Posted on 08/03/2017 10:21:02 PM PDT by Lorianne
It’s always interesting reading when someone smug and sanctimonious writes a clueless diatribe about another group of people being smug and sanctimonious. So when I saw that an economist for Moody’s and Forbes had written an op-ed calling self-reliant homesteaders “delusional,” I knew I’d be in for some misinformed hilarity.
The article, entitled, “Dear Homesteaders, Self-Reliance Is a Delusion” was published a couple of days ago on the Forbes website. You’ll be forewarned that the article won’t be deep in the first paragraph, when the author presents his claim to knowledge about self-reliant living comes from the fact that he is “a big fan of shows about doomsday preppers, homesteaders, survivalists, generally people who live off the grid.”
And the well-informed opinion of this arbiter of self-reliance?
…there’s a central delusion in these shows that is never far from my mind when I’m watching these shows: off the grid people are not self-reliant, but instead are mooching off of the civil society, government, and safety net the rest of us contribute to…The people in these shows often describe a very romantic vision of the lives they have chosen the ethos underlying it. They describe themselves as fully self-reliant, and criticize the rest of society as being dependent and lacking in this self-reliance. It is morally superior, the story goes, to provide for yourself, take care of your own needs, and often, be prepared to survive if society collapses.
(Excerpt) Read more at theorganicprepper.ca ...
bookmark.... homesteader
One thing for damn sure is that you do not own your house or property. If you think you own it, miss a couple of tax payments and you will learn right fast who owns what.
Yesterday, I was doing a survey for a young lady, one of the questions was, Do you own or rent where you live? I answered, “Me and the County own it. The deed is in my name. Each year I go to the County Tax Collector’s Office, pay the property taxes and they let me live there for another year.
Dropped my subscription years ago and haven't picked up one since because of drivel like this.
Dick Proenneke. Legendary Man’s Man. Would of loved to meet and spend a day with him.
Pfl
Preppers : Not Everyone holds Preppers in high esteem for their independence and skills set.
There are many who are resentful; I call it what it is: Societal Dependance and Envy !
The complainers are the folks who in time of disaster, will sit in misery and await the government to come to their rescue.
Our Forefathers didn't have that mind set - but rather would help one another,; they developed and learned skills and crafts, many times by trial and error.
As stated by one of the comments made on this thread: " No man is an island ", success comes with a sense of community.
Hat Tip to Freedom56v2
and ..
Hat Tip to JohnnyP and mountn man for the 'Hot Link' in Post #15 to:
"Trailer of Dick Proenneke in Alaska:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss "
“Dear Homesteaders, Self-Reliance Is a Delusion”.......
Unless you are lucky enough to earn a big, highly lucrative TV contract, THEN self reliance has a new meaning.
Yep. Because those of us that practice a, ‘CONSERV-A-TIVE’ Lifestyle on MANY levels are SUCH a burden on Society.
What a bunch of hogwash.
P.S. Hey, Author? Don’t bother showing up at my place when TSHTF. You are not welcome. (But all FReepers are. Well, most, LOL!)
Looks like he needs to sharpen that saw, LOL! ;)
Of course. But you can certainly always be MORE independent, that's the point. And it's an oversimplification to suggest these people do not contribute anything to society as a whole.
And when the SHTF, is this loser going to be able to feed himself?
Guess who are going to be only ones in position to actually help this guy. It’s going to be these very same people he’s lambasting.
Conservatives used to believe in something that Chesterton called "the democracy of the dead", i.e. when we vote or even just going about our day we should keep in mind the sacrifices of those that went before us.
Obviously prepping, and doing so with the latest/greatest knowledge and technology (and good old fashioned knowhow as well) is a great thing. Obviously preppers are a net benefit to society: they buy stuff, they pay taxes, they're currently employed or were for years in order to save up to prep, and they don't commit crimes, etc.
But some of this SHTF stuff comes way too close to libertarian hyper-individualism which is ultimately wrongheaded and self-destructive.
There were a lot of independently minded people living in Colorado in the 90's who just went about their business while thousands of Californians moved in and turned the state purple. They really didn't put up much a fight because doing so would have required them to work with other people, even strangers for gosh sakes.
The couple didn't get much further south than Tijuana before the series was cancelled. Nissan didn't want to be sued when real yuppie couples decided that it might be a good idea to drive their family car through the Yucatan Peninsula.
The world is a dangerous place. The US, not so much.
I think the difference might lie in whether or not there’s a choice. An independent, self-reliant person can choose to buy their flour and potatoes from the store instead of growing it, but they do so knowing that, if they had to, they have the skills, knowledge, and seed stock to grow their own. Therefore, buying from “society” doesn’t infringe on their independence, because it’s an option, not a necessity.
Someone who is not self-reliant has no such choice.
Personally, I would rather buy sugar than go through the whole process of growing the sugar beets, harvesting, shredding, boiling, straining, and boiling again until it’s concentrated enough to crystallize. But I still keep a good supply of sugar beet seeds on hand.
Great rebuttal article — Forbes should publish it just to be fair.
As the rebuttal points out, most people who are self-reliant do NOT eschew modernity. Since that is the basis of the entire original article, which falls apart.
The rebuttal sums it all up nicely:
“If things did go sideways in a long-term kind of way, who is going to be better off: a person who can claim a Ph.D. in economics or someone who can actually produce food?”
Sounds like B Ark vs. A Ark.
Exactly.
Shows what a little determination will do. :)
I’m an expert on spec ops because I’ve watched some TV shows about it. Same with medical surgery and nukler physics.
Oh please. I don’t recall his name but I do know he mooched off the US Navy his entire career to gain the skills necessary to become self reliant.
/s!
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