Defining Dystopian Survival

By Timothy Gamble

What is Dystopian Survival? Dystopian Survival is my term for a new type of survivalism based on the realities of the changing modern world marked by rapid technological change, the centralization of  economic power and political authority into a small elite class, the loss of privacy and freedoms, and the decline of traditional Judeo-Christian and American values. I believe we are witnessing the slow death of the American Republic and Western Civilization as we have known it. Surviving these changes requires knowledge, skills, and attitudes that go well beyond the typical wilderness survival, homesteading, and stockpiling advice currently found in the prepper and survivalist community.

In science fiction, a dystopian world is typically presented as one in which a small class of elites use a combination of authoritarian government, powerful and wealthy corporations, and highly advanced technology, to rule over the common people. The world the elite create for themselves is one of extreme wealth, power, and privilege. It is created at the expense of a much larger underclass, who have slowly lost their personal freedoms, economic opportunities, and privacy rights. A deep network of unelected bureaucrats and corrupt politicians, financed by the deep pockets of the corporate elite, and often justified by a privelged academica, work diligently to entrench this new order into the regulations, laws and treaties governing their world. This results in a near Uptopia for the elites, and a growing Dystopia for the underclasses. Dystopia is rising.

Dystopian survival isn't like wilderness survival, or even disaster survival. The basics of survival may remain the same - air, water, and food that is safe, and the ability to deal with various threats - but the specifics are very different, and more complicated. In Dystopia, the threats to our survival include:

• A Dysfunctional Healthcare System
• A Dysfunctional Educational System
• A Dysfunctional Jobs Market
• Loss of Economic Opportunity and Mobility
  
• Loss of Privacy
• Restrictions on Our Freedoms
• A Breakdown of Traditional Institutions (Marriage, Family, Church)
• Identity Theft and Cyber Crimes
  
• Terrorism and Active Shooter Situations
  
• Political Turmoil & Police State Actions
• Civil Unrest, including Riots & Looting

Notice any of these threats in the news lately? And this is only a partial list. Knowing how to build an emergency shelter or start a fire in the rain probably won't do you much good in most of those scenarios. Not that there is anything wrong with those skills. They are useful skills, and are worth learning. But there are many other skills that you will need in order to survive dystopia.

Also, there is another difference. In wilderness and disaster survival, we are dealing with a limited-time event. A hurricane or an earthquake happens quickly, then stops. Even getting lost in the woods has a finite end, when you (hopefully) get recused or otherwise find your way home again. Dystopia doesn't have a time-limit. It will go one for decades, generations, centuries... (Please check out my article Survivalist Myth? The Trigger Event, where I debunk the myth of sudden collapse scenario, after which order is quickly restored, the Republic saved, and our freedoms permanently preserved.)

Dystopian survival starts with awareness of potential problems and developing self-reliance, not only as individuals, but as families and communities. Building on this foundation of awareness and self-reliance, there are many other useful skills for surviving dystopia, including:

• Situational Awareness & OODA Loop 
• Operational Security/Privacy Protection 
• Dealing with an Intrusive Government 
• Dealing with busybody neighbors, landlords, etc. 
• Being the Gray Man (fitting in and going unnoticed) 
• Making yourself an unappealing target for bad guys (know how to not look like a victim) 
• Life Mobility (the ability to pull up roots and move yourself and your family away from threats and towards opportunities)
• Personal Mobility (your ability to walk, run, climb, dodge, and keep your balance)
  
• Money Management & Personal Finance Skills 
• Computer and Technology Skills (using technology to your benefit, while knowing and protecting yourself from the risks)
• Self-Defense and Home-Defense Skills (more than just guns & ammo) 
• Knowing what to do in an active shooter situation 
• Knowing what to do if you get caught in a civil unrest or riot situation 
• Health & Fitness 
• Stealth and Alternative Medicine (you do not want to be dependent on the government/public healthcare system)
• First Aid (including dealing with gunshot wounds and other severe trauma) 
• Employability in an era of High Tech and Artificial Intelligence

This list is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg of needed skills. But, we need to do more than just prepare as individuals. the need to build self-reliant and resilient families and communities. We need to relocalize our economies and supply-chains.

All these things, and more, are what I mean my Dystopian Survival, and are the focus of this website. Please check out these articles for more on this concept:

1)  Dystopian Survival Skills - A New List for a Dangerous Future

2)  Survivalist Myth? The Trigger Event

3)  Dystopia is Happening Now - Prepare for These Challenges

4)  Dystopian Survival - City Farming

5)  Dystopian Survival: Special Gear, Skills, and Tactics for Modern Life

!!!!! Dystopian Survival is now on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DystopianSurvival

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