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CLUELESS MASSES: Self-explanatory
INFORMED POPULATION: These folks
are PO aware, but have not yet accepted the reality.
TECHNO FIX: These folks are PO aware, but either do not
understand the ramifications or are simply unwilling to really accept the reality of PO. They have faith that "someone" will
fix the problem for them
THE DESPAIRING: Here we have PO aware individuals who are either incapable of forming
and acting out a plan (any plan) to help them and their loved ones survive, or are religious folks who are more concerned
with saving their souls, or are simply so deeply pessimistic they see no sense in even attempting to prepare.
INACTIVE
PREPARERS: Likely the largest group. This group has not yet begun to prepare or is in early stages of non-committal development,
like reducing debt and exercising more. They may have a bug-out bag or small home stockpiles. Typically, they are still trying
to form an opinion on the potential outcome and best way to prepare. Depending on their personalities, they may have amassed
large amounts of paper knowledge and have extensive libraries -- but while they have studied the edible plants books, they
have never actually seen the plants. They run the risk of becoming PERPETUAL PREPARERS.
ACTIVISTS: Those who
have chosen not to prepare and instead focus on social and economic change. They are often hard-crash proponents. Of all the
groups, ACTIVISTS are the most like to view Peak Oil objectively without agrarian/militant/macho fantasies that some other
groups are prone to. ACTIVISTS may at any point migrate to one of the early preparedness categories.
PERPETUAL PREPARERS:
A state of circular thinking, where INACTIVE PREPARERS continue to amass paper knowledge and have plans to move ahead, but
fail to act on those plans. Another candidate for the largest group. Some of this group may be able to break out of this thinking
and begin early preparation.
WILDERNESS SURVIVALISTS: You will never see these folks on the internet -- if you
do, they are actually INACTIVE PREPARERS with macho fantasies. However, this seems to be a dead end preparation technique,
since it involves only basic survival, has not support group or backup plan, and is unsustainable long term without the products
of civilization. Often, even active WILDERNESS SURVIVALISTS are prone to macho fantasies which cloud their reasoning ability
about the likely success of their chosen route. Some may migrate to the militant preparedness path.
URBAN GARDENER:
Typically a soft crash proponent. They believe in a slow reduction of oil usage and a gradual return to a lower energy lifestyle.
Bicyclists and walkers, container gardeners, hobbiests of anticipated high-demand post peak skills. In some cases, URBAN GARDENERS
may be hard/medium crash proponents, but are focusing their preparation on this route as the only apparent possibility for
their situation. In a few cases, URBAN GARDENERS are pschologically incapable of accepting a civilization without the urban
surroundings they are familiar with.
URBAN HOMESTEADER: A matured URBAN GARDENER that has transformed their
home to be as self-sustaining as possible in an urban environment. They may have a large plot in a community garden, water
catchment systems, PV arrays, back-up heating methods and highly-insulated homes.
NEW AGRARIANS: An early preparer
along the Agrarian preparedness path. Agrarians may be soft, middle or hard crash proponents. At this point, NEW AGRARIANS
have purchased land and a home and are gardening or otherwise begin to produce their own food and goods. Quite likely they
are still actively involved in the oil economy by holding jobs or living off retirement or saved money or investments. At
this point in their development, they are still highly dependent on outside resources and are vulnerable to economic and social
upheaval. Many NEW AGRARIANS are carrying a lot of ideological baggage in the form of veganism or extreme environmentalism,
and this would include eco-communities and other ideologically based groups.
MIDDLE AGRARIANS: A matured AGRARIAN.
They have achieved a basic level of sustainability and although they are probably still somewhat dependent on the wider economy,
they are more likely to survive economic and social upheaval. They have left behind any unusable ideological baggage they
may have had, although their ideology probably has colored and shaped their development of their land. They have formed or
successfully joined networks with the neighbors and in the community for future trade and mutual support and are extending
their knowledge from basic know-how to internalizing the knowledge to best succeed given their resources. Additionally, they
are extending their knowledge base into other areas and have achieved a journeyman level in at least one other non-agricultural,
post-peak demand skill.
AMMO STOCKPILER: An early stage along the Militant preparedness path. Militants are
exclusively hard crash proponents, usually to an extreme. In early stages have little to offer themselves for survival other
than a stockpile of weapons and ammo, which often have little experience and proficiency with. AMMO STOCKPILERS may also have
stockpiles of other supplies. Only a small percentage of AMMO STOCKPILERS move on to become more mature Militants.
FORTIFIED
HOMESTEADER: A more mature step another the Militant preparedness path, FORTIFIED HOMESTEADERS have achieved at least
a journeyman level of proficiency with their weaponry and have moved on to create a highly secure home which has significant
food production and/or tradable items and skills. The FORTIFIED HOMESTEADER is usually not interested in achieving any kind
of self-sustainability, and may be expecting to survive in a new post-peak world as a mercenary, parasite, or by absorbing
the resources of less-successful neighbors to acquire the additional items they need.
PEAK OIL SURVIVOR: Someone
who has successfully mastered the skills required to survive any post peak scenario. The Holy Grail of preparedness and high
debatable.
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