Feeding the masses

[Arzosah]

Oh my word, your poor wife! Actually, that fits with things my sister's told me about teaching. She retired 3 years ago, taught 8 year olds too. There's been no violence there that I know of, but the entitlement culture sounds the same from the parents. Not the usual image of snowflakes either - they're professional men and women in their late 40s, most of them. The (volunteer) gymnastics coach recently mentioned that none of the parents volunteer to help nowadays, so she asks retired teachers, like my sister, to help out at inter-school events.

I don't *get* the entitlement culture, I really don't - it comes from being a self employed therapist all these years, believe it or not - far from "blaming the parents" as the cliche has it, my work was about accepting however you felt as a child, and taking responsibility for your life in the present day, and that was the norm in my area. Clients who wanted to bask in blaming their parents for everything either learned differently, or stopped coming along within a few months, because they weren't getting the "poor you" that they wanted. So I think my (non) experience of it is quite niche these days


ETA - feeding, sorry! Erm ... I can imagine people turning down the food that *is* on offer because its not cooked how they want, or an unfamiliar combination. And a lot of disruption - distress/ panic/ fear, all turning to aggression.

[jansman]

Arzosah,our society is far different to even a generation ago. Parents here do not offer help either, they push that responsibility onto someone else. That dovetails neatly with your description of clients having to take responsibility for their own lives and actions.

As preppers, we take as much responsibility for our own lives as we can, asking for as little help as possible. Obviously, at some point you need a doctor or a tradesman, but as far as possible we try to be independent.

At some point, maybe, possibly, we might leave the EU and that *might* mean shortages of some food and goods. If it happens, it will be the nearest comparable situation to the seventies shortages. Back then folks pretty much took it in their stride, as wartime shortages were still fresh in many memories. IF those potential shortages occur, it will be the nearest we see to a ‘Mass Feeding ‘ situation at this time. Then you will see what we have discussed; the entitlement culture. I absolutely guarantee, that when there are no, let’s say, tinned tomatoes to be had, that there will be interviews for the tv, and the stock phrase of all the whingers will be,”Its disgusting, the government should do something about it!”

[Arwen Thebard]

We used to see a complete lack of interest from some parents when they would drop their kids off for rugby training sessions. We didn't get to meet some parents for many months, they would simply drive up, open the doors, let kids out and drive off then reverse that three hours later on collection. Yet these parents would be the first to ask why their child was not selected or excluded to the side lines in some of the worst cases. Many times we experienced kids with the wrong mental attitude, who had little if any concept of fair play, sportsmanship and conduct. Dare I say it a "soccer / football" mentality. On the plus side, teaching kids those types of life skills was very rewarding. The parents however was an entirely different matter, especially the loud ones on the sidelines at matches.

And re feeding the masses..... does that entitlement attitude also apply to kids schools meals? D

[Deeps]

Arzosah,our society is far different to even a generation ago. Parents here do not offer help either, they push that responsibility onto someone else. That dovetails neatly with your description of clients having to take responsibility for their own lives and actions.

As preppers, we take as much responsibility for our own lives as we can, asking for as little help as possible. Obviously, at some point you need a doctor or a tradesman, but as far as possible we try to be independent.

At some point, maybe, possibly, we might leave the EU and that *might* mean shortages of some food and goods. If it happens, it will be the nearest comparable situation to the seventies shortages. Back then folks pretty much took it in their stride, as wartime shortages were still fresh in many memories. IF those potential shortages occur, it will be the nearest we see to a ‘Mass Feeding ‘ situation at this time. Then you will see what we have discussed; the entitlement culture. I absolutely guarantee, that when there are no, let’s say, tinned tomatoes to be had, that there will be interviews for the tv, and the stock phrase of all the whingers will be,”Its disgusting, the government should do something about it!”

Let them eat passata.

[Appin]

I came across this description of post nuclear attack feeding plans. I believe it comes from EPGLA "Emergency Planninng Guidance for Local Authorities" which was published in the 1980s.

"It suggested that an Emergency Feeding Centre (or EFC) would be set up some time after nuclear attack probably at a school to serve a community of say 2000 people. It would operate a system of 3 8-hour shifts aiming to give each person “half a pint of stew” per day with a calorific content of 1200 calories. “Half a pint of stew” was almost a mantra in civil defence plans and quoted constantly although according to one county plan this 1200-calorie figure “…is below the normal basal metabolic requirement…the persons on such a diet would be lethargic, depressed and unable to carry on much activity”.

The official assumption was that the stew would consist of meat and barley. Meat would be readily available, as many animals would be slaughtered to save feeding them although butchering would be a problem. Barley is the commonest grain grown in the country but it would need milling before it could be used; a factor rarely taken into account.

EPG3 gave the following recipe for 120 portions of the stew to be cooked in a Soyer Boiler -

Fresh meat 16 lbs
Crushed barley 8 lbs
Water 7 gallons
Seasoning (if available)

The method of cooking was essentially to boil for 3 to 3 1⁄2 hours, stirring continuously and skimming off as many barley husks as possible. This recipe would give each serving less than 4 ounces of solid food and nowhere near the supposed 1200 calories."

[jansman]

Thanks for that Appin. I knew I had read about Cold War emergency feeding somewhere. Expanding on Appin’s information ( if I may?) have a look at this. Fascinating stuff, and without straying off topic, nuclear war was a real concern until very recently. Anyhow, check file 14 about emergency feeding :

https://www.subbrit.org.uk/features/str ... -survival/

[Arwen Thebard]

Thanks for that Appin. I knew I had read about Cold War emergency feeding somewhere. Expanding on Appin’s information ( if I may?) have a look at this. Fascinating stuff, and without straying off topic, nuclear war was a real concern until very recently. Anyhow, check file 14 about emergency feeding :
https://www.subbrit.org.uk/features/str ... -survival/

Thanks for that link Jansman. It makes for somber reading on a Monday morning. My initial thoughts were already along the lines of fantasy land / cluster **** then I read this little note;
"It is at the level of emergency feeding that the plans become little more than ill-conceived fantasies. As with so many plans they normally became less detailed as they moved down the control chain. Emergency feeding would have had to be run at the basic grass roots community level but rarely were there any practical plans for this."

The strong community groups of the 50's and 60's might have stood a chance, but the official advice nowadays is that it's everyone for themselves, you are on your own etc. I doubt that a fraction of the general population understand this. What a weak and state reliant bunch of people we have become in just one generation.

[Arzosah]

Good heavens I've just read the one on food, and it sounds like reality was just too hard for the planners, so they just carried on dishing out the fantasy So Corporal Jones had it right, in this situation, we're all doomed

[Arwen Thebard]

I took this one paragraph from a larger article on Zero Hedge;

"This will necessitate 20% of the population going back to living on small farms to insure they have a job and sufficient resources to care for their families. Nothing else in our current situation will work. We have too many unemployed people living off of the state and this will end soon. We will either have a mass exodus from the country or a mass extinction within it. As unpleasant as it sounds that is our future if we do not make substantial changes while we still have time. That time is nearly up."

Full article here;
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07- ... ive-nation

[Stonecarver]

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ ... t-sg-kadut