Weimar 2023 into Global 1848
08 September 2022
Rainy Day, Netherlands
Hunger can lead to famine. That might seem backwards.
It sometimes happens like this: a large segment of a population cannot afford food even when mathematically there is still plenty of food. This can happen gradually, or suddenly, or gradually then suddenly.
Weimar Germany is the oft-cited example. A crushed economy burned with hyper-inflation, invasion by French, industrial collapse, leading to severe food crisis. The problem did not derive from drought or locusts but through economic and policy mechanisms.
This time, conditions for the increasingly likely European famine are nearly all man made. Yes, there is a serious drought that would effect prices, but in a system with an adult government this could be navigated with little issue other than increased prices for some period.
Basically it would be a non-crisis most people never notice. Crisis would be avoided by turning the wheel 1 degree while still miles away, slipping by the iceberg by miles. Burning only a little extra oil to make the imperceptible turn. A wise Captain would order the adjustment so far in advance that practically nobody would notice. Making it all look normal. Sleep tight. The watchman are on watch. The gray-haired Captain is a sober man of experience and judgement. The crew and engine room are finely maintained, disciplined, highly trained, and serious. The kitchen is hot, the brass is shiny. Sleep tight.
But instead we now live in Planet of the Apes. None of this had to happen.
Serious people must take these apes out of the control room.
