Reinventing Collapse (book review)

reviewed by Jeffrey Dach MD

Suddenly, we find that our government has been shutdown by Congress’ failure to pass the spending bill, a blatant attempt to stop “ObamaCare”.  Perhaps last night’s government shutdown is one step to a collapse scenario described by Dmitry Orlov in his book, Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Experience and American Prospects.

Years back, while living in the former Soviet Union, Mr Orlov experienced the collapse of the Soviet empire.  After moving to the US, Mr. Orlov applied his sarcastic wit to super power collapse here in the good old USA.  His book, which has somewhat of a cult following,  compares the collapse scenario in the USSR to what could happen here in the USA. Left Image: Book Cover courtesy of Dmitry Orlov and Amazon.com

The section of Reinventing Collapse dealing with Health Care is very  illuminating:

Dmitry Orlov on Medicine in the USA:

“In the United States, Medicine is for profit.  There are really very few fields of endeavor to which Americans would deny the profit motive.  It could be said that making a profit off the suffering of sick people is simply unethical – it comes down to exploiting the helpless -a predatory practice that a civilized society cannot tolerate.”

Dmitry Orlov on Medicine, Health Insurance and Drugs

“For profit Medicine is an institution of highly questionable merit.  The additional nonsensical addition of health insurance, which is only affordable by those with a permanent full time job, makes it a powerful tool for social tyranny.  The fear of losing health insurance keeps Americans securely bound to their jobs, a form of indentured enslavement.  Doctors in concert with the pharmaceutical companies reinforce this system of medical enslavement, by prescribing, as often as they can, regimens of drugs rather than courses of treatment.”

“A case in point is antidepressants: these are often prescribed to people who have a reason to be depressed, but instead of consulting them to change their lives to less depression inducing, doctors prescribe dangerous and often addictive palliatives.  A vicious cycle is created: a job causes depression, a drug enables the person to stay in the job, and the job makes it possible to continue receiving the drug.  The doctor who perpetuates this vicious cycle is trapped in vicious cycle of their own, forced to stay within the system to make payments against mountains of debt accumulated from medical school loans and other debts.”

“Some politicians like to pay lip service to something they refer to as universal health insurance.  What they mean by this is a plan to pass federal legislation to force people to buy private health insurance whether they can afford to do so or not.”

“Medical evacuation to a country with a more reasonable medical system should not be neglected as a viable option.  You might wish to consider seeking refuge in one of the many countries that provides free basic and emergency care to their entire population.”

Dmitry Orlov on Fast Food in the USA:

“Many people in the United States don’t even bother to shop and just eat fast food. The drive to maximize profit while minimizing costs has results in a product that manipulates the senses into accepting as edible something that is mainly a waste product.”

For more of his typical sarcasm, wit and humor, read Orlov’s blog.

Jeffrey Dach MD
www.jeffreydach.com
www.drdach.com
www.naturalmedicine101.com
www.truemedmd.com

References and links:

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/01/20763839-winners-and-losers-of-the-government-shutdown?lite

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/10/01/day-one-of-the-government-shutdown-now-what/

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-shutdown-economy-20131001,0,155302.story
http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/
Dmitry Orlov Blog

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/23259
Closing the ‘Collapse Gap’: the USSR was better prepared for collapse than the US
by Dmitry Orlov

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dtxqwqr_20dc52sm
Post-Soviet Lessons for a Post-American Century By Dmitry Orlov

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dtxqwqr_19gjjvp8
Thriving in the Age of Collapse by Dmitry Orlov

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/IndividualItemPages/SurvivingSeminar.html
Surviving Financial and Social Collapse with Dmitry Orlov

http://cumberlandbooks.com/blog/?p=1410
Book notes: Reinventing Collapse, by Dmitry Orlov

http://energy.biofuels.coop/general/2008/06/22/reinventing-collapse/
Reinventing Collapse is one part cutting insight, one part lunacy, and one part prescient masterpiece, all rolled up in a thin skin of sarcasm that makes the entire package delightful. Orlov gently reminds us that it is better to use rainwater for a solar shower than to run around smelling like a goat.

http://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Collapse-Example-American-Prospects/dp/0865716064
Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects (Paperback)
by Dmitry Orlov (Author) on Amazon

http://mail.psychedelic-library.org/pipermail/theharderstuff/20080628/006729.html
A Critique of Dmitry Orlov’s Reinventing Collapse

http://waldenswimmer.blogspot.com/2008/05/dmitry-orlovs-reinventing-collapse.html
Waldenswimmer

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4053
Dmitry Orlov’s Book–Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/42910
Review: Reinventing Collapse by Dmitry Orlov by Amanda Kovattana

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