Who will rebuild? And with what....

[Leviathan]

Power would be disrupted but it would most certainly not be the end of it for small communities.
Generators and solar panels will still run and many people in third world countries have come up with genius ways of producing a electric.
With 70% of the population gone i guarantee i could salvage enough to rig something up to power a few houses, tools and appliances for years

[DundeePrepper]

Thanks all for your responses; sorry I haven't been on to join in the discussion.. I agree there are people out there with the necessary skills - this was somewhat of a thought provoking discussion..

I like to think people will eventually rally together in this situation and all our little hobbies will allow for a workable society not far from the one we have today - just a little more low tech

[Plymtom]

I don't know about low tech DP - I am thinking we are in our infancy tech wise, and like a child with a new toy (probably closer to say man with a new tool) we try to do as many things as we possibly can using the technology we are inventing, and completely overlooking that we had more efficient ways of doing things before, like rail as apposed to road, millions unemployed and work they could be doing automated, it only worked when energy was cheap, and it only profited those who already had all they need, however to coin a phrase- We are all guilty, but some of us are more guilty than others

So in my ideal future tech still plays a part, but a balanced relevant one, today with our doomsday castles, our duck dynasty's, and so many other things we have proven that we can multi task unlikely combinations, proving what resourceful clever idiots we are these days.

[Malthouse]

Therapy is an interesting point, a post apocalyptic low-tech society does not mean living in the stone age does it. I have never thought about it before, but we will still have our skills and knowledge.

What will you miss the most though? In my case it would have to be the internet, this ability to communicate and share with anyone anywhere and in an instant is too good. (Coming from someone who remembers the time before dial-up )

[Malthouse]

Some sort of democratic decision making leadership?
Single leader or group decisions?
What kind of rule of law will you as a group develop or stick to? Sharia? Same as now? Military Queens Regulations?
How will the collective food be divided? Ration card system for example?
How do you deal with 'The bad apple' in the group?

Feudal is the way forward, we should never have moved away from it. Small village groups with a "chief", reporting to a "lord" who over sees several villages, who then in turn reports to someone higher. No reason why the heads of each layer cannot be elected.

Councils or committees are wasteful, slow and refuse to take responsibility. They are the reason we need to prep!

The only time a committee works is in the jury system, which is because they are given strict guidelines and deadlines to work to (by one single person who takes responsibility for the process). So predictably I would like to see the village elder hold a court with a cross section of villagers to cast their verdict on the Bad Apple, generally I would imagine banishment to be punishment enough - let them make a fresh start elsewhere.

Related to both the food and outlaw questions: What do you do with someone who is freeloading, how long does a self sufficient community support someone with little or no useful skill?

[DundeePrepper]

They way I imagine it is that most people will just trundle along and a natural leader will emerge.. probably someone who is currently say a Police Officer or with a Military background.. Therefore I suggest current laws / military law would soon become commonplace for small communities whereby you are held accountable in a court with a jury and/or judge.

I doubt small communities will need a written contractual law, simply the majority jury decides a punishment.. Also I doubt there will be a continuance of religious / moral belief bearing on law and order issues, people (sorry this will offend some ) will wise up to the fact its the here and now that counts not what we don't know or understand - especially in a SHTF aftermath..

(I do respect everyone's right to have a belief in whatever they choose.. BTW - Just to be clear )

[preppingsu]

I doubt small communities will need a written contractual law, simply the majority jury decides a punishment.. Also I doubt there will be a continuance of religious / moral belief bearing on law and order issues, people (sorry this will offend some ) will wise up to the fact its the here and now that counts not what we don't know or understand - especially in a SHTF aftermath..

(I do respect everyone's right to have a belief in whatever they choose.. BTW - Just to be clear )

However, people do look to a 'higher being' eg God in times of crisis. It gives them hope and a reason for being.
Although I don't think it would return to the the religious zealots that were found throughout history.

[Cromicon]

Thoughts only - don't hold me to this!

If we end up in a social breakdown scenario with law and order being ineffective, at first we'll see high incidents of localised and regional violence eventually leading to formations of distinct small social groups. Some of those will have leadership dominated by the alphas (whether male or female) and these will be naturally chosen because of their strength of charisma, ability to organise and communicate but most importantly their ability to defeat challenge. These people will get the nucleus of societies kick-started again but with a high overall aggression level accompanied by severe judicial penalties. Bear in mind the survival of the local group is paramount. I suspect previous job roles of the leaders will be irrelevant compared to what they can achieve in the now.

When society recovers enough we'll see a return of leaders with an expansive vision that are more concerned about the welfare of the group as a whole and start to see a return to a mid-level aggression series with education taking a more prominent role yet secondary to everyday survival.

[DundeePrepper]

Thoughts only - don't hold me to this!

If we end up in a social breakdown scenario with law and order being ineffective, at first we'll see high incidents of localised and regional violence eventually leading to formations of distinct small social groups. Some of those will have leadership dominated by the alphas (whether male or female) and these will be naturally chosen because of their strength of charisma, ability to organise and communicate but most importantly their ability to defeat challenge. These people will get the nucleus of societies kick-started again but with a high overall aggression level accompanied by severe judicial penalties. Bear in mind the survival of the local group is paramount. I suspect previous job roles of the leaders will be irrelevant compared to what they can achieve in the now.

When society recovers enough we'll see a return of leaders with an expansive vision that are more concerned about the welfare of the group as a whole and start to see a return to a mid-level aggression series with education taking a more prominent role yet secondary to everyday survival.

I agree this is also a highly probable scenario.. I think I was looking a bit further down the line, past the running battles etc... Your last paragraph unfortunately describes how politicians come about... SHTF? My MP's getting lynched!!

[DundeePrepper]

However, people do look to a 'higher being' eg God in times of crisis. It gives them hope and a reason for being.
Although I don't think it would return to the the religious zealots that were found throughout history.

I understand peoples need to look to the higher being/explanation of purpose in crisis and in general.. I certainly hope there is never a return to zealots and such but I really do think a major SHTF event would shift public opinion towards an atheist stance and it would have a bearing on law when rebuilding communities etc.