Good morning TPB’ers!
A couple of months ago, in my daily skimmimg of headlines around the web, I came across an article titled “Economic Outlook From 1975” by Ryan Brooks on Chris Duane’s site . The first sentence mentioned Mother Earth News magazine and the second sentence read “So far, it looks like they called it…”.
The article may not have caught my attention at all except my father has been a MEN subscriber since the 1970’s. I was intrigued by the lead in to what was actually a video rather than an article, but I made a mental note to ask my dad if he had the issue in question. Turns out he has almost every issue and he was happy to look up the article that had been mentioned and then he blew me away by mailing me his actual magazines to read. This is no small thing since I think he treasures those magazines more than his own kids sometimes.
Turns out the article is actually an interview with Mother Earth News founder, John Shuttleworth. The interview was spread over two issues and is a very interesting read. Turns out Mr. Shuttleworth was a pretty hardcore Doomer way back then and very little of what we read and discuss here on TBP or dozens of other sites really churns up anything new. It’s amazing really. He recognized all of the crap we rail against now. Much like our very own, beloved Jim Quinn, he set out to do something meaningful about it. He created Mother Earth News to teach people how to live a better, self-sufficient life that would automatically make the planet a better place to live and improve your life at the same time.
After reading the interview, I did a little digging to learn more about Mr. Shuttleworth mainly because I wanted to find out if he gave later interviews covering the same topics. I don’t know if he gave later interviews but did learn that he passed away in 2009.
I loved reading it and I sincerely hope you all take the time to read it as well. Please don’t be intimidated by the apparent length of the interview. The way they published it on the web puts three or four paragraphs on each page with a total of 40 pages. Trust me, I’ve been around here long enough to know that the majority of you will like it. Pretend it’s the latest Jim Quinn masterpiece! Besides, I’d love to hear what you all think of Mr. Shuttleworth’s answers.
Part one is linked here and the link to part two is at the end of part one or you can click here.
Stucky – TX
I-S,
I got to page 7, will finish later, like going down memory lane. Great read, Thank you and your Dad also.
This is a reminder that so much of life is one accident, surprise or paradox after another.
It is also a reminder that few people do very well at forecasting. Would anyone in this guy’s camp have predicted the greatest boom in a lifetime, to begin in 1974 (the Dow) or 1982 (the SP500)?
Does someone want to suggest that real people, positioned well, did not do quite well from 1982 to 2000? It was the biggest debt-based orgy in history, but real people got real wealthy if they read the tea leaves correctly (which I did not).
Here at the top of a Grand Supercycle (or Millennial) degree wave, doomers are out of style and endure ridicule.
Sadly, this informs me that the next trend of importance will be to see the great credit inflation of the last 80 years come out of the system.
Like it or not, we all depend on that brittle system, and doing without it ain’t gonna be easy.
A dear friend of mine died yesterday. He lived around the corner from my farm .
Kenny was good at all of the things that a person would need to survive when TSHTF. I knew I could trust on him and depend on him in “OUR” community . He taught me so much about farming,hunting,skinning ,butchering and more things that I could list . I find it ironic that when I was on the mend from my medical ordeal he was diagnosed and two months later he’s gone .
As they say he was the “Salt Of The Earth ” and I will miss him .
I_S and Stucky
What a great read! Every morning, this one included, I say to myself, “I’m just gonna read the headlines on TBP and see what’s going on, and come back later to further investigate”. Per usual, this morning is no different; I almost always find something fascinating I can’t put off reading. The subject matter is delightfully unpredictable but always interesting. Then I often feel like making a comment, taking more time. And as usual, now I am behind on getting a productive day started (by Shuttleworth’s standards, not really very productive).
Mother Earth News has a wonderful website. When I started getting serious about gardening a couple of years ago, it became my go-to place for information and help.
dc
“Here at the top of a Grand Supercycle (or Millennial) degree wave, doomers are out of style and endure ridicule.”
I don’t mind being “out of style”- since the people who decide what “style” is usually suck.
I’d rather be perceived as some mad Noah, laboring to endure some coming catastrophe that might or might not come.. If it comes, then I’m good to go. If not, then I’m still good to go.
Buckhed
Sorry about your loss, bro. Friends like that are dear… hard to come by, and because of that, their loss is all the more tragic.
From where I sit, I think his mission might have been to teach you and yours how to weather the coming shitstorm. Now, it’s up to you…
Great article. I really LOVE reading old magazines.
Here’s something that I think ALL of you will love … and spend hours perusing.
It is a website with TENS OF THOUSANDS of magazine back issues. (Unfortunately, no Mother Earth). It has most excellent search capabilities.
http://unz.org/
For example, below is a link from The Harpers Monthly …. from 1865 !!!! Has interesting article about Arizona. Also, the Siege of Vicksburg. Even has an article by Charles Dickens. Plus much more. Fascinating!!
http://www.unz.org/Pub/Harpers-1865
Billy, I’ve been expecting the “flood” since 1995.
It’s getting tiring being the only guy on the block with an ark.
Make sure you get on the right boat.
Thanks IS — Buckhead sorry for the loss of your friend.
I try to live a simple farm life and I find the quest very rewarding, the bonus will be when the walls come down all my preparation will pay off.
Buckhed,
Must have been a vegan with the thumbs down, thought is was touching. Real old time farmers needed to know alot about so many things.
Stucky, many thanks for posting the entire interview.
I appreciate the comments so far and hope that more of you get a chance to read it despite being a productivity killer.
I was particularly struck with how or a where he learned to “predict the future”. I had never thought of it in terms of wealth for the masses being offered by new frontiers. Makes perfect sense. Mr. Shuttleworth may not have called things exactly right he was far more correct than wrong. I’ve written a message to MEN asking if he ever updated that interview in later years. I’ll check with my father as well.
I_S