Posted on 12/11/2012 3:37:42 PM PST by Kartographer
Have you noticed that it has become trendy to bash preppers? For a long time the prepper movement was ignored, but now it has become so large that it is getting very difficult for the mainstream media to pretend that it is not there. In fact, it has been estimated that there are now approximately 3 million preppers in the United States alone. So now the mainstream media has decided that mocking the movement is the best strategy, and lots of “critics” and “skeptics” out there have picked up on this trend. Instead of addressing the very real issues that have caused millions of Americans to prepare for the worst, those criticizing the prepper movement attempt to put the focus on individual personalities. They try to find the strangest nutjobs they possibly can and then hold them up as “typical preppers”. The goal is to portray preppers as tinfoil hat wearing freaks that need to be locked up in the loony bin for their own personal safety and for the good of society. The criticism of preppers has really ramped up in recent months, and it will likely get even worse in 2013. The establishment does not like any movement that is outside of their control, and the prepper movement is definitely not under their control.
(Excerpt) Read more at endoftheamericandream.com ...
“I grew up with enough exposure to country living that it doesn’t take much to keep me satisfied. My little kids on the other hand.......”
I purposely moved from the city and left my international job to raise my children poor on a farm. When my daughter was in college, she made extra money modeling. I was with her at a show in Philadelphia when all the other models were talking about how sheltered they were growing up. Wore gloves to play in the sand box. Never allowed to get their clothes dirty... I turned to my daughter and said, “Well, at least you had boots and did not have to shovel the manure out barefoot!” Thought she was going to kill me!
I tell my friends about prepping and about what happened in Stalin’s Russia and Mao’s China. First they are the only ones who will listen. Second because I think we will all need each other to survive when TSHTF.
If TEOTWAWKI ever happens, during the first week that person's neighbors will be asking for assistance, which will be kindly given. However, more and more people will keep coming for food and provisions, and no matter how large the cache of supplies is the prepper will have to stop giving stuff away. People will continue to ask, at first with pleas, then with concern, then with angst, and finally with fear (i.e. when one has a sick child or a starving spouse, and the fear that the person may die is merged with the realization that the neighbor everyone knows has a lot of food/medicine is 'refusing' to 'share'). Soon people stop asking and start taking. Ok, you have the AR-15, the Benelli, and enough Mosins to restart the Russian Revolution ...but you are not the only person who is armed, and they are by far more numerous (based on the cases in the Balkans, by a factor far higher than the calculation given by Lanchester's Square Law. Even if you are armed with automatic weapons, and you have ten of your cousins with you, and all of you are crack shots ...and the masses coming to the house are unarmed - totally unarmed - beyond 1^3 you are in trouble).
These people are saying what they have, and where they have it. I consider that the epitome of stupidity. I am a prepper, and the only people who know what I have and where it is (and most of it is not in the suburbia house since I plan on being out of there the moment things seem to be heading south) are my immediate family. If that makes me a 'coward' then so be it, but what I saw in Africa and told about in Europe was not good. Saying it can only happen in communist countries is also not necessarily true (for one those specific countries were not communist), because if you look at what happened post-Katrina in NO shows it can happen in the US too. However, someone will say that it only happened amongst 'Holder's people' or whatever 'clever' word is currently in vogue here, to which I will bring up the several recorded instances of power going out in a WalMart and white middle-class people going ape-sh!t because the tellers weren't accepting cards and the ATMs were not working.
I am a prepper, and I consider it folly to tell media what I have and where I have it ...and including pictures of myself, my family, and my house. Inane insanity that is.
I went into prep mode this last summer, I am equipped to be off grid for at least one year now. In recent months I have done mopping up moves to indicate lack of prepping to associates I care not to share with but I am forced to socialize with. Many times I have even had to act like I am expecting Federal help so why bother setting up a pantry when all I have to do is speed dial on my Obamaphone and I’ll get a deliver the next day of Obama credits to purchase Obamafood.
I’ve developed a theory from my encounters with prepper hating liberals. They get ANGRY when they figure out that you’re preparing to live decently in the event of a collapse of the support systems.
Part of it is the exposure of their dependency, but I think theres an eschatological aspect to it as well, from a comment that I’ve heard from numerous libs when asked “what will you do if...”
The answer I get is “then we’ll all be in the same boat”. As if that were a superior situation to what we have today.
They’re pretty hung up on the “fairness” concept. Their eschatology includes a time where everyone experiences immense privation and misery, including those who are living comfortably now. This is a “good” situation to them, parallel to the reign of Christ after the end times.
So, when you “prep” in order to avoid the privation and misery, you’re avoiding their “divine judgement day”, and that REALLY makes them angry.
You’re talking about the dramatic qualities of post-apocalyptic stories, which has little to do with how people view real life contingencies.
I wasn’t saying that people will switch the subject to zombies whensoever you bring up actual disaster. The point is the popukarity of zombie shows doesn’t help whatsoever preparedness, while it does give extra ammo to the already overwhelming tendency to paint survivalists as paramour delusionals.
You’re talking about the dramatic qualities of post-apocalyptic stories, which has little to do with how people view real life contingencies.
I wasn’t saying that people will switch the subject to zombies whensoever you bring up actual disaster. The point is the popularity of zombie shows doesn’t help whatsoever preparedness, while it does give extra ammo to the already overwhelming tendency to paint survivalists as paranoid delusionals.
Ive just accepted the term hoarder. It now has such a negative conotation that people think i only have junk and garbage.
We lived in Texas with power and good paved roads. We would go to Arkansas to visit grandparents of both parents who lived not far from each other. When we crossed the Texas border into Arkansas, we were then on dirt roads. Arkansas had no paved roads. It was a different world than Texas.
Neither grandparents had power and their households worked just fine. Both grandparents had a spring not far from the house and butter and milk and “buttermilk” were kept in the spring water. Each had a “storm cellar” and glass canning jars were kept there with all manner of canned food.
No one had ice. A girl cousin of mine, about my age, and I walked to a little town and bought ice so we could have iced tea. On the walk back, a black bull started chasing us and we ran as fast as we could to get away from that angry bull.
Live there was simple and they had what they needed. I saw how people lived their lives with no power. When I began to prep years ago, I went through in my mind how they did it. People who have never experienced that way of life are at a disadvantage when they prep.
For example, people buy generators. I felt that is overkill that won't last. Generators are fine for a few days but after fuel runs out, many people are worse off because they didn't prepare properly to last without a generator. I put money that would buy a generator into quality rechargeable batteries and solar panel with recharger connected to keep the batteries going. I don't need a generator that runs out of fuel.
The Arkansas people didn't have a refrigerator, they had that spring. I don't have a spring, so I stored food stuffs that would substitute for butter, cheese, milk, and eggs that don't require refrigeration. I don't need a generator to keep a fridge going because I don't need a refrigerator.
That is how I prepped - remembering how the grandparents did it with no power but I added batteries to give me power so I won't have to use oil lamps like they did. They used kerosene in those lamps and that's fuel you have to keep buying. I went to batteries because I would have no modern lamp oil due to stores not being open and around here there is only one store with lamp oil and that is Lowes. Walmart used to carry it but I don't find it there now. I do have oil lamps but don't think I will purchase lamp oil as I won't need it. I also have enough jar candles to last a year.
So, it is the grandparents’ lifestyle I used to get me where I am with preps. They did it so I can, too. Most people don't have that lifestyle example to follow. I'm glad I do.
Liberals were furious at the "unfairness" of "rich" people not suffering from the extended power outages the way that the "poor" people suffered.
I recall one commentator said that the it was unfair that the rich didn't have to rely on public services, as if it were everyone's duty to rely on public services.
-PJ
OPSEC...
be VERY careful who knows that you’re preparing for a disaster.
I have a lib-in-law that I’m going to have to take into my house at “shift-time”. I’ll have to keep her confined to the property just to keep her from bringing the hoards to our doorstep.
That's a good idea. If you have ever watched the TV program series, “Hoarders”, it's about people living in trash. Usually, it's so much trash they can barely have a trail through the garbage. And, there are usually bugs everywhere. No one would want your hoarder stuff with that mental picture of roaches and rats running around in your trash. If you haven't seen that program, punch it on and see what I mean. I haven't seen one in a long time but I doubt it has changed much since I last saw one.
I have two insanely liberal relatives and they would probably bring his teen age son. They don't know jack about how to live without “fresh” food or without flipping the switch to turn on the light. She won't eat anything that comes in a can.
Before I will let them come, they have to agree that I am the boss and they will not go out the front door, ever. The backyard small garden is it for outside. I will be the one to decide if it's safe to go outside the front door.
If they don't agree to my rules, they can stay where they are.
Human nature never changes. Aesop’s wrote The Grasshopper and the Ant over 2,500 years ago.
I see that a lot on these threads, though I haven't been able to express it as well as you. I suppose when you spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars (or more) on preps, it's kind of natural to fantasize about using them. Kind of like when small town police forces get a federally funded SWAT sqaud, they start looking for a "threat" to use it on (preppers?).
I like the program, if it doesnt get you to scrub your fridge, nothing will! Living in a very ethnic neighborhood, i dont mind people thinking i am a crazy hoarding redneck. When I bring things into my place they wonder how i find room for all my crap, they don’t wonder or want to know what it is
“Before I will let them come, they have to agree that I am the boss and they will not go out the front door, ever. The backyard small garden is it for outside. I will be the one to decide if it’s safe to go outside the front door. If they don’t agree to my rules, they can stay where they are.”
Food for thought:
I once agreed to share an apartment with a friend who was a smoker. The friend is the one who asked ME to share. As I was not and never have been a smoker, I insisted on an iron-clad agreement that there would NOT BE ANY SMOKING in the apartment.
Several months later, when said roommate was jonesing for a cig, the smoking started, and then when called on it, stated it was an unfair agreement and since was paying 1/2 the rent, there would by golly be smoking.... and then there I was with a smoker and I could just lump it. As soon as I could, I was able to move on....but it took a while (at least several months) to wait for the lease to expire and to gather my resources to do so.
My concern is that your inlaws may very well be willing to give you an agreement....but do you trust them to honor it when your word rubs them the wrong way and they simply WILL do what their little liberal hearts tell them to do??? Not caring a whit for what danger they might place you and themselves?
God bless you, FRiend. I know you love them very much despite their liberal limitations. I wish you AND them well.
It wasn't that long ago that almost everyone I knew had a backyard garden or at least a tomato plant on the back stoop. It wasn't that long ago that people had full pantries or cold storage. It wasn't that long ago that people had cellars or underground shelters to protect themselves from natural or manmade disasters. It wasn't that long ago the government encouraged victory gardens and shelters. It wasn't that long ago the government had civil defense shelters which were stocked with provisions. It wasn't that long ago that school kids practiced safety drills and communities sounded off the sirens at noon to make sure they were working and that everyone knew what to do. Today, there's no such thing as civil defense shelters and anyone who keeps a larder or keeps spare tool parts like grandma and grandpa did are ridiculed as selfish nutty hoarders.
No one is attacking you; you attacked him. Your techniques of prepping are simply that, yours! Each situation is different for the given prepper individual.
Well said!!
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