Triumph of Handicraft

[rinue]

Although the zombie zeitgeist is now passing, something which has worried me throughout is that I'm pretty sure I die. I mean, I'm a good driver and a decent mechanic, but I live in a populous city.

Beyond that, I've worried about how I'd fare in a post-apocalyptic scenario. I'm an intellectual. I like civilization. I know the best ways to form a government, and the best ways to vote, but if somebody wants to smash my skull in...it's pretty much going to work. No way around it. And in the short term, they'd be right to do so - I'm an extra mouth. Words and ideas are essential long term, but at the moment, what am I contributing?

Are we going to get to the long term?

It makes me nervous.

However, today I realized I was being silly. Assuming I can get past the zombies, I'm thoroughly useful: I know how to card wool and cotton, how to spin, how to build a loom, how to weave, how to knit, how to crochet, how to pattern make, how to sew. I am valuable to the point of being irreplaceable even in an agrarian society. I understand textiles. Thank goodness.

Comments

[ksmeg.livejournal.com]

::sorts through skill list:: ::discards 95% as they have to do with technology::

I can butcher and clean chickens? You think that would be enough to keep me around? And some shelter-building skills?

[rinue.livejournal.com]

I think straight up having the chickens at all puts you in a good position. One also assumes you own and can operate lots of tools.

[ksmeg.livejournal.com]

I do, but power tools will be out, I assume. Perhaps I should stock up on hammers just in case. Building shelter with screws without drills would not be fun at all.

The chickens, though, take no electricity. I'd need a flint set to start a fire for scalding... but worse came to worse just skinning them is easy enough, then stick them over the fire and viola, dinner!

[rinue.livejournal.com]

Power tools would be out after a while, and perhaps sporadically, but I tend to think that you can find a generator and siphon oil for at least a month or so, and maybe later build (or find someone who can build) a human-powered genny from a stationary bicycle. Then you're in business, at least when it comes to charging up drills.

[ksmeg.livejournal.com]

Well, we do have generator at the shop, although getting gas will prove somewhat problematic at first. The truck, though, runs off vegtiable oil, that could come in VERY handy, as I'd have a better chance making fuel than finding it.

[rinue.livejournal.com]

That's awesome.

[ksmeg.livejournal.com]

It's probably not entirely healthy the sense of relief I feel at the thought of 'yes, I guess I would be useful in a post-apocalyptical world.'

[rinue.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean. I am more relieved than is reasonable. I think it probably comes out of being told over and over by a certain segment of the population that we are useless and not real - that we don't have what it takes and are just coasting on the good graces of the strong people, using the safety of government to steal from them. But they're wrong.

[ksmeg.livejournal.com]

I LIKE my high-technology civilized world. I'm British, we invented civilization. ;) But... nice to know I wouldn't just be at the whims of others in a worst case senerio. Well, no worse than others, and better than some.

[rinue.livejournal.com]

Totally. Best case -> civilization. By far. But it's good that in the worst case, we wouldn't necessarily be screwed.

[oddment.livejournal.com]

Woo, textiles! Your interpretation of this is much less-depressing sounding than my "Oh, yeah, I think probably the entire 'handmade movement' thing is due to an instinctive fear of [zombie] apocalypses..." approach.

Also, am really happy you will get through the post-apocalypticness okay. And also happy that chickens don't require electricity. Seriously, scanning the comments and seeing that has made my whole day.

on the less gleeful side, this means i am zombie apocalypse redundant! oh snap

[rinue.livejournal.com]

Ah, but we are in such vastly different areas of the country, and I hope there will be enough survivors that no one person could make enough scarves.