One of the reasons that the United States has been such a safe, secure and stable place to live is because we have strong institutions and a respect for the rule of law. However, if people begin to lose faith in their government or justice system, society can quickly devolve into chaos. This is something that a lot of preppers are concerned with, and for good reason. There are strong indications that we are heading in that direction, and unless this trend changes, we can find ourselves in a lawless state where every day could be a battle for survival.
Is Mexico Our Future?
If you think that we’re exaggerating, just look at what’s happened in Mexico since powerful drug cartels have been able to exploit weaknesses in their political system and turn the country into a war zone. Mexico and the United States have almost identical forms of government, yet corruption, patronage and pay-to-play are alive and well south of the border. It is these systemic problems that have caused Mexico to devolve into a country filled with violence and chaos.
While we can say the same about our own government, problems are not nearly as extensive, and we still have strong checks and balances in place that limit the extent of these activities. Politicians and lobbyists have also become quite adept at knowing how far to push things before they find themselves in trouble. However, we’re on a slippery-slope, and it’s only a matter of time before corruption or governmental overreach becomes the norm.
Quiet Revolt With Unexpected Consequences
A number of cities and towns in Mexico have decided to take matters in their own hands because they’ve had enough of violence and corruption, and they’ve formed their own militias and established their own rules. The hope was that they could organize and fight back in order to establish a zone of safety where people could live in peace. This approach has worked for a couple of years, but things are deteriorating once again as those in power are starting to take advantage of their positions.
While peace and security have replaced bloodshed, a handful of powerful and wealthy individuals have been able to turn these places into their personal fiefdoms. Instead of being under the thumb of cartels and dirty politicians, citizens are now at the mercy of whatever system these individuals have put into place. Consequently, people really don’t have freedom, rights or the ability to determine the course of their own lives. Those who have money and weapons rule with an iron fist in order to maintain law and order, and while people are enjoying a tentative peace, it’s coming at a price.
Life as a Victim
Imagine going through a town where you’re subject to searches by armed mercenaries, or you may be detained, beaten or even killed if you do something they don’t like. Imagine your property or assets getting seized in order to fund militias and greedy barons. Imagine being caught in a war between the government, drug cartels and militias who are all competing for power and money. Imagine having to live under the rule of people who are not accountable to anyone other than themselves and their bosses.
This is what happens in countries around the world when their governments fail to, well, govern. Groups with money and power compete for dominance, and average citizens are left with little recourse.
We tend to think that if we experience some kind of SHTF situation that causes the government to get out of control or a breakdown in society that leads to a lawless state, we can fend them off by banding together and forming militias. However, we often overlook the possibility that those same militias could turn against us and create even bigger problems. This is a distinct possibility, and we need to think about how we would cope if that were to happen. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, and we don’t have the benefit of being able to use some kind of precedent as a template. Consequently, the things that we hope will give us options in a post-SHTF world may end up leading us down a very different and bleak path.
Take some time to imagine how we may be at the mercy of local groups of thugs if our government collapses and power and control are up for grabs. How would you cope? What would you do? There are no easy answers, and this is definitely uncharted territory. Yet, this is something that we need to think about because this is the world that we may end up experiencing in the not-too-distant future.
