Protest 0068 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sociocultural Breaking Point: Is There One and Are We Close?

Watching the political class and their plutocratic masters spin events and the messages that come from them in an ever-increasing charade of optimism and self-aggrandizing statements, I can’t help but become more frustrated. Frustrated at the mainstream media for not performing its role as the Fifth Estate and engaging in more investigative journalism to uncover and report on the growing evidence of general malfeasance invading and controlling our institutions. Frustrated at the masses for failing to realise that all is not well in Wonderland and that we are all being fed a continual load of horseshit by the-powers-that-be. Frustrated at myself for not doing more than simply trying to educate and convince others of the growing possibility of a catastrophic, global collapse in finances that will inevitably lead to a collapse of trade and, finally, society; if we don’t find ourselves engaged in a Third World War first (although as some have warned, we may already be involved in the beginning of it).
History is replete with instances of social upheaval and possible turning points that led to such revolts. It would appear, however, that each instance evolves and manifests itself for varied reasons and never the result of a single grievance but a combination of several that build over time. It is like an avalanche building up snowflakes one at a time until that one particular one lands and sets off a cascading event that results in an avalanche of epic proportions (I discuss this in the first chapter of my novel). And, as I recently read in one of the articles I posted from zerohedge.com (see this), it is action on the periphery that eventually leads to social action: a few people start, some more join in, and then herd behaviour takes over and almost everyone follows suit.
Or, as Michael Ruppert discusses in the documentary Collapse, it is not the behaviour of the first couple of monkeys that try something new that changes group behaviour; it’s not even the action of the ninety-ninth monkey; but it is the response of the hundredth monkey that results in the eventual action of all (as an aside, I considered calling my novel The Hundredth Monkey when I first began contemplating its creation).
A current event that demonstrates this is the protest occurring in Brazil. The media has pointed to a rather innocuous bus fare increase as the tipping point for millions of people to fill the streets and protest the government. This, however, occurred within a broader and more complex background context of—wait for it—ongoing government and corporate malfeasance.
I fail to see how a social upheaval could be caused by a single event unless it is so offensive and outrageous that people cannot fathom not being up in arms; although given what I see around me I’m doubtful even that would happen here in Canada at this point in time. It is also unlikely to occur given the manipulation of the message by our overlords. We are spoon-fed propaganda on a regular basis. When lies are uncovered, deceptions laid bare, and malfeasance discovered, our leaders point to others, bang the table for change, and, basically, tell the public what they want to hear, no matter how far from reality the truth is.
If there is a breaking point for us in North America, my guess is that we are getting close, particularly south of the border.  And when that union begins to disintegrate we in Canada can be sure that it will be felt in a manner not pleasant at all. Preparing for this moment is not paranoid; it is precautionary and prudent. In fact, I would argue that it is far more prudent than spending one’s wealth on auto and home insurance that is rarely, if ever, used. Both can help alleviate anxiety and chaos when the moment of truth arrives.
Between my wife and I we spend close to $5000 annually on home, auto, and long-term disability insurance on the off-chance that a fire will erupt in our home, that we will be in a serious car accident, and/or be off work due to a long-term health issue. Spending an equivalent amount, or even half that, in emergency preparedness supplies seems only reasonable in this context and given the growing number of ‘signs’ of collapse all around us: candles, matches, flashlights, water, food, warm clothes, bug-out bags, gardening supplies, wood stove, etc., etc.. There are plenty of websites that provide the knowledge and skills to be self-sufficient.
My advice, for anyone who has doubt about the ability of the-powers-that-be to control an exceedingly complex global system or doubts their mantra of ‘we do this for the good of all’, is that you prepare yourself and your family for the coming collapse. It is better to be years early than minutes late…

Related articles

• Collapse of Trust and Faith in the System (olduvaiblog.wordpress.com)