What is the best way to divide up rations?

[Bini]

I recently replayed Telltale's The Walking Dead and there's a part in the story where the-guy-in-charge has to decide on how to divide up rations amongst the group of survivors he leads. He is torn between favouring the children (well, because they're just kids) and the fighters (the men who voluntarily scout for resources outside of their secure compound and are often face to face fighting off zombies) who need that extra nutrition to function. So what is the best way to divide up rations? What would best suit the group of survivors? Catering to the children, or to the men exerting extra energy in scouting for resources and protecting the compound? Should everyone just equally receive the same amount of food? For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is an interactive plot, and YOU are actually the one making the decision - and it affects the morale of all the survivors.

[Dravin]

I'm approaching this from a game perspective. If the scouts/fighters become non/less-functioning without the extra calories you may run into the situation were you enter a feedback loop where the diminished ability of the scouts to gather resources results in fewer resources which leads to an even greater diminished ability to gather resources. If you don't have the ability to maintain your resource gathering you risk a death spiral resource wise.

[Swiper]

2:1 ratio in favor for the men. I believe that's the ratio they used during the siege of Leningrad (workers vs non-essentials).

[classylady]

I am not a gamer, so I don't know the best way to win the game. But, in life if the scouts did not receive the resources they needed, I would think eventually, no one would have what was needed.

I can't help but think of the airline video which tells the adults to put their air masks on first in case of emergency, and then help those who need help, such as children.

[NeuroTypical]

Yeesh - this subject keeps coming at me. My kids are reading the Warriors young adult fiction books, and they're spending an entire book starving to death. Just came off Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, which has much to say on what starving people do and think. The book One Second After has all sorts of horrible choices and decisions along these lines. Fathers dying because they would give their food rations to their family, and the family would then die because nobody could work for food. The leaders are forced to make a rationing choice, and they feed the refugees sawdust so they don't know they're going to die of starvation until they're too weak to do anything about it. The night before the big battle, they take an entire bear and feed the fighters a big meal, everyone else goes hungry.

When a food distribution network breaks down, people can be reduced to animals within a week. Even in cases like hurricane Katrina where help was a day or two away. Famines have killed millions upon millions of people. A flood here, a drought or war there, and suddenly your nation is losing 5-10% of it's people to starvation. It happens less these days, because the civilized world places such a high importance on keeping it from happening. But there is no shortage of people who have found themselves having to make these choices, only to learn no choice is sufficient and everyone starves to death anyway.

Just call me a fluffly bundle of joy.

[dahlia]

Feed the adults more. They can create more children. If the adults are too weak to fight, the kids die anyway, one way or another.

[NeuroTypical]

Oh - I remembered another one. Laura Ingalls' Little House series of books - the Long Winter. The train can't get through to the new settlement for the entire winter, so the whole town is hurting, and the Ingalls' are starving. They're down to just corn meal, and burning straw to stay alive. They won't eat the cow until the wheat is gone, because the cow means milk and calves and a step ahead next year. People are buying next year's seeds from the farmers for the full price they'd get if they had planted and harvested.

The morning they hear the train is coming, Ma uses the last of the corn meal to make three cakes - the biggest to Pa, the medium sized one to Ma, and the small one to Laura the kid.

[mirkwood]

Just came off Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, which has much to say on what starving people do and think.

Just made my to read list. What were your thoughts? Feel free to PM or email instead of here.

[NeuroTypical]

Victor Frankl's book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand how people can remain moral and alive during adversity. It also speaks to our divine natures (although I don't believe he intends to).

It's the longest short book I've ever read. Because just about every page or two I had to take a break and think for a few days before coming back.

[Traveler]

I recently replayed Telltale's The Walking Dead and there's a part in the story where the-guy-in-charge has to decide on how to divide up rations amongst the group of survivors he leads. He is torn between favouring the children (well, because they're just kids) and the fighters (the men who voluntarily scout for resources outside of their secure compound and are often face to face fighting off zombies) who need that extra nutrition to function. So what is the best way to divide up rations? What would best suit the group of survivors? Catering to the children, or to the men exerting extra energy in scouting for resources and protecting the compound? Should everyone just equally receive the same amount of food? For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is an interactive plot, and YOU are actually the one making the decision - and it affects the morale of all the survivors.

I believe your question is both interesting and valid - however the question is asked as a backwards thought. Rather than a question the thought should be stated as a statement:

Rations will be divided up according to the prevailing priority.

The Traveler

[Blackmarch]

I recently replayed Telltale's The Walking Dead and there's a part in the story where the-guy-in-charge has to decide on how to divide up rations amongst the group of survivors he leads. He is torn between favouring the children (well, because they're just kids) and the fighters (the men who voluntarily scout for resources outside of their secure compound and are often face to face fighting off zombies) who need that extra nutrition to function. So what is the best way to divide up rations? What would best suit the group of survivors? Catering to the children, or to the men exerting extra energy in scouting for resources and protecting the compound? Should everyone just equally receive the same amount of food? For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is an interactive plot, and YOU are actually the one making the decision - and it affects the morale of all the survivors.

those who are working the hardest should get more. how much more is debatable.

The reason I say this, is I recall from an account from one of the pioneers that trekked west during a hard time. She noticed that it was the stronger individuals that were doing more of the work that seemed to be dying more often than not... so that's what she did was that she sacrificed a lot fo what she would eat for her husband and son.

[Guest]

Depends on the scenario.

If it's a shipwreck, then I'd say children and women first.

If it's a short-term war survival, then I'd say prioritize for soldiers and resource providers.

It it's a long-term war survival, then I'd say everybody gets equal rations. Soldiers and resource providers get as much as women and children. The women are essential to producing the next generation of soldiers and resource providers and the children are soon to replace the soldiers and resource providers. Old and sick people can go to the back of the line.

[NeuroTypical]

Anyone wanna guess at who ultimately gets to decide the answers? (Here's a hint - it's usually not a democratic process.)

[Guest]

Anyone wanna guess at who ultimately gets to decide the answers? (Here's a hint - it's usually not a democratic process.)

The guy with the machine gun?

[Bini]

At first I had felt compelled to favour the children. And did so. The consequences weren't good. The next few times I replayed, I favoured the scouts/fighters, much better decision.