You know the world ends next month and you can stop it, but...

[Lieju]

Assuming this didn't come from a prophetic vision or is otherwise not verifiable... Don't say a goddamn word to the press, they'll just misinterpret everything and spin it how they like.

More likely they'll just ignore you.
Do you have any idea how many people call daily to journalists telling them about their fever-dreams and inventions for curing all of world's diseases, or about the mind-control devices companies put in burgers?

If you have no solid proof, you should contact people who already believe the world is going to end any day now; evangelicals waiting for the rapture; alien-worshippers looking to be lifted to space, etc.

The downside is, of course that those people might not be able to help, or want to help. (If they WANT the end of the world to come, for example)

Yuck, that kind of help is worse than no help at all. Being associated with the crowd that believes in space aliens controlling our thoughts through the fluoride in tap water isn't exactly going to garner support from either officials or the general public. And if worst comes to worst, I want the gene pool and collective knowledge base for colony attempts to have as little insanity contamination as can be managed.

Yes, but in any case the colonists would have hard times ahead of them, so I doubt it would make much of a difference in the long run. People who spend all their time preparing for this kind of stuff would be more prepared for it, at least.

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

I'd create a cryptic website with a really ominous countdown.

It'd be the first -- and last -- one of those that didn't turn out to be totally anti-climactic.

Uh oh:

I think this thread is getting Captcha excited.

 

[Heronblade]

Yuck, that kind of help is worse than no help at all. Being associated with the crowd that believes in space aliens controlling our thoughts through the fluoride in tap water isn't exactly going to garner support from either officials or the general public. And if worst comes to worst, I want the gene pool and collective knowledge base for colony attempts to have as little insanity contamination as can be managed.

Yes, but in any case the colonists would have hard times ahead of them, so I doubt it would make much of a difference in the long run. People who spend all their time preparing for this kind of stuff would be more prepared for it, at least.

It is true that some of the people in question have turned survival into an art, and a colony could indeed benefit from their knowledge and/or supply caches. But there is far more than that needed to keep people alive under such circumstances, it requires a very delicate psychological balance

Survivalists nutty enough to believe in a prophet who has no proof tend to trend towards the twitchy antisocial redneck stereotype. In order to ensure the survival of the species, you need to keep an estimated 500 people alive. Now, imagine packing that many individuals with such a disposition together, validate at least one of their psychoses, possibly give them additional reason to mistrust society and its rules, and then ignite this whole mess with a feeling of fear and desperation... I'd be surprised if the group survives a single night.

 

[frizzlebyte]

I'd warn the UN. After getting laughted out of their meeting or whatever, I would wait for the Catastrophe. Then I'll just send a fruitbasket full of shit to the UN, with a little flag that says "Better answer that phone 'cause I fucking called it!".

Thank you for making me laugh today. I needed that.

Anywho, climatologists have been warning us for years about the potential for catastrophe, but there's still a large group who says it's not happening.

If they can't change minds in 30 years about something that has copious amounts of data that says it's happening, there's no way you can change minds in a month's time with your puny little "empirical proof" deal.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I'd quit my job, draw out all my money, and grab a pot of KY and a box of issues do whatever I feel like doing.

Fuck telling a world that doesn't give enough of a crap about you to even take you seriously.

If I had to try and tell the world though, I would probably look for evidence to give to my government.

 

[Jynthor]

I'd make sure I survive so I can indulge in sick fantasies after everyone is dead!
And no, you don't want to go there.