
Silicon Valley billionaires are ‘prepping’ to survive in underground bunkers - protomyth
http://www.recode.net/2017/1/23/14354840/silicon-valley-billionaires-prepping-survive-underground-bunkers-new-yorker
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krisdol
> the prepper movement among tech-made billionaires is largely inspired by
> fear that artificial intelligence will one day displace so many jobs that
> there will be a revolt against those behind the technology.

Something something worker ownership of the means of production something
something.

Seriously though, workers should be the first to benefit from automating their
own jobs out of existence. It's been over a hundred years since marxists
talked about what they perceived as the inherent contradictions of a
capitalist system. Automation and the struggle for a livelihood in the face of
falling wages and growing profits isn't new. Technology has changed but the
fundamental conflicts remain unsolved. So while we can all debate here about
the effectiveness of bunkers, we're glossing over the systemic problems that
necessitate the capitalist class to hide in bunkers in the first place. At
least we've moved on to the point where most recognize that there could be an
existential problem accelerating toward us.

One thing I'm sure of, the class of YC 2035 will have great uber-for-bunker-
security apps.

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Pica_soO
Ah, the illusion that one can separate oneself from you human society and
survive indefinitely. We had the biosphere, we had the sovjet cold war era
bunkers, and under tests- the results where always the same. Insufficiently
prepared, longterm psychological effects not calculated in - the buried alive
envying the dead on the surface.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs)

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Some of us do quite well on our own thank you. Human society is over-rated.

~~~
zardo
The man says to his peers on the global communications network.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
It would be a blessing to be free of this addicting sensory-overloading
electronic monkey.

~~~
kolinko
Don't feed the troll, everyone.

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JoeAltmaier
Seriously, I grew up on a farm. I spent many days alone with my own thoughts.
That's inconceivable today. But in the event of a societal meltdown there will
be a demographic of survivors that won't mind the quiet. They will be over 50.

~~~
headShrinker
The food and water lines will spread cross the country like wild fire. The
rich and prepared can have their bunkiers but unless they have military
training and a militia with tight communication there's little to stop what is
inevitable. Someone like me, hungry and with no empathy, a 12 gauge will show
up and take what ever you have. There will be no salvation. No one will be
safe. people like you think you are more prepared. You were just preparing for
someone else younger and stronger to take your shit.

~~~
Fractales
I'm certain these bunkers take into account people trying to break into
them...

What exactly are we talking about here?

~~~
headShrinker
I think all this is, is the veracity of a hungry mass with nothing to lose.

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sjg007
You know the wealthy could doomsday prep or they could support
social/educational programs and support paying higher taxes. The sooner we
realize that we are all in this together, the better.

~~~
Mikeb85
Why give anything up when they can just live in a parallel world and not have
to deal with us plebs?

~~~
xkcd-sucks
Because us plebs clean the toilets and oil the robots?

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milesf
Yeah, good luck with that! The Grand Tour recently entertained the madness of
prepping and survivalists:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8trdXpQ0HUE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8trdXpQ0HUE)

~~~
tim333
think that might be the wrong youtube link...

~~~
milesf
Nope, that's the right link. The whole segment was about Richard Hammond
prepping for the apocalypse. They didn't share the entire segment, but just
the last couple of minutes where the 'impenetrable' Hamster was defeated by a
single shot.

Of course it's not real, and it's a silly show, but the idea of spending a
good deal of time and money beyond reasonable emergency precautions is pretty
useless as well.

And that was the point.

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sjg007
Domesday prepping is completely irrational.

