# Ponder the Unthinkable (pt19) "American Blackout" Review



## Winston (Oct 17, 2015)

One the main obstacles in teaching people about Survival is making it 
relevant.  As I noted in earlier installments, most folks fall into one of two mental camps:
They think "It will never happen / not be a problem" or "It'll be so bad, I'll just die."

For you folks, I recommend viewing a good docu-drama like "American 
Blackout" (2013) by National Geographic. In all fairness, this movie isn't that good from 
a craft perspective, and it's a crass effort by their marketing department to draw attention 
to their flailing "Doomsday Preppers" show.  Regardless,  "American Blackout" is full of 
teachable moments, some good, but mostly life-threatenly dumb.   I've provided a link 
below, should you choose to view this before I critique:
　

[video=youtube;FYoXxVnTePA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;v=FYoXxVnTePA[/video]

The story is presented from the viewpoints of five different groups of average 
citizens in the U.S.  They all have Smartphones and cameras to document their travails as 
they navigate a world with no electricity.  The setting is portrayed well, as news stories  
are interspersed between each group's efforts to survive their ordeals.  The acting is 
mediocre, but just good enough that it's believable from a documentary viewpoint.  

The premise for the movie is simple:  Unknown international hackers (possible 
Chinese or Russian)  have introduced a targeted virus that is causing a cascading failure 
of the entire North American power grid.  As far a scenarios go, this one is one of the 
more likely.  It is even more likely now than two years ago when this movie was made.  
The impact of a large-scale loss of power is obvious.  How people will react to such an 
event is not as easily understandable.  Let's look the groups and how they fared:

As a textbook example of everything to do wrong, there's Gemma and her 
boyfriend.  First off, living in any high-density area during an emergency is bad.  Living 
in a fortieth floor condo is much worse. Aside from the logistical / defensive nightmare 
this provides, this couple is hampered by the pre-event mindset.  In the first few days, 
they really think that someone will rescue them.  After they deplete their meager fridge 
leftovers (and getting sick off of spoiled caviar), they decide to go "look for help".  One 
shop on the street below is selling a handful of goods at scalpers prices.  Gemma's 
boyfriend trades his Rolex for a bottle of water, then beats a man for a can of peaches.  
Back on the 40th floor, they discover they have no can opener, and the idiot slices his 
hand open using a knife on the can.  He succumbs to a fever from infection, weakened by 
vomiting up bad caviar.  By Day 10, "help" arrives in the form of a gang that drags 
Gemma off camera.  Fade out to the sound of screaming...

Of all the errors they made, the worst was expecting help.  Sure, you are screwed 
if you live in a high-rise.  But that can be overcome with proper planning.  What can't be 
overcome is the mindset of dependency and reliance on others. The fact that they made it 
a week and a half is somewhat of a miracle.  Thinking that an event will only last a few 
days is a fatal error.  With no means of communication, even a radio, you will be 
guessing at what's going on.  Guessing means bad choices.  That will kill you.

On a brighter note, we have a teen and his video camera.  "VJ" is alone at home as 
his mom, a nurse, is taking care of all the idiots out driving in a blackout.  There are riots 
nearby after a few days, which VJ feels the compulsion to go out and video-log.  VJ finds 
a gun in the house, and carries it with the confidence most of us would have with a 
longbow.  Basically, the kid is lucky.  After some suspenseful moments, his mom 
eventually makes it back.

The takeaway here is, don't expose yourself unnecessarily (like, going TO a riot).  
Also, if anyone in your house MAY use a gun, they need to know how to.  

Our next group is four college students trapped in a campus dorm elevator.  
There's some interesting socio-psycho exchange here, and risk-taking where one of them 
falls to his death.  Another succumbs to injuries and dies later.  Two survive trapped on 
the roof  (the roof exit doors are locked for student safety, of course).  They live to see 
the power restored.

The main character here (Matt) has a knife.  HAVE A KNIFE.  It helped them 
escape, and they're generally indispensable.   Also, that portable crank charger for his 
phone... very good.  Yet, after a few days, they made the decision not to starve to death 
waiting in the elevator.  Only half survived, but that's better than all dead.  

Then there's our "prepper" family.   Dad decides after one day that this is "The 
Big One" and orders the family to "bug out".  The four of them bring along the teen 
daughter's clueless boyfriend to their secret lair in the Colorado mountains. After a few 
days, a neighbor ambles up and asks for food.  Dad tells him to get lost.  Of course, 
shortly after, the neighbor is back at night with a posse of hungry locals.  After being 
burglarized once,  Dad decides to confront the Good 'ol Boy Gang by himself.  Just 
as it's about to turn REAL ugly, cell phones start ringing.  Yes, power has been restored.  
Everyone walks away uninjured.

Soooooo much wrong here.  First off, I'm not a big fan of "bugging out" precisely 
because you need to network with a whole new set of neighbors. If you don't, you'll be 
the idiot outsider with goodies that the locals will come after.  For God's sake, make 
friends, not enemies!  You have limited resources, but don't be a moron.  Also, as I noted 
in my last section, your family is your "team", and they need to have your back.  You 
never confront an unknown individual or group by yourself.  Everyone needs basic 
firearm and tactics training.  A few hours a year.  No exceptions.

Our last group is a typical suburban family of three.  After the initial outtage,  the 
neighborhood has a "block-party" cooking up all the food in their now non-operational 
fridges. To complicate matters, when the power goes out, the wife is 9 months pregnant 
with mouth number four.  These folks win the bad luck award, without death.  The 
husband and wife get into a wreck on the way to the hospital.  They safely deliver the 
baby in a nearby park.  But. their house burns down while they are out. The daughter 
evacuates to an emergency camp without her folks.  They all eventually meet-up in the 
camp, homeless, but safe.

These folks actually didn't commit any egregious errors.  They had to drive to the 
hospital.  But, unless it's a life or death type deal, don't drive during a regional / national 
emergency.  Street lights are out and people are panicking.  Now, it's good to cook-up 
perishable food, but be smart about it.  Your fridge will stay cool for a day or two without 
power.  Later, the freezer will keep things cool for a week or so.  If you must cook mass 
quantities, overcook the food to remove as much moisture as possible and / or salt the hec 
out of it.  It will last longer.  As far as fires go, expect them, and expect no help.  You'll 
need all your water for drinking and cooking.  Keep a few buckets of sand for fire 
suppression.

As made-for-TV movies go, this wasn't bad in overall quality.  But it's real value 
is in the lessons, both good and bad, it presents.  In reality, this scenario would rank as a 
short / medium term disaster in both duration and severity.  It is highly likely that, given 
another week or more, you could expect greater social unrest (gangs, looting) as well as 
regional pandemics.  Disaster planners theorize that there would come a societal 
"breaking point".   Things would slide from "Stuff Hits The Fan" to "Without Rule Of 
Law".  If you're new to "prepping" (or as I prefer, Surviving), look at this movie as a first 
step at being ready in a disaster.

The Federal "Three Day Survival Plan" is a joke.  Be ready to be self-sufficient 
for at least a week or two.  Prepare AND Plan.  Things may be bad for much, much 
longer than you expect.  But you can make it.


----------



## Plasticweld (Oct 29, 2015)

I saw the snow when it came out, your review brings up some good points to notice.  I would actually recommend reading your review first rather than second it would make most aware of the options and pitfalls that the five different scenarios go through.  I can speak with some first hand experience about tragedy and dealing with the un expected.  There is a natural desire to discount what just happen and put it into terms that we are comfortable with.  Things that we saw and dealt with, in only  a few moments we were questioning what we had just seen.  


There is no substitute for common sense, I think the program and your review basically end with that as the lesson.  Unfortunately a easy statement to make while all is calm I think the best strategy is one that is similar to what a good drive sees when going down the road, all the things that might go wrong, all the choices someone else might make.  Just as a new driver is bound to be involved in a accident at three or four times the rate of an experienced driver, the new driver will always make the comment I was either surprised or did not think they would do that.   
Smart people always weigh all the factors


----------



## ismith (Oct 29, 2015)

I enjoyed your review!

Three days after the semi-trucks quit running the cities will be war zones. One only has to turn to the history book and have an imagination to see how it will play out.


----------

