Our Vision of the Post-Apocalypse Is Wrong
7/7/202634 min
What would it take to survive after "the end of the world?" A whole culture of prepping often focuses on a familiar fantasy: grab the gear, flee the city, defend the bunker, survive alone. Anthropologist and survival instructor Chris Begley thinks that’s probably the wrong movie. Ben walks through what history and math show people actually do when civilizations break down — and what they need, from dodging poisonous acorns to forming new communities. Also: luxury bunkers, survival sporks, and the unfortunate role of politics in a world of ruin.
Guest:
Chris Begley, author of The Emergency Playbook: A Bunker-Free Guide to Disaster Preparation.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
This message comes from NPR sponsor Carvana. Carvana makes car-buying easy, 100% online, prices down to the penny, delivered to your door. Why make car-buying hard when it could be easy? Visit carvana.com today. Terms may apply There's a legend out there of a lost city, an El Dorado-type city called the White City or the Ciudad Blanca.
Ben Bradford· Host0:24
Anthropologist Chris Begley told me this story from when he was living in Eastern Honduras. He was with an indigenous group, the Pech, studying their past when the topic of their lost city came up.
Chris Begley· Guest0:35
We were out in the rainforest, and one of the Pech that, that I was with said, "Have you heard of the White City?" And I said, "Yeah, of course, I have." And he said, "Well, it's right up this creek, you know, about a day, about a day up there." And, you know, I didn't really know what to say. [laughs] I sorta nodded and, you know, finally said, "Well, can we go see it?" And he said, "No. No, we can't."
Ben Bradford· Host1:02
It wasn't because Chris might steal some mythical hidden gold. It has none.
Chris Begley· Guest1:09
There's no riches.
Ben Bradford· Host1:11
Chris says it's not even really a city. The better translation is White House.
Chris Begley· Guest1:16
There's no scale.
Ben Bradford· Host1:18
The value is simply cultural, spiritual.
Chris Begley· Guest1:22
It represents all that was lost.
Ben Bradford· Host1:25
The Pech and other indigenous groups had once formed a sprawling civilization,