Mass Starvation: The Unpreparedness of America

The idea of mass starvation has been absent from the American consciousness for quite some time. Even during the Great Depression, the US was primarily agrarian, and most people knew how to survive off the land. The US has never experienced a true national famine. There have been smaller regional instances of famine, such as during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, but nothing remotely close to the kinds of famines experienced in Asia, the Eastern Bloc, Africa, or the Middle East in the past 100 years.

The American Disconnect from Agriculture

Compared to the Great Depression, the US population today is far removed from agriculture and has little understanding of what living off the land entails. These are not skills that can be learned in a few months from books and YouTube videos; they require years of experience to master. The past two decades have seen a dramatic shift in the preparedness movement. When it began in 2006, the movement was incredibly small, and people were often hesitant to discuss such topics in public forums. However, in recent years, preparedness culture has skyrocketed in popularity. Millions of Americans are now dedicated survival experts with extensive preparations and firearms training. Prepping and shooting are no longer the realm of tinfoil hat "crazies", now it's considered cool.

The Threat of Famine

The greater problem in terms of famine is not that individual Americans are not aware of the threat; many of them are. The problem is that our infrastructure and logistical systems are designed to fail, and there's not much the average citizen can do about it. The just-in-time freight system is perhaps one of the worst ever devised in terms of community redundancy. Any disruption, no matter how minor, could cut off supplies to a town or city for days or weeks. Then there's the interdependency that comes with food being produced outside most states. If your state does not have a solid agricultural base, then it will be reliant on outside food sources during a crisis. What guarantees are there that your region will be able to secure food from elsewhere?

Preparation for Starvation

Most of the populace, even those that are preparing, have never experienced large scale starvation events before. It's difficult to adapt mentally to a threat that one has never seen. Fasting is a way to educate yourself on what it means to starve; it's not as bad as it seems as long as you have some fat stores in your body. When you hit the point of muscle loss and organ deprivation, that's when things change and the possibility of death arises. Having some familiarity with the feeling of true hunger will help you to avoid panic should the real thing ever occur in the future.

Food Storage: The Foundation of Survival

The goal, of course, is to avoid famine altogether. Food storage is the foundation of any survival plan. Anyone who claims that jumping right into agriculture and hunting and wild edibles is the solution has never actually had to survive off the land in their lives. The reality is, finding enough food and growing enough food to live on is difficult for most people even in normal times.

The Threat of Looting and Crime During a Crash

Unfortunately, there are some people out there who think they don't need to store supplies because they plan to take from other people. Firstly, anyone who makes this their Plan A is probably a psychopath and I have zero empathy for them. Secondly, such people won't stay alive very long. With every violent encounter, the risk of injury or death increases; looters and raiders will be whittled down rather quickly as they get picked off by people defending their resources.

Mental Preparedness for Uncertain Times

In the meantime, the initial stages of collapse are going to be a shock for many Americans. It could be a grid down event, an economic collapse, a supply chain collapse, etc., but the panic associated with hunger will be ever present. People who understand the nature of famine can avoid panic and organize for safety. They will survive and thrive. People who don't understand famine will freak out in the first week without food and make detrimental mistakes. Mental preparedness is just as important as physical preparedness. Keep that in mind as we move forward into uncertain times.

Survival Food Company Offers Discount

One survival food company, Prepper All-Naturals, has proactively dropped prices to allow Americans to stock up ahead of projected hikes in beef prices. Their 25-year shelf life steaks currently come at a 25% discount with promo code "invest25".

Final Thoughts

The concept of mass starvation and the general unpreparedness of America is a sobering topic. It's important to consider how we would fare in such a situation and what steps we can take now to prepare. What do you think about this? Share this article with your friends and sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is every day at 6pm.