Dawn of the Dead (2004) 15 years after the outbreak...

[Resurgam]

Speaking of that, I'm sure the gold reserves at Fort Knox would have been forgotten. Many years later, perhaps even centuries, it would become a myth just like Yamashita's gold.

I think your interest in saying "we've got to figure out the pop culture!" in these apocalyptic scenarios overlooks that so many people will be dead and thinking of simply trying to survive to worry about this stuff. No one is going to have the luxury or time to craft urban legends.

There's not going to be pop culture when there are only a few humans left. We'll be lucky if we avoid extinction.

 

[Gillan1220]

I think your interest in saying "we've got to figure out the pop culture!" in these apocalyptic scenarios overlooks that so many people will be dead and thinking of simply trying to survive to worry about this stuff. No one is going to have the luxury or time to craft urban legends.

There's not going to be pop culture when there are only a few humans left. We'll be lucky if we avoid extinction.

I mean what would happen if some survivor group decides to raid Fort Knox? What would happen to the U.S. gold reserves that were left there? Would it even have value in the post-apocalyptic world to be melted into currency or what not?

 

[lordroel]

I mean what would happen if some survivor group decides to raid Fort Knox? What would happen to the U.S. gold reserves that were left there? Would it even have value in the post-apocalyptic world to be melted into currency or what not?

Gold has no value in a Zombie apocalypse, unless the remove the gold and use Fort Knox as their new base of operations.

 

[eltf177]

Gold would only have value if someone else wanted it either for its properties or felt it would regain its value sometime in the future.

Currently the items with the greatest monitary value would be ammunition, food, water and gasoline. Medicine is of some value but only a doctor would be able to determine if it was worth purchasing and how much it's worth.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Gold is useful for electrical conductors and as a filling for dentistry. Scientists rebuilding after an economic collapse would definitely love to get their hands on Fort Knox's gold.

 

[lordroel]

Gold would only have value if someone else wanted it either for its properties or felt it would regain its value sometime in the future.

Currently the items with the greatest monitary value would be ammunition, food, water and gasoline. Medicine is of some value but only a doctor would be able to determine if it was worth purchasing and how much it's worth.

The Gold in Forth Knox is useful, to build a very expensive wall around the fort.

 

[eltf177]

Gold is useful for electrical conductors and as a filling for dentistry. Scientists rebuilding after an economic collapse would definitely love to get their hands on Fort Knox's gold.

I wonder just how many practicing dentists there will be after this mess sorts itself out. Most will probably become medical personal of some kind as that's where they are needed more.

 

[Gillan1220]

@centraleuropeDD told me that this how likely Spain would have weathered the outbreak, considering that it was still recovering from the March 11, 2004 Madrid train station bombings

Well, maybe they would use some emergency hospitals to the infected on Madrid. As they got a new goverment (March 14 – The PSOE wins the election in Spain; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is elected Prime Minister of Spain, replacing José María Aznar.)
, and there was a bit of hate that year (Irak war, and troops deployed there), the new goverment was establishing a defence forces, and Barcelona was preparing from this. Spanish army was changing since Cold War

 

[CJD]

I think your interest in saying "we've got to figure out the pop culture!" in these apocalyptic scenarios overlooks that so many people will be dead and thinking of simply trying to survive to worry about this stuff. No one is going to have the luxury or time to craft urban legends.

There's not going to be pop culture when there are only a few humans left. We'll be lucky if we avoid extinction.

Why not? Storytelling is hardly a modern invention. Even nomadic tribes have myths and legends. You’re right that it doesn’t matter if we all die out but that’s not the scenario Gillan is going for.
I’m sure plenty of survivors sitting around the camp fire would spin all kinds of stories about the old world, which will only grow more mythic in proportion when they pass those stories onto their kids.

 

[Gillan1220]

Why not? Storytelling is hardly a modern invention. Even nomadic tribes have myths and legends. You’re right that it doesn’t matter if we all die out but that’s not the scenario Gillan is going for.
I’m sure plenty of survivors sitting around the camp fire would spin all kinds of stories about the old world, which will only grow more mythic in proportion when they pass those stories onto their kids.

Agreed. My first question about Fort Knox is what would happen if some survivors purposely raided or accidentally stumbled into it. As people said, while gold has no monetary value, the metal can be used for medicine and dental practices if not for making crude ammunition.

Secondly, since the outbreak began in May 2004, people will definitely miss the days before the Pandemic. Keep note in 2004, the U.S. was still the sole superpower and was involved in the Middle East. Mid-way into the 2000s, people would definitely tell stories of how the decade began from the Y2K scare, 9/11 attacks, the War on Terror, PlayStation 2s and low rise jeans. Heck, I'd even see people say that 9/11 led to the zombie apocalypse. I could see some conspiracy theorists say that this was caused by the Iraq invasion due to Saddam's WMDs.

 

[eltf177]

Even if you found Fort Knox you won't get in. From what I understand it would take a nuke to get inside.

Then gold is heavy. Even with large trucks moving any appreciable amount will be difficult.