How are doomers made?

[Annie Oakley]

I have always been this way
For as long as I can remember all I wanted to do was go and live in the woods and build my own home and be self sufficient.
I am an only child and an extreme introvert(I hate, absolutely hate speaking.....and being spoken to....and listening  to others speak..... )
I was raised middle class, but had first child at 16(and thereby put off living in the woods for 20 years). But my kids(btw they are two well adjusted people, regardless of how strange their mother is) were raised knowing the yearning that I have. Had a big garden and raised rabbits for meat while they were growing up(plus spent a good portion of their growing up years as a mormon)
My mother is still trying(in her own way) to talk me out of moving off grid and quitting my job next June .(I often think that if she understood me that I never would have wound up getting pregnant just to get out of the house).

I said to my husband the other day that if the H1N1 gets bad around here. I will be quitting work now not in seven months.....I told him that I have spent most of my life waiting for the chance to live the way I have known I should....and if I see the chance of me getting snuffed out less than a year before it happens..........well that's NOT happening!

[Six Gun Jim]

I'll second that motion, nice one Ranger! I know I am what I am because of what I've seen, nothing more and nothing less. I grew up with great people and hard work, life, death and reality. I don't want to get sucked into believing what I know isn't real so I come here to remember there are better ways to do things. -James  

[MEA]

Yeah, but Ranger makes us sound almost godlike -- which I'm not. Is there is sort of second class doomer slot for those of who just have common sense?

[ExRanger]

Doomers are made in a hidden forge that most people don't even realize exists. They are made of a rare and special steel alloy known for its high strength, high flexability and off the chart breaking point. This alloy holds an edge well and requires little maintenance even in the worst environments. They are hammered out on the anvil of adversity and tempered in an icy bath of crystal clear reality.

Glad everyone has enjoyed that. 

[ExRanger]

Yeah, but Ranger makes us sound almost godlike -- which I'm not. Is there is sort of second class doomer slot for those of who just have common sense?

You are a lot tougher than you think, you just have to believe it. The mind leads and the ass will follow.

[MEA]

I was taught, if you get them by the balls, the hearts and minds will folllow.

I'm tough in a lot of ways, but not poetic.

[ExRanger]

I was taught, if you get them by the balls, the hearts and minds will folllow.

I'm tough in a lot of ways, but not poetic.

I had forgotten that old saying! 

[TLR1138]

Yeah, but Ranger makes us sound almost godlike -- which I'm not. Is there is sort of second class doomer slot for those of who just have common sense?

That's what I was thinking. I'm no superman either. I always liked the line in Idiocracy where our hero is told to "Lead, follow, or get out of the way," and he happily gets out of the way. 

Me, I think I was born a doomer. As a child, I had a gut feeling that there was something seriously wrong with the adults' world. I used to listen to their talk about "the way life is," and I'd think, "You've gotta be kidding me."

[Bill Hicks]

Me, I think I was born a doomer. As a child, I had a gut feeling that there was something seriously wrong with the adults' world. I used to listen to their talk about "the way life is," and I'd think, "You've gotta be kidding me."

There is something to this, too.  I remember walking to junior high school in 1979 and having to pass by a gas station.  Every day during the first Iranian crisis, the price would go up until it had doubled in a couple of months.  It scared the shit out of me, but none of my peers even seemed to notice.  Even then, I innately knew.  No oil, no modern civilization.  No one had to spell it out for me.

[TheDignityofStruggle]

I'm not a doomer, I'm a realist living in a doomed world.

[kathleen]

Me, I think I was born a doomer. As a child, I had a gut feeling that there was something seriously wrong with the adults' world. I used to listen to their talk about "the way life is," and I'd think, "You've gotta be kidding me."

There is something to this, too.  I remember walking to junior high school in 1979 and having to pass by a gas station.  Every day during the first Iranian crisis, the price would go up until it had doubled in a couple of months.  It scared the shit out of me, but none of my peers even seemed to notice.  Even then, I innately knew.  No oil, no modern civilization.  No one had to spell it out for me.

I think there must be a genetic glich that some of us are just more curious (perhaps even suspicious) about the general state of being. If you start asking questions it really isn't too much of a leap to realize that this will not end well. There are so many layers of denial for most people, even if they strip a few away, they are still pretty far from any kind of true realization that we are in a culture's collapse phase.

[ralfy]

I became a doomer becuz of teh internets.

[wordnerd]

I don't think I was a child doomer
I AM an only child (for the person who mentioned that above)
raised in a poor family by my mother and grandmother - both very independent women - ahead of their time.
I once described myself as resourceful, resilient and responsible
I tihink what lead me to "doomerism" was that I have an open mind - and I am curious.
I'm not particularly skeptical - but I research everything ad naseum. I want to know. I want to understand.
When I read about our situation (Derrick jensen) I started a quest to learn everything I could
I was "open" to what I was learning - and I was "curious" enough to want to know more

So we may all get here differently. We travel different paths to get to the same place.

[Bruce]

Although my writing and grammer doesn't add credence I consider myself and most doomers intelligent. Most of all I consider myself not a pessimist nor an optimist but a realist. I base my opinions on as many facts as I can gather and try to make an informed decision. As far back as I can remember I have always had this belief that one day things are going to get bad and real bad. Why did I feel that way? where did it start? I don't have clue. I was raised by both parents and they stayed married until they died. I was raised middle class and have never really known hunger. I have had some bad times in my life but nothing horrific. Had my share of relationship troubles but most have. So, I don't have clue if there is one unifying thread that causes us to be who and what we are..................................Bruce

[MissMachinegun]

Doomers are made by excellent elementary/jr high history teachers