What use is gold in say an EMP strike?

a reply to: daskakik

Why join a discussion if you can't accept the premise? Start your own thread maybe? I'll be happy to contribute.

I continue to be amazed at the repeated demonstrations that people think they have a choice of gold or food. I mean, this might be a real problem if you are King Midas, but for anyone else it is no such thing. You can have both.

And who said anything about having to carry it around with you? Some bunch of preppers you are. You bury it safely in some deserted area that you know well and will be able to reach when the time is right. Do you carry around your entire bank balance in your billfold?

originally posted by: InceyWincey
Why join a discussion if you can't accept the premise? Start your own thread maybe? I'll be happy to contribute.

The premise was worldwide EMP, chaos for a "few hours/day", when someone brought up long term value retention of gold you shifted the goalposts to "the rise of society taking so long". That was within the first few posts.

Why start a thread if you are not going to be open to what people share with you?

a reply to: audubon

True and a pound is less than 1/2 liter of water or 3 cans of tuna. If that amount of food or water makes a difference in you surviving or not, then you are doing it wrong.

originally posted by: daskakik
a reply to: nightbringr

One pound of spam won't last you a month. all things being equal you will starve a day or two after the guy with one less pound of spam.

Nice try though.

The point is, while you are preoccupied with gold, I will be preoccupied with food, water, medicine and munitions. And I will be mobile. You lugging around all your gold won't be.

I like my odds of survival much better than yours.

originally posted by: nightbringr
The point is, while you are preoccupied with gold, I will be preoccupied with food, water, medicine and munitions. And I will be mobile. You lugging around all your gold won't be.

I like my odds of survival much better than yours.

Only if it were true. There is no preoccupation.

Lugging around makes it sound so heavy but a pound is a pound.

If 'The Road' happens gold will be worthless

a reply to: InceyWincey

Unless there are zombies to kill, there would be no point trying to survive in that kinda world!

a reply to: InceyWincey

So what you are saying is that the very day society collapses you take what you want and # being lawful ? meaning youd steal from others and harm others to get what you need to survive ?

and you'd watch others suffer if you had something they needed to survive a medical condition you'd only trade them for it ?

abandon all aspects of civilisation in the dog eat dog world of post society?

Or do you mean you would start hording for such an event and survive of what you had legally obtained for said event ?


You could collect silver as it has uses in medicine and treating wounds

originally posted by: sapien82
a reply to: InceyWincey

So what you are saying is that the very day society collapses you take what you want and # being lawful ? meaning youd steal from others and harm others to get what you need to survive ?

I'd have no problem looting a national business like Tesco's or Boots Pharmacy in the event of total societal collapse. I wouldn't steal from individuals. Why you think that I have no idea.

and you'd watch others suffer if you had something they needed to survive a medical condition you'd only trade them for it ?

If we didn't have an NHS you'd have to pay for medicines or suffer. Many millions of people live in countries where no money = no treatment. I don't see the difference. And yes, if I had a limited supply of say antibiotics and they could be my only means of survival, then unless you're someone I love or need in my group then you'd be out of luck if you had nothing to trade.

abandon all aspects of civilisation in the dog eat dog world of post society?

I'd look after myself, my loved ones, and my immediate social group before anyone else.

Or do you mean you would start hording for such an event and survive of what you had legally obtained for said event ?

I already do.

You could collect silver as it has uses in medicine and treating wounds

I'd take the weight of a box of antibacterial hand wash gel over silver any day. If I have to scrape infection out of a wound and clean it properly you can use your silver and I'll choose Dettol, or bleach if I have to.

a reply to: InceyWincey

Hey thanks for clearing that up , well the reason I thought that is because it's apparent that's how people survive in these situations its kill or be killed, dog eat dog well at least thats how hollywood protrays it , but many other societal collapses in history always result in the same thing, rioting , looting,arson, raping and murder.
People always bang on about being under control by the powers that be , but when # hits the fan they lose all sense of control, is this because we are so dependant

Id like to think that somewhere inside us we wouldnt dissolve society even if something like that happened we'd not lose our will or our minds and we'd work together , but thats just me Im always an optimist.

I suggested silver because its precious metal like gold , its valuable and also has medical uses.
You are right though a nice box of antiobiotics and throw in some Iodine tablets.

Ive always thought about "what if" in these scenarios what i'd do myself , luckily my parents live in the country with some land so id definitel head there and hole up!
They are currently trying to get off grid and self sustaining due to the financial situation of the world .
I even discussed such plans with my best friend and he is obsessed with zombie apocalypse and a little bit of a prepper !

I recently inherited a book from my grandfather which is an old german book by two scientists and it basically reads like a manual on starting society with instructions on how to make most things which civilisation started on , like water wheels, chemistry equipment , botany equipment, smelting, mining , medicines , It's really old and falling apart so it needs some care , but id defo take that book with me.

Saying that though there is the largest ASDA distribution centre in my old home town which servers all of Scotland and its huge so Id defo head there for some supplies .

Have you taken measures to choose a survival location ?

Interesting reply, thanks. The Asda depot would have to be done quick in the first few hours before panic set in, and with no cars running I'd get busy quick if I were you. I'm good for food stores so Boots Pharmacy would be getting done by me, then Tesco's for spirits and tobacco products as currency.

originally posted by: sapien82
Have you taken measures to choose a survival location ?

I'll be staying put with a few key mates. I live in a tightly knit community on top of a hill, one road up and down. We'd be organising a roadblock and men to guard it within hours.
This is based on many conversations I've had. I'm not into our formal residents association thing but as a 'fringe' member (along with other rough blokes) they like our character's when undesirables need discouraging from our hill.

originally posted by: Kalixi
If 'The Road' happens gold will be worthless

But some blind guy memorizing the bible will save humanity?

originally posted by: daskakik
The premise was worldwide EMP, chaos for a "few hours/day"

No it wasn't, don't twist it, here's a direct quote from the OP:

I live in the UK, and certainly where I am I'd imagine the first few hours/day would be confusion as nobody (including emergency services) would know what is going on, then panic. In normal circumstances I do not condone looting or other criminal behaviour, but if by say 10:30am I've figured out that the UK is down, no vehicles working, no electronics etc, and accepted my society has changed forever

That is pretty clear don't you think?

a reply to: InceyWincey

You seem to be winging it. You just said:

We'd be organising a roadblock and men to guard it within hours.

So your society might be changed forever but that doesn't mean that it will have to slowly progress from the stone age. That is all you just projecting doomporn all over the hypothetical just to fantasize about being mad max or something.

a reply to: daskakik
Winging what? I'm just honestly discussing my thoughts and plans in an event as outlined in the OP premise.
You seem to be arguing about my style of debate, how about sharing your thoughts regarding such an event? That's what interests me.

In a long term shtf scenario (ie there is not going to be a return to normality for years) then the most precious commodity is knowledge.

How to make drugs, alcohol, grow food, fix an engine....

originally posted by: AndyMayhew
In a long term shtf scenario (ie there is not going to be a return to normality for years) then the most precious commodity is knowledge.

How to make drugs, alcohol, grow food, fix an engine....

I agree completely
And until a currency returns based on measured weights of gold I'll be selling my knowledge for food and other supplies, I won't be interested in any useless shiny element.

originally posted by: InceyWincey
Winging what? I'm just honestly discussing my thoughts and plans in an event as outlined in the OP premise.

And when someone points out how it isn't going to go down like that you shift goal posts and want to dismiss that.

You seem to be arguing about my style of debate,

It isn't a debate.It is you writing fiction and asking people to role play.

how about sharing your thoughts regarding such an event? That's what interests me.

Such an event is very unlikely but you don't want to hear that.

There is nothing in the OP that will set humanity back and force it to rediscover the technology of the las 500 years.

a reply to: AndyMayhew

Like using gold for dental work.