate change in the short term by enabling more people to live a middle class lifestyle.
Which is why it only makes sense if coupled with environmental regulation and lifestyle changes. What is "middle class" right now needs to change. Electric cars and small renewable advances like solar panels and the Tesla wall give me hope. But we still have a long way to go. Just like not every Third world nation will be able to industrialize like the west did last century, not every newly middle class family will be able to live in the exact same manner as their parents would have lived had they been middle class.
 

Deleted member 7051

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,254
I'm actually intrigued by this problem just as a thought exercise. I'm curious what the option is that gave you the best odds.

The option with the best odds? Use those billions to save the planet so we don't end up in a situation where billionaires lock themselves in steel cages hoping the rabble outside can't break in and kill them just to survive.
 
Oct 27, 2017
386
I have to admit, "electric vehicles are bad because it'll somehow make people use public transport less" isn't an argument I expected anyone to ever make. I don't think most environmentalists would agree with you.

Yet that is exactly what environmental groups are always saying. We need fewer cars on the road not millions of different type of car. The electric car is not going to help fix global warming it is actually going to make it a damn sight worse. All the electric car does is move the pollution down the chain to somewhere else. Lets just ignore for a moment the carbon footprint of actually building the car itself and think about how you are going to power all these "billions" of cars. The actual infrastructure needed to support all these new electric cars will have a hugely damaging effect on the environment. You will need dozens if not hundreds of new power stations to power these "billions" of electric cars and no wind and solar will do diddly squat. So you are going to have hundreds of new power stations all pumping out Co2 into the atmosphere just so people can charge their electric car.

The electric car is NOT going to save or help climate change and anyone thinking it does was probably dropped on their head as a baby. Elon Musk is just using the "I'll save the planet" bull to get rich.

As for the topic it doesn't surprise me the rich and powerful long since lost touch with the rest of the planet. They got where they are today by being selfish bastards and it is no surprise that if there is an apocalypse they will continue to be selfish bastards.
 
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Dingens

Circumventing ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,018
I have to admit, "electric vehicles are bad because it'll somehow make people use public transport less" isn't an argument I expected anyone to ever make. I don't think most environmentalists would agree with you.

Shutting down all space exploration because of the insignificant impact of a few rocket launches a year (compared to the billions of vehicles on the roads or in the air) seems strange to me as well.

Besides what PC-Patriot already said, there's more than enough studies about how this is going to play out. Make the use of a car more convenient and people will use it. that's not even up for debate. all electric cars do is make people who are concerned about climate change feel better about themselves, encouraging them to drive more. That energy has to come from somewhere, see PC-Patriots post. And it will also discourage the use of public transport - because those who took it for environmental reason don't need to anymore, or so they may argue.
Cars don't grow on a tree. It takes vast amounts of energy and resources, especially electric ones and their batteries are an environmental nightmare.
And then there's the efficiency elephant in the room: You have to move 2 tons of steel every time you want to go somewhere. A bombardier talent, a commonly used commuter train in europe ways 116 tons and has an official capacity of 450 people - though I'm sure there are more riding during rush hour. So in the best case scenario, you're moving 0,26 tons of train for every rider. that's 9,2 times the efficiency of a model x if you're driving alone or 1,8 times more efficient if your model x is filled with 5 people. And then there's the other issue with cars... they sit idle 99% of the time. They take up valuable city space and may drive like 10k miles a year. Meanwhile, some trains drive 10k miles every 2 weeks - and will do so for 30+ years, because that's the usual replacement age - they may even continue to be used as they are often sold to poorer countries. Cars are replaced after 10 years, usually even faster. and in the case of electric cars, your environmental advantage resets back to zero once you need a replacement battery.

regarding Space exploration: I'm sure your neighbor is of the same opinion, why should he stop driving, his car's impact on the environment is insignificant after all. The point is, there is no benefit from space exploration, it's just another way we add unnessecary Co2 to the atmosphere. Well, given the premise of this thread, the benefit is probably feeling this rock once he has made enough money scamming people
 
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