Dish Channel's SciFi network has been running a Twilight Zone marathon. Just saw the episode, "The Shelter", a classic about a coming nuke attack. One man built a small bomb shelter for his family. Of course, the rest of the families on his street didn't heed his warnings of being ready for disaster. When it comes, they go crazy and batter in the shelter door, ruining it. Of course, the expected disaster disappears. Good treatise on how people act quite differently when their concept of "normality" goes awry. I think they underestimated the way people will be today, if something similar happened.
Every time I see that old series I admire their use of decent acting and good writers to create very thought provoking shows. As I remember the Shelter, it had about 2 sets and about 20 actors, but no one has made a better show about human nature and the very thin veneer of civilization we really have in times of disaster. They had shows that portrayed man at his best and at his worst. Still enjoy many of the episodes in that series.
I liked the series....grew up with it as a child. My appreciation for the Twilight Zone....grew as an adult, when I began to understand the ethical dilemmas, and philosophical elements that are embedded in many of the shows. Many of the shows (including 'the Shelter") are available via YouTube and other sites that archive that kind of stuff. There are a number of threads at SM that discuss this kind of issue....including one started by melbo...How large is your Umbrella? | Survival Monkey Forums "The Shelter" deals with the issue of the consequences of compromised OPSEC; "How Large is is Your umbrella" deals with how many, and who will be invited to shelter under your umbrella....the dilemma, is that each additional invitee becomes a potential risk to your OPSEC. You had better have a plan.
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Serling used a similar concept in at least one other episode. I don't know the name of that one but it starred Claude Akins.
The Twilight Zone Episode that influenced me since I was a kid in the 60s was the one where a rich guy faked a Nuclear Attack and had all his enemies in his Fantastic Bomb Shelter way underground. When he revealed it was a trick, it turned out the real one had happened and everyone went to their families to die instead of staying in the bomb shelter. Based on that episode I've been determined ever since to be the sole survivor if push comes to shove of a Nuclear Attack as I want to live instead of die with family, Now all I need is some millions to make my deluxe Nuclear Bomb Shelter Compound a reality! PS There was a poorly written Twilight Zone episode with Burgess Meredith that some consider a classic and I consider terrible because of the plothole.. Meredith somehow survives a Nuclear Attack and is happy as hell because he can now devote himself to reading books. Unfortunately his glasses break. The end. Rod Serling didn't consider he could find another pair of reading glasses in an Optometry Store however wrecked or at a Pharmacy!
One big error was the Father with the shelter never tried OpSec. All his neighbors knew he had a shelter. NONE of my neighbors, family or friends know of my preps. Even though I have stocked extras of some things for select family, they won't know it til the bad times come.