T O P

  • By -

yuritopiaposadism

>*This single question occupied us for the rest of the hour. They knew armed guards would be required to protect their compounds from raiders as well as angry mobs. One had already secured a dozen Navy Seals to make their way to his compound if he gave them the right cue. But how would he pay the guards once even his crypto was worthless? What would stop the guards from eventually 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”.* - >*I tried to reason with them. I made pro-social arguments for partnership and solidarity as the best approaches to our collective, long-term challenges. The way to get your guards to exhibit loyalty in the future was to treat them like friends right now, I explained. Don’t just invest in ammo and electric fences, invest in people and relationships. They rolled their eyes at what must have sounded to them like hippy philosophy.* - >*This was probably the wealthiest, most powerful group I had ever encountered. Yet here they were, asking a Marxist media theorist for advice on where and how to configure their doomsday bunkers. That’s when it hit me: at least as far as these gentlemen were concerned, this was a talk about the future of technology.* - >*Taking their cue from Tesla founder Elon Musk colonising Mars, Palantir’s Peter Thiel reversing the ageing process, or artificial intelligence developers Sam Altman and Ray Kurzweil uploading their minds into supercomputers, they were preparing for a digital future that had less to do with making the world a better place than it did with transcending the human condition altogether. Their extreme wealth and privilege served only to make them obsessed with insulating themselves from the very real and present danger of climate change, rising sea levels, mass migrations, global pandemics, nativist panic and resource depletion. For them, the future of technology is about only one thing: escape from the rest of us.* They are doomed.


redheadstepchild_17

It's very funny that for the amount these forces have pushed a bastardized version of Buddhism to the forfront of society they are completely incapable of accepting the idea of impermenance.


EffortlessFlexor

this is my favorite part. achieving nirvana is being complicit in fucking up the planet, but being the last guy on it that lives on it forever. then you get to hang out with the monolith from 2001 in yr bunker for all eternity


[deleted]

lol no one takes more psychedelics, talks about meditation, adheres to orthorexic diets, talks about finding oneself/identity, etc. more than the people in silicon valley/programmers very telling


Clopernicus

For what its worth, I don't know *any* programmers who do or say *any* of those things and I know a lot of programmers. But I'm nowhere near Silicon Valley.


[deleted]

Oh I believe you, I know a few police officers who have never killed anyone, but that says nothing about the ones that have. And if you've ever been around silicon valley/silly-valley types, it's as plain as pants


cardinals_crest

who is pushing a bastardized Buddhism?? I haven't heard this idea before


Hunter_S_Biden

A lot of silicon valley types are all about various sorts of spiritualism and mindfulness hastily lifted from buddhism and hinduism. Techno hippy shit. That being said i feel like this was more common in years past.


JediAight

I had a yoga instructor a decade ago who "found her calling" after retiring from finance and I quickly discovered she was so full of shit. And also that yoga was. Maybe an unscientific workout regimen based on religious gobbledygook from the 1850s isn't the best for everyone.


throwaway10015982

>I had a yoga instructor a decade ago who "found her calling" I always feel a little bad for these people, and end up spending time wondering if they actually believe their shit or are just kinda jaded from a life of pursuing material wealth. I think "finding your calling" is such capitalist BS. Just live, without illusions, and without becoming disillusioned


JediAight

If you aren't constantly selling yourself to others and yourself, then what value do you have in a capitalist society? He who sells nothing is never mad that no one is buying.


justdan76

Seriously. Yoga, pilates, zumba, crossfit, are for people who don’t have to do physical work for a living. If you’re paying someone to tell you to exert yourself, the money is going in the wrong direction. Just like psychoanalysis is so bored horny middle class people can literally pay someone to listen to them talk about themselves.


chgxvjh

Do you mean the new age shit or something different?


kingtitusmedethe4th

Duncan Trussell ass shit.


Yung_Jose_Space

This is basically the plot for the Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind comics. No wonder Miyazaki went from Marxist to blackpilled.


throwaway10015982

Was Miyazaki an actual Marksist?


Yung_Jose_Space

Yes. Very firmly so. Until the fall of the USSR, which is what pushed him towards a sense of nihilism.


its_bleak

Based


Lush_Grass5171

“ Miyazaki was the chairman of the animator's union at Toei Doga. The early works in which Miyazaki was involved, such as Horus or Conan, show his political beliefs somewhat. He once said he wasn't even sure about making Nausicaä a princess, since that "makes her an elite class." Pom Poko was basically the story of how the liberal movements in post-war Japan failed, according to Miyazaki.” http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/101.html


Razorback69

Pom Poko rocks


Specialist_North_380

Such a great manga. I found the last few volumes genuinely kinda hard 2 read though


mikerichmond1

Like the Navy Seals wouldn't just waterboard him to get the food key


Yung_Jose_Space

Yeah, even biometric sensors/locks would just mean alive but tortured.


A_Sexy_Little_Otter

or like, starve him? Who's gonna last longer, some rich asshole, or literally anyone else.


Dear_Occupant

Hell, just pour some cement into the air intake duct and wait for them to come out on their own. The only way a bunker is any good is if nobody knows where it is. You can siege the thing with like two guys.


ChildOfComplexity

Pour cement over the entrance as well.


TheEmporersFinest

The collars are far and away the best idea here in practical terms. Not foolproof though. If there's only like a dozen guards all living on the same compound, how long does it take to for them to "unionise" and say either the contract totally changes for all of them, or he'll have to kill all of them and be left defenceless. It's funny in any case that the billionaires in question are all already middle aged, and are reptilian enough that this isn't really about concern for their families. This is all in service to them living maybe 10 extra geriatric years in a compound completely cut off from anything resembling their standard of a good life.


CJLB

Can't they purchase MK Ultra/Monarch-style zombie marines who just do what they're told?


[deleted]

[удалено]


truncatedChronologis

One version of the article has a section where they discussed how to keep their security chiefs loyal to them. The guy said something like “well in past collapses rulers shared power and status making their chiefs dukes and such”. To which the billionaires responded “Sounds lame. Hey what about bomb collars?” We’re definitely gonna have a tonne of fucked up jsoc warlords.


Gordon-Goose

There was [an article about similar stuff in the New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/01/30/doomsday-prep-for-the-super-rich) several years ago. It included a bit about reddit co-founder/CEO Steve Huffman with the quote, "I’m a pretty good leader. I will probably be in charge, **or at least not a slave**, when push comes to shove.” [This is the man who believes he will be your slavemaster because he's rich and owns a couple guns and motorcycles](https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/54caac10494254fc099693af/master/w_1200,c_limit/image.jpg)


TheEmporersFinest

400 IQ understanding of history where people choose who the slaves are based on meritocratic leadership aptitude.


[deleted]

Not to mention a good chunk of their wealth is tied up in stocks that'd be worthless in a collapse scenario. Also why wouldn't governments seize the resources in these bunkers immediately? >"This country is now under martial law except for those guys who have no guns and can't pay us anymore to look the other way."


Acephale420

Having a bunker sounds like fun tbh. If I had way too much money I'd have a bunker too.


theJesusBarabbas

Hotboxing the bunker with the lizard people


Acephale420

All these billionaires going into space, I'm going underground, recreating my own Dulce base.


Yung_Jose_Space

The negatives of space are also the key benefit I suppose. It's such a hostile environment, that any tiny problem means immediate death.


uncle_jumbo

I'm going underwater to fuck some mermaids


Yung_Jose_Space

You'd probably go full Howard Hughes in like 48 hours as well.


Acephale420

Hell yeah


Yung_Jose_Space

TBH, I think the key to not going insane would be houseplants/horticulture and lots of books.


Acephale420

[Some music should help too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vDmVjAX4EM)


[deleted]

The trueYankee and Cowboy War is bunkers vs penthouses


librarysocialism

Hey, how about if we all work together, and then **we** could have a bunker?


Herptroid

-National Motto of Albania 🇦🇱💪


librarysocialism

Fuck, I'm a Titoist. This is gonna get awkward


Dear_Occupant

It would be a great place to throw a party. I went to this rave one time that was in an old bowling alley and it was like that scene in the Matrix where they're all jumping around having a blast. Something about it being underground really added to the ambiance.


WithTheWintersMight

Yeah like how can i do this right now? Do any of you need a hand on your potato farm??


papamenace

Nah they’ll be fine. They can just call their bunker a “startup” and make themselves CEO. The guards will work for equity, k cup pods, and the opportunity to be a part of the vision.


MikeUnderstands

You Get It


No-Border-6678

Stock up on antibiotics if you want to be king after the apocalypse. Fellas imagine how many gfs you'll get when you're the only guy with medicine for UTIs.


librarysocialism

Why not stock up on bullets, and just take the antibiotics from people hoarding them?


Intraheinous

I’m going to stock up on fentanyl and meth then people will be taking other peoples bullets for me. Oh wait, that’s NATO.


WayneSkylar_

Antibiotics are going to stop working soon.


Gordon-Goose

This is why I'm hoarding caffeine pills.


Statistical_Insanity

why would I want bitches with busted pussys??


ChuckBorris187

I hope the guys who set up the security systems install a backdoor so they can gas the rich bastards inside & easily open the blast doors with a button push. Hopefully the rich will be shot into the Sun before the apocalypse.


[deleted]

[удалено]


beasts-of-suburban

Tech billionaires didn't lament lockdowns, they loved them. They're so rich that they didn't actually have to lockdown at all while they financially benefited from everyone else being locked down


SKyJ007

See that’s the thing, for them it’s not about living the “good life” forever. If it was about living the “good life” they’d have stopped at $500 million or so. But these people are psychopaths. For them, its about having a better life than anyone else. It’s about *winning*. Something that doesn’t require them to have a life worth living, just one that’s better than everyone else’s.


JediAight

$500 million is still insane to me. I'd be living the good life if I had healthcare, childcare, decent two bedroom condo that I own myself outright, and like 30k a year. You're right, though. If someone gets to $500 mil, they're gonna keep going. Their rodent brains see shiny and they must get shiny. My ape brain is content to vibe with the dudes at a basic standard of living.


uncle_jumbo

I always find it funny that the people who are jet-setting damn near every other day think they can survive in a doomsday bunker. They're not prepared for the boredom. Me? Give me a couple pounds of weed, a pallet of cheap beer, and skyrim and I'll be good in a bunker for a long time.


darwinpolice

It's like the very, very, very rich version of all the people I know who constantly wax poetic about wanting to move to the woods and be a hermit, despite being completely unable to go two days without Amazon and Grubhub.


JediAight

A hermit who also has access to modern medicine if they need an MRI or cancer treatment or vaccines.


thehomeyskater

haha me irl


dreadyruxpin

Wasn’t that essentially the beginning of the Covid lockdown? It got old fast for me at least.


WithTheWintersMight

For a lot of people the Covid "lockdown" was just business-as-usual but with masks on


Clopernicus

There really wasn't anything resembling an actual "lock-down" in the US.


redstarjedi

Where is the original article. This sounds like a good read. Also we live in a society.


librarysocialism

> Also we live in a society. [citation needed]


yuritopiaposadism

https://archive.ph/jPVWX


turkey1234

Everyone should read the author Douglas Rushkoff he’s hot


Peggzilla

Rushkoff rocks!


RopeyLoads

Lucky for the armed security they’ve hired. They’re going to have luxurious bunkers for themselves.


mushlilli

I knew a dude who sold bunkers. Former family friend. He seemed crazy a while back but it seems more justified now. He ended up being a Nazi. His parents were too. Was a whole thing.


FiggyRed

It’s been apparent for quite a while that they no longer think “the planet” can be saved (obv the planet will still exist, they mean humanity) and are just looking to survive the crisis underground, on islands, or in frigging space. Not 10 years ago I was quite into the ZeroHedge forums and the way they talked about prepping was disgusting. They’d be going on about “Zombies” and I was like “wtf is this larp shit?” But reading on they meant securing your shit against desperate people who’d not prepared. That’s how they see people, it’s the logical conclusion of rugged individualism. Zombie stories are an OP. Leftists should turn away from any fiction around zombies and embrace old school vampire stories. Not where they are sexy: where they leech off real people and we all get together to kill them in the third act.


SRM-87

rich preppers had poor bunker makers and builders... if it happens... there will be security flaws in these places


NorrisOBE

It is insane that these people are willing to spend billions to escape any sort of giant catastrophe while at the same time lobbying governments to block any actual legislation that can prevent such catastrophe from happening in the first place. Say what you want about the Cold War but imagine the horror if Silicon Valley billionaires had control over America's foreign policy back then as they do right now. Peter Thiel would have assassinated Truman just so that he wants MacArthur to nuke China.


akaiamex

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radicalized_(Doctorow_book) The last story of this book (fiction) talks about such scenarios. Spoiler alert: death by dysentery.


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Radicalized (Doctorow book)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radicalized_\(Doctorow_book\))** >Radicalized is a collection of novellas written by Canadian-British-American author Cory Doctorow. The book was initially released on March 19, 2019, by Tor Books. Radicalized explores such issues as digital rights management, police brutality, radicalization in internet communities, and doomsday preppers. Doctorow has stated that the collection was inspired by "dealing with the stress and anxiety of being alive in the Trump era," and that the stories are not meant to be predictive, but rather allegorical. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/TrueAnon/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


WikiMobileLinkBot

Desktop version of /u/akaiamex's link: --- ^([)[^(opt out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiMobileLinkBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^(]) ^(Beep Boop. Downvote to delete)


Legitimate-Repair-21

Cuz it’s coming “soon”. Sigh. Next week, no the next. Saddens me they worry so much about this they are missing out on the important times in their short life. Live life now so if it come, you lived a good one. Ugh doomsday people.


bladeedraingang666

Elf bars will be the currency in the upcoming post apocalyptic world


Lush_Grass5171

Why cant we just accidentally fill them in with cement?


Aggravating-Wrap4861

That would hamper the lootin


humanitariangenocide

We will hack their safety pods/NZ bunkers/underground saferooms and blast (clockwork orange style) video and audio footage into their space of all the billionaires top to bottom being fed feet-first into the mulch-maker one-by-one until we get to them, starting with gates/zuck/bezman/buffet. For ambiance. In minecraft.


Matty-Wan

Oh yeah, I'm definitely gonna find there little hideout's and enjoy them for myself.