Reply #18: well, the "social safety net" may actually contribute to that vibe [View All]

[gmoney]

I think many people have the feeling that when someone else loses a job, it's a snap to just collect unemployment, go on welfare, get food stamps, get free food from food banks, and take part in various other "lucky ducky" programs that are paid for with "taxpayer dollars."

They don't want to get their hands dirty. They pay taxes so that it's the government's problem to deal with the unemployed, or the poor, or the elderly, or the disabled. Or they contribute to charities thinking they'll do the job.

I don't know that we'll be "Lord of the Flies" or "Mad Max" unless there is something that completely wipes out the infrastructure. I'd say "Soylent Green" is a lot more likely. If you recall, the "MacGuffin" in the film is a book which reports on a study that finds the oceans are finally dying -- thus ending the harvest of plankton and seaweed that served as the prime food source in the form of "Soylent" foodstuffs. This is what leads to the introduction of "Soylent Green" which is famously made from people.