We need a membership drive, Alex

[Doomsteader]

Nowadays, what is "normal?"

School shootings,
C-store lootings.
Fast-food beatings,
Seasons greetings!

Woman shocks 64-year-old man with stun gun at McDonald's, police say

A woman allegedly zapped a 64-year-old McDonald’s patron with a stun gun while he was eating at the restaurant with friends, New York Police Department said, according to reports. According to authorities, the incident happened last Sunday night near Times Square when the man and his group of friends began talking to the woman. It is not immediately clear what the group was discussing, but soon after the unknown woman left the fast food chain and then returned with a stun gun and zapped the man’s arm. The woman then fled. Police are still searching for the suspect, who was last seen reportedly wearing a black sweater, head scarf, jeans and black shoes.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/bdb7937...r-old-man.html

Just another day in the USA.

[BigGreenFrog]

Nowadays, what is "normal?"

You don't even want to know!

[Deckard1973]

Normal = clueless drone

Right you are!

- - - Updated - - -

School shootings,
C-store lootings.
Fast-food beatings,
Seasons greetings!

Woman shocks 64-year-old man with stun gun at McDonald's, police say

A woman allegedly zapped a 64-year-old McDonald’s patron with a stun gun while he was eating at the restaurant with friends, New York Police Department said, according to reports. According to authorities, the incident happened last Sunday night near Times Square when the man and his group of friends began talking to the woman. It is not immediately clear what the group was discussing, but soon after the unknown woman left the fast food chain and then returned with a stun gun and zapped the man’s arm. The woman then fled. Police are still searching for the suspect, who was last seen reportedly wearing a black sweater, head scarf, jeans and black shoes.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/bdb7937...r-old-man.html

Just another day in the USA.

Point well taken DS!

[Doomsteader]

IMO, Silco is in it's death throes and is approaching obscurity and obsolescence. Even the *weekends* here are pretty dead. I sometimes wonder why I even bother to keep posting new articles here on a daily basis. Deckard disappeared without a trace some 3 weeks ago, Mikey hasn't posted anything here for a while. Heck, even Alex doesn't post here anymore, lol. We get rare, occasional drop-ins by old horseman, syn, ect, and some former posters are now mostly lurkers. I think we're down to around maybe 10(?) regular posters here now. I think there's a point at which a too-small population of (insert here) becomes not only endangered, but doomed to extinction. The same goes for forums where no effort is made to retain and recruit members.

If I may suggest one no-effort change that might make this forum viable again? Open it up to non-members(read-only), and allow search-engines access to the content here. What say you, Alex(and everyone else, here)? This place needs new blood and fresh meat.

[woodsy_gardener]

I think opening SusCo search to engines would bring in new members but stop there, no SilCo or Tin Ceiling, too personal. Read only or apply for membership to post.

[NYLongbow]

Yeah, I totally understand the concern. I've kept SILCO behind closed doors because people who posted depended on the privacy and I felt it wouldnt be right to open it up after the fact.

Truth is, social media has choked out discussion forums. Sad but true. I see homesteading and other doomer related groups with thousands (even 100+ thousand) members.

That's why the other LATOC offshoots have all dwindled down to next to nothing.

I'm here still, though life has kept me from posting mostly.

Sorry bout that.

[Doomsteader]

I think opening SusCo search to engines would bring in new members but stop there, no SilCo or Tin Ceiling, too personal. Read only or apply for membership to post.

I disagree. When you(or I, or anyone) posts on an internet forum, there is NO expectation of privacy at the end of the day. I've posted some shit I'm not proud of, but DO expect those posts to see the light of of day *eventually*, and have to expect to either explain them or defend them in the court of public opinion. Or on a worst case scenario, apologize for them. That's life. For anything more personal and
private, it's what this forum has DMs/PMs for.

[NYLongbow]

I disagree. When you(or I, or anyone) posts on an internet forum, there is NO expectation of privacy at the end of the day. I've posted some shit I'm not proud of, but DO expect those posts to see the light of of day *eventually*, and have to expect to either explain them or defend them in the court of public opinion. Or on a worst case scenario, apologize for them. That's life. For anything more personal and
private, it's what this forum has DMs/PMs for.

Understand... but I told people it would stay private.. and so it shall.
Perhaps till the end but that's just how I roll.

Expectation of privacy is still real with me :-)

[OldHorseman]

.

- I do check most every day... But have been so distracted and tired lately.

.

[houseoftang]

I'd be OK with Susco being searchable, but not Silco. If Silco became publicly searchable, I think it would be fair to give members a chance to scrub their posts first.

ETA I haven't even been on Facebook as much lately. Guess I'm not doing as much of my socializing online this year.

[BigGreenFrog]

I am not on any Social Media sites. This place is my digital home and I love it.
Thank you Alex for providing us with this place.
Thank you Doomsteader for posting as often as you do.
And thanks to everyone else who posts, reads and interacts with everyone else here.

[TheDignityofStruggle]

To be honest, a bunch of new members would mean a bunch of old arguments would just happen all over again.

[A.B.]

Yeah, I like it the way it is, we are like an extended family to a degree. We can be more personal with each other if we want and dont have to explain things again to others. The privacy thing is pretty big for me, I would never post any of the stuff that I see here on fb.

[Commoner80]

I value everyone's contribution here. That said, we all need fewer internet distractions. And that said, I think being here has, in part, saved me from drowning in the abyss of mainstream social media.

[BigGreenFrog]

To be honest, a bunch of new members would mean a bunch of old arguments would just happen all over again.

Probably the people liked it use their voice. It's one of the nice things about this place, people say what they think.

[lcdoomer]

I rarely post and check in at least once a day to see all the new posting. I avoid all social media sites. During the summer I have very limited internet service at my off grid water only access Canadian cottage. Now waiting for the hurricane to hit in not always sunny Florida. Look forward to the various poster. Hope the site continues as it is.

[bogey]

I like it as is. Doomsteader thanks for the posts.

[DweebieDoom]

I think it would help if more people posted. Doomsteader has been Great with his posts. Thank you Doomsteader.

[Nordom]

I miss the good old days .. the first couple years post LATOC. Not enough people now to get more than a few posts into a dead horse beating.

[Poseidon]

I will automatically recognize that my perspective is biased, since I only found LATOC in early 2008, I think. That was an intense time, with the conspiracy ideas of Sept. 2001 not far behind, yet the Great Recession[TM] was imminent while oil prices were (by that past's standard) going sky-high. What happened since then? LATOC got so big and busy that the forum broke up into 4 or 5 new forums, some of which since died off. Over here, we have what I'll call the most reasonable bunch, which is what I like about this place.

Perhaps more importantly, despite a decade of predictions of imminent doom (which I actually think will eventually happen soon enough: another financial crisis with a general impoverishment of the population, followed by another lousy swing upwards), we're still waiting. I think the term "doom fatigue" might be an understatement. If I recall properly to 2008 and also to May 2010, the LATOC forum lit up when things were actually crashing and going downhill. A nearly decade-long positive streak has gotten people complacent, or perhaps too busy with their lives like me.

What about me? I did get a child 2 years ago. Wonderful thing that has had positive impacts: I love having this new reason to live positively, and I have pretty much become my dad, whereby I am a suburbia-dwelling car-driving slave to the system. Doesn't prevent me from trying to make the most of it for doomer purposes as well, but with family, priorities lie where they are.

But I will never forget that the gasoline for the car is a limited resource, that retirement at age 65 in the mid-2040s will be nothing like what my parents are getting, that I will probably be the grand-parent living with my children and grandchildren in the same cramped house eating Canadian staple foods (potatoes etc.).

Instead of being a contributor to this forum by finding interesting news (thanks Doomsteader, we couldn't do it without you), I wanted to write original pieces. This isn't happening due to competing personal and professional commitments. Saying no is still a challenge for me, but I'm learning! So my participation is limited to some beaver-related posts or otherwise some occasional sarcastic comments. No promise, but I might try to provide more original content.