don't bash me, bro!

note: taking another one day break from the "oil economy lies" series, which return tomorrow, last all week and then completed on Friday.

DON’T BASH ME, BRO!

[ title sarcastically references one of the recent protestors who pleaded with police “don’t taize me, bro!”]

A minion, and you know who you are!, recently asked if one on one trade between nomads was possible without violence between parties of strangers.  At first I was inclined to discount such a question, as historically trade was restricted to towns or other fixed locations with security the primary consideration.  Back when men were men and sheep were nervous, one didn’t trust strangers for the very good reason that they were not trustworthy.  They were not of your tribe and loyalty was only to the tribe ( it is still that way, but modern capitalism hides the hidden cost of government force used to make trade possible and people tend to forget trade isn’t some practice both parties engage in out of a magical adherence to a Randian ideal ).  A secure trading spot carried the premium price of protection.  Nor was I sure what scenario he envisioned that necessitated the need to trade on the road.  Yet, it was one of those questions that nags on my brain and won’t let go so I had to try to answer it.  Now, please be aware that I have done no studying of ancient nomadic trading outside settlements.  I’m independently arriving at re-inventing the wheel here and might be widely missing the mark.  But that has never stopped me before.  I don’t mind being wrong, so I can take wild shots in the dark and not mind missing.

*

The first issue I had with the suggestion was, ambush.  How hard could it be to hide a sniper ( at 100 yards only the blatantly incompetent are going to miss, so anyone can be a short distance marksmen )?  But then it occurred to me that if ambush is an ongoing concern with you, it is going to involve every step of your journey, not just stopping for a chat.  Ambush danger will always be there and isn’t exactly linked only to trade situations.  You can get sniped at nightly camp, getting water, etc.  Not only that, how long do you expect bullets to last in a complete collapse scenario?  If you choose a spot less likely to harbor a crossbowman/archer ( with their more limited effective range for the average user-nobody is going to be very safe from a talented longbowman whose range rivals thirty caliber bolt actions ), your odds of avoiding an ambush increase.  If ammunition lasts longer than I anticipate, or somehow black powder arms are able to be created-despite the resource contraction issue-than I doubt you can create a completely safe trade location.  I would just call the odds of trade the same as traveling itself and leave it at that, generalizing.

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All cultural practices are based in solving a local problem.  I’ve heard the one about Bedouin being responsible for a house guests safety, but always wondered why.  Why is it that custom started?  Was it somehow involved in trade?   If no one invites you into your tent, you walk away.  If you are invited in, you know you can trade safely ( although, one wonders how safe you are after leaving ).  The problem with customs is, they take time to evolve.  Post-Apocalypse trade on the road will be a “custom in the making” and you’ll need to play it by ear, first.  Here is what I envision the tactics of trading to be.  I can’t say for sure if this is my idea or if a subconscious memory from a fiction book, or even a non-fiction one, is surfacing.  If you wish to trade, you sit at the side of the road next to your items.  If there is a language barrier I would think goods arranged in a display on a blanket might be universal.  Have your weapon ready but non-threatening, just like you would passing strangers on the road.  If someone looks interested, you step away from the blanket to a safe enough distance you can’t bash in his head, yet he can’t steal and run without you catching him.

*

He lays down his trading item in a pile a short distance away, then steps back in a similar manner.  You investigate his offering.  You should be able to communicate by removing some of yours, or pointing to a single item and holding up some fingers, etc.  It isn’t hard to let someone know what you want in this manner.  Once everyone is happy, one gestures to pick up the pile, while standing back, then moves to the remaining one while he stands away.  Then you go your separate ways.   You can’t let your guard down.  Trickery and deceit are always a concern.  It is an armed truce.  It can always turn south.  But if you really need to trade…

END

 

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