Posted on 11/04/2012 2:18:48 PM PST by Kartographer
In the wake of superstorm Sandy, preppers are the new prophets. Those who failed to prepare are the new homeless.
For as long as we can all remember, preppers and survivalists have been derided by the mainstream media, labeled “kooks” and “wing nuts” for stockpiling food, water, ammunition, medical supplies and emergency gear. Only paranoid conspiracy theorists engage in evil preparedness activities, we were told by the sellout mainstream media, and they’ve convinced many that preppers may even be terrorists.
The very word “stockpiling” has been used in a derogatory manner, as if it’s somehow bad for private citizens to stockpile food, medicine and emergency supplies that might save lives in a crisis. Never mind that the government stockpiles all these things for its own survival; citizens are routinely taught that stockpiling is bad!
Suddenly all that has changed. In the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, preppers are the ones who aren’t starving, freezing or begging the government to come save them with emergency supplies. Those who failed to prepare are now subjected to the chaotic, incompetent actions of the federal government which is, predictably, operating in a never-ending state of logistical failure.
An one example, in response to the ongoing scarcity of gasoline, New York announced that the Defense Department would be opening up free gas stations near areas hardest-hit, but that residents should stay away and let first responders fuel up ahead of them.
(Excerpt) Read more at share.banoosh.com ...
Prepping is racist.
Prepping is racist.
I will be the guy out on the street corner selling homemade bread and BBQ with pinto beans.
Of course, I will request payment in cash or trade goods. That reminds me, I want to add a few clean, steel 55 gal. drums to my preps. I prefer to be paid in gasoline!
My neighbor will be providing security overwatch with ARs and scoped rifles.
Oh yeah, kids under 16 eat free.
I will not go it alone. I will organize friends and neighbors. An organized group always survives better.
***Sorry, I prepared for myself and my family. Not the neighborhood. When it comes down to it, you are responsible for yourself... no one else.***
Reminds me of a TWILIGHT ZONE episode, about a man and his fallout shelter.
Why whine about an apology. Preppers got the last laugh. Enjoy it.
In my personal experience, I was able to send a great amount of items I’d prepped and saved to friends on the Gulf Coast to use after Katrina hit. The stores were emptied of batteries, gas cans, certain foods, bottled water and many other items even this far North in Mississippi but what I’d stored was what he needed and I sent it to him. It was not wasted.
“Preppers got the last laugh. Enjoy it.”
You think Preppers are happy that people are starving and being killed? You don’t know Preppers. We encourage everyone to store water and food because it is necessary to live and we don’t want anyone to die for lack of water and food. If for some reason it isn’t there to be had, then the person will still have it in his/her house. That is a basic truth – water and food is life – store some. It can’t get any simpler than that.
I am a prepper of sorts. I have enough canned food, water, along with other essentials to last my family about a month of so. I am constantly trying to add to, and improve upon, my supplies. This most recent storm revealed a few short-comings in my preps. I learned from family that is stuck there in NJ/NY that you should always keep all your vehicles full of gas and you should have a good amount of cash (say $1000+). Those are two things I am going to make sure I have from now on. I would like to do a lot more, but my funds are limited and I am currently living in an apartment which prevents me from storing gas. On the bright side, I am well equipped with weapons and ammo ...something a lot of law-abiding people in NY/NJ areas are not.
It’s not a matter of the last laugh, it’s a matter of being demonized by the media and our Government, being called Terrorists, and whack jobs, and other derogatory names BY the Government when in recent times, at least twice, the Government has failed miserably to do the job it gave itself when it began the assault on preppers.
The Government failed in Katrina, the Government failed during the drecho storm that had power out for days and weeks in the mid Atlantic, and the Government failed in Sandy. That’s three right there.
The Government needs to shut it’s mouth and stop throwing stones in their house of glass. They can take care of the idiots that are unprepared for any kind of disaster. I’m not going to. I found it absolutely rude that people around here, who I and others told to prepare for such a disaster came knocking on my door begging to use my generator, my food, my flashlights, my supplies that I spent my money on and worked hard to put together when they sat on their butts and refused to do anything for themselves. The exception to this were the two elderly neighbors across the street that tried to prepare but were hindered by a very limited budget. We helped them out and shared willingly because they tried everything within their means.
Last laugh, no. To quote a comment about the show the Walking Dead. Everyone makes fun of the redneck until the zombies come. Same with preppers.
Probably. I even think I know who you are thinking of.
HOWEVER, it's probably moot. The government can track what you buy on line, and that means most preppers are already on their list.
It's essentially certain that anyone who posts regularly on prepping issues is also already on their list.
Remember, preppers have officially been designated as possible terrorists, which means the government has given itself the authority to do this. They aren't even trying to hide it.
BTW: Homeland Security has purchased over a billion rounds of hollow point ammunition. There is only one possible target for this much ammo: us. Since most preppers can and will defend themselves, Homeland Security apparently thinks they will need a lot of ammo.
ping
Johnny looks like you will have competition!
BTTT
Several things here.
1) Preppers are seen as weirdos when they’re prepping for something most of the population don’t think is a threat. I’m not saying preppers are wrong, but “regular” people don’t think it’s weird for someone to stock up before a hurricane.
2) There was a mandatory evacuation. In such a case, everyone should have been either leaving or prepping. Anyone doing neither of those is just in denial.
3) The media and liberals malign preppers because they understand “stockpiling” just like they understand the economy. They think that if someone is stockpiling a resource, there will necessarily be less of it for everyone else. This is not true until production of the resource stops. Liberals approach every situation like it’s a zero-sum game. Prepping isn’t. The economy isn’t. Liberals and stupid, lazy people will always want the fruits of other people’s labor.
4) There’s something missing from the prepping community: optimism. Everyone is Harold Camping. I’d love to meet a positive prepper. Maybe more encouragement and less doomsdayism would result in more people prepping.
Flame away.
It's an incestuous business. Trading dishwashers for a busy weekend is SOP.
As long as people are eating and paying, I'm happy. ;)
/johnny
Do you not follow the prepper threads here on FR?
I don't prep for doomsday... I prep for the normal tornados and damaging straight line winds we get here.
Mainly, I prep so that I can continue my wonderful life with minumum disruption that involves being hungry, cold, and wet. Uncle gave me lots of hungry, cold, and wet experiences. I don't like them one bit. Not at all.
So I do what it takes to make sure I'm fed (well), warm, and dry.
A disaster would really cut into my historical reading time.
Perhaps you have a stereotype in mind that doesn't match reality. ;)
/johnny
A disaster can happen anywhere. I never expected a flood in Nashville, but; I do recall Bush reminding us after 9/11. Now, Obama and Clinton waltz around like best pals, but; neither did one damn thing to help Americans prepare. FEMA is still same damn joke it always was. The National Guard and active duty military units, like the 82nd Airborne are the best FEMA we have.
FEMA was set up to be able to respond to nuclear attacks in as many as three major US cities is what I was told. These clowns at FEMA could not rough it for one damn day.
You did well. We had a man who lives in Louisianna, and; he and his wife drove every day helping folks after Katrina. I respect folks like you.
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