The more one learns about PO the more doomerish. Accurate?

Hermes

And I just KNOW that this topic must have been hashed out before...

I'm guessing that the more PO aware a person is, the more doomerish they become. I am guessing this for multiple reasons, the most powerful being that it happened to me!

It seems to make sense, as a person is going to naturally start out believing that this is a kind of 'hurdle' that our society needs to get over to continue on... and then they find out that it's actually the gigantic pit with crocodiles and scorpions and whirling blades at the bottom that we're jumping into. Except the whirling blades are up above the crocodiles, so the crocodiles don't get hit. Plus the crodociles are hungry. And they're in a really bad mood for some reason. Probably because they're stuck at the bottom of a pit. And the crocodiles get along with the scorpions, which is interesting because they're in a bad mood. And the scorpions are really nasty poisonous ones, not like the little guys here that can sting you a few times and you're okay. Plus the whirling blades are serrated, and covered in lemon juice. And they're rusty.

Did I mention the crocodiles?

So anyways I'm wondering if it's a clear trend that almost ALL people on this board get more doomerish as they learn more about PO?

And if someone can point me to a thread which has already discussed this to death please do so.

Zardoz

OilyMon

Doomerosity and doomishness are dynamic emotions. One can feel at times that they can hear the hooves of the four horses, and the next day like things are on the up-and-up. This results from the lack of a complete understanding of the issues. The issues are so variable and interconnected with other issues that new information can provide hope or dash it, depending on how reactionary you are to said information. I personally did a downward spiral from ignorance to "awareness" over roughly a 6 month period stating in November 2004 at the heigh of which I was very doomerish. I'd say now I'm a little more on the fence after reading the issues and perventing my more emotional reaction from getting the better of me, although recent events are increasing my level of concern over the outcome of the peak.

albente · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Aug 20, 2004 Posts: 1361

The discussions in the past were not that different from those today. Check out this entertaining clip:
PeakOil 1973
And in regards to "Doomerism" what's that?

Colorado-Valley · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 16, 2004 Posts: 733

I'm more doomerish now because I hadn't noticed the scorpions before ...

The problem isn't only the pit, but that the politicians seem to be telling us not to look down, and to keep our eyes focused firmly on that hydrogen-ethanol-abiotic sunrise just over the horizon ...

Shock

Doly · Expert Joined: Dec 03, 2004 Posts: 4041

gg3

PO was cause for feeling grim.

The climate crisis, at its present point of apparently no return, is cause for feeling doomerish, as in, game over, push the Reboot button, the only thing that can save us now is radical depopulation to the tune of 75% or more.

carbon14 · Coal Joined: Oct 29, 2005 Posts: 9

We are 110% screwed.
Just wait until all the methane hydrates get liberated i.e. from solid to gas by the warming oceans = exponential global warming and the food web disintegrates due to the acidification of the sea i.e CO2 + H20 -> H2C03 (carbonic acid) and global crop production bombs due to global warming and lack of water due the ancient aquifers (underground water) being depleted.
The amount of pollution e.g. heavy metals, non-biodegradable organic/inorganic solvents, hormones, medicines making reproduction and good health hard
This is one trashed planet never mind how much net energy per capita is available.
Still the sooner we stop all this and the population reduces to a sustainable level the better in my book.
Hubbert got it spot on i.e. we are witnessing when the infinite money system meets the finite/closed planet limits.

Concerned · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 23, 2004 Posts: 1553

JustinFrankl · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 22, 2005 Posts: 657

IslandCrow

When I first come here, I got quite 'down', however, I am not as doomerish as I was...in part, because the crash does not seem to be coming as soon as many of the doomers have said. I believe that the crash is coming, but I am feeling more optimistic if I have more time to prepare for it and to make life-style changes.

Just looking at the oil figures it seems that we are in for a long slide down, as things get worse. The 'joker' in the pack is if there is some major social disruption that will crash society before oil gets very scarce [possibly the current fighting in the Middle East getting out of hand]. Most doomers seem to think that this will happen 'this year or next year'. Well my first 'this year' has already passed with no crash, but it allowed for some preperations being made (although things are going much slower in this area than I would like), and I think that I will get through some more "this year"s before the crash / rapid slide sets in.

So in this past year I have moved from knowing I was not in a position to cope with the likely economic fall out to PO, to one where I have some hope that I could possibly cope if given a bit more time to prepare in.
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RacerJace

when I first woke up to our predicament I became seriously depressed. Since then I guess I have been on a rollercoaster of emotions. Most days I feel there is no point doing what I do (automotive engineering) but occationally I get inspired by the massive changes and opportunities that the near future holds.

I got to a point six months ago where I felt like I knew all there is to know (on a fundamentals level: EROI and overshoot etc.) of the consequences of PO and I got quite bored with the topic. From the most optimistic to the most pessimistic scenarios I do believe we are Fark as a civilization. My biggest concern is for my children. What sort of world will they be living in in ten years.

As the begining of WWIII starts to play out I am feeling more doomerish than usual. I'm questioning the purpose of money, wealth and what it means to be wealthy/prosperous in a post PO world. But the suffering that we will be faced with makes me feel like going on a massive hedonistic splurge and then topping myself. If it wasn't for my kids and my responsibility as a father and a husband I would do just that.

Aqua · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 23, 2004 Posts: 171

I’m 150% doomerish for this crazy unsustainable civilisation that we have created based on finite energy sources and infinite growth. I just do not see how humanity is going to get itself out of the hole it has dug itself into without major and painful changes along the way. Too many people rapidly declining resources and a runaway climate do not bode well for the status quo much further out than 10 years in my opinion.

On a positive note I do not think we will go right back to the Stone Age we have learned much and alternative energy technology works on the smaller scale. Civilisation will rise from the ashes leaner and hopefully collectively scared enough by the events still to happen as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Pops

I’m probably less pessimistic than I was originally but I’m not sure if it is because of what I’ve read, what I have done personally or how resilient the economy seems to be considering a 400% increase in oil price in just 4 years.

When I first started reading about PO around 5 years ago a barrel of oil was $20 and I imagined oil at $80 would mean huge unemployment at the vary least, I suppose sustained at or above that level it may still.

We may see $80 soon and I’m sure it is straining some budgets as it works its way through the economy, but there isn’t the drop in demand that I had thought would occur by this price. One talking head did say that in CA there was some sign of a reduction in demand last month with $3.50 a gallon for unleaded but that’s about it.

Yea there are resource wars and rumors of more; opening of protected areas to drilling and indications of delayed maintenance; signs of increasing inflation and trouble in real estate in commuter heavy markets (a combination that points to possible stagflation); people and the gov. are still increasing their debt loads; we are still converting fuel to food and in addition we are building plants as fast as possible to convert food to fuel.

All were predictable and widely predicted, but people continue apace.

Having written all that I’m really not sure why I’m not more pessimistic…
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Fergus · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 13, 2006 Posts: 409