The staff won’t keep them. What security guard is going to agree to protect Elon Musk after the apocalypse? They’ll shoot him in the back and take the keys to the kitchen.
I mean you say this but our species has a long history of people serving authoritarian monsters. I think you’re vastly overestimating humans ability to say this is messed up I should do something about it. Most people just keep their heads down.
Food, shelter, creature comfort, the last little bit of a civilization that exists, Etc…
Historically speaking that’s been enough for a lot of people. A lot of those authoritarian dictators throughout history stayed on a long time. Sure they could have been killed, but that inertia takes over.
These things have been thought through. The money may be worthless, but the highly controlled access to food, guns, ammo and medicine would be adequate leverage.
I expect, at some point, a leader would emerge with more cred than, "I started a company, " but they’d need to get permanent access and they’d have the same problem: control, rationing.
All this stuff is just people fantasizing about being smart and solving hard problems. The truest hard problem is we are not meant to live alone or like Morlocks.
There are ways to have a retreat hidden in plain site.
The staff won’t keep them. What security guard is going to agree to protect Elon Musk after the apocalypse? They’ll shoot him in the back and take the keys to the kitchen.
I mean you say this but our species has a long history of people serving authoritarian monsters. I think you’re vastly overestimating humans ability to say this is messed up I should do something about it. Most people just keep their heads down.
Usually because those authoritarians have the power to kill them. Armed guards have the power to kill Elon.
And how do they have that power? Where does it come from?
By holding the purse strings (the economy will have collapsed) and by making the laws (which won’t exist anymore).
Also, I think you underestimate the loyalty of a paid security staff when they stop getting paid.
What makes you think they’re not being paid anymore? Of course they are. Just the coinage that’s changed really.
What would they be paid with?
Food, shelter, creature comfort, the last little bit of a civilization that exists, Etc…
Historically speaking that’s been enough for a lot of people. A lot of those authoritarian dictators throughout history stayed on a long time. Sure they could have been killed, but that inertia takes over.
So… all the things they can still have except without Elon ordering them around if they just shoot him?
These things have been thought through. The money may be worthless, but the highly controlled access to food, guns, ammo and medicine would be adequate leverage.
I expect, at some point, a leader would emerge with more cred than, "I started a company, " but they’d need to get permanent access and they’d have the same problem: control, rationing.
All this stuff is just people fantasizing about being smart and solving hard problems. The truest hard problem is we are not meant to live alone or like Morlocks.
There are ways to have a retreat hidden in plain site.
The rich will have so much more room for fear. They have further to fall more to protect and their.