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Are you a "Prepper"?

I've become interested recently in certain "breeds" of American that we don't really have here in Europe. One of the most interesting is the Prepper, people who build shelters or bunkers and stockpile food, equipment and often weapons and ammunition in preparation for the breakdown of civilisation.

Is anyone here a Prepper? If so, what are your preparations? How do you think civilisation is most likely to break down, and how likely do you think it is to happen in your lifetime?

Jnei 8 Apr 6
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38 comments

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1

My daughters a Pepper?

13

I have to prep the food for the next shift or for the next day at work. I'm a prepper.

Gee girl, you rock !!!

@IamNobody Thanks.

@IamNobody Does laying my work clothing out for the next day, count as prepping? Washing them too?

??? crack me up !!!

@IamNobody Lol.

7

I'm a prepper but also a procrastinator. Rough combination.

7

I don't think I am a prepper exactly, but I do have nonperishable food stored. I love on a small farm with chickens, geese, ducks, fleece goats, pigs and we have horses that we can ride or drive. We grow veggies, have a small orchard, and a have our own well. My son in law can build or fix anything. We also have friends nearby who we can trade and barter and I am a midwife, so can provide a service to exchange for goods. I hope we could survive. I haven't been really worried in till now, with Trump in office. He makes me very worried about the future.

I wish I had more useful skills. I'm willing to be the counselor? lol

@RavenCT If your vision’s good, and you could pull a trigger if necessary ... ‘manning’ a guard post could actually pay..

@Varn With corrective eye wear I'm great. Also know how to shoot. lol
Can build and cook over a fire.

Add "Optometrist" to the list.

7

I'm not a prepper really, but I do keep food, water, ammo and medical supplies handy. My roomate in college called me "The Last Boy Scout". There are many ways for this country to go sideways. I feel that I am prepared enough to have a chance after things go down.

If I survive the initial carnage, my prep and connections will serve me well.

I do first response aid to natural disasters. I know what I need. I consider myself paranoid on a healthy level.

5

Excellent questions. I’m old enough to have been called ‘A Survivalist.’ The “Prepper” movement is kinda new to me. I’d inherited the family homestead outside the largest metro city in Oregon, where surviving a Soviet 20 megaton nuclear airblast would have been possible; at least that’s what we’d been targeted for.

Personally, acquiring a generator, fuel supply, food preservation equipment and some guns & ammo made sense, as we’d use it periodically during natural disasters, like power outages during wind & snow storms to flooding and mudslides. The guns were used to protect gardens and orchard, and to combat a ‘home invasion,’ as our home was unseen within deep woods.

Now days, I think it’s become an excuse to collect knives and guns 😉 And as much as ‘government breakdown and internment camps’ had been advertised during the Obama presidency (total BS of course), and, the serious need to “Kill Zombies” (no shit), it’s sifted down to the most paranoid among us. Many fear/ dream of ‘the government’ coming to ‘take their guns,’ so they buy more & larger guns 😕

A serious economic downturn, which is hard to imagine as most have already begun to forget the most serious ‘Recession/ Depression’ of our lifetimes … that’s a fear. Or, totally unpredictable - and of more concern to me is an epidemic or world wide pandemic that causes folks to hunker down and live off their supplies ..as it would be too dangerous to risk ‘catching whatever’ by associating with others..

I like to be prepared, but no longer ‘protecting my little family,’ maybe I’m maintaining a rural place they can retreat to if ever necessary. But the cold war is over, and we all won 🙂

Varn Level 8 Apr 6, 2018
5

Well I'm not one..though I will know what to do after the zombie apocalypse..cuz I've watch all 8 season of walking dead..soo yeah..

5

In the 60s, I was on an Atlas missile launch crew. We practiced and practiced to launch, but the order never came. So I think if the end comes, it will be the blinding flash in the big cities and slower in the outlying areas. But why worry, just keep living like it will never happen.

Or reside by a nuke plant - guaranteed target. (Sigh).

5

I'd never heard that term before but I think it's the same as a survivalist? So, no, I'm not either of those. I have a bag with important papers in it in case of a tornado. I keep it in the closet we use during warning alerts. That's as close as I get.

4

It seems being a "prepper" is a symptom of fear, which is being promoted in theis country to divide people. Especially rich people who are having defensive bunkers built, presumably to ward off the hoards with their pitchforks and gullitines who are likely to attack the one percent ala the French Revolution. Either that, or the zombie apocalypse.

Footnote: I first misread this as "Are you a Pepper", like a Dr. Pepper drinker. Not any more. Soda is one of the worst substances for your body.

4

I would like to "prep" by knowing stuff that would make me valuable: how to forage, trap, first aid, surgery, water purification, electronics, engineering, whatever. Not all of those things, necessarily--just enough specialized knowledge in a critical discipline so that other people will want to keep me around. I like my valuables weightless and volumeless--i.e. information, knowledge, wisdom.

Too bad I'm only really interested at this time in studying how the mind works and how to be a good person. Nobody gives two shits about that.

Anybody remember the kids' story about the mouse who just laid around basking in the sun all day, and all the other hardworking mice hated him--until the long, dark, depressing winter rolled around, and he was the only one who could lift their spirits by sharing the crystalized reminiscences of warmer days that he alone, in his poetic soul, had treasured up--just for them?

I'm that lazy mouse. And I'd be the first to starve.

This reminds me of something @RobAnybody said:
“I think we return to the myths (not just the abrahamic ones) because we understand the world through narrative. As you say, there's a growing body of evidence for how and why this works. Neuroscience is now exploring our reaction to art.
Good storytellers, though, will still be able, perhaps more able, to persuade us of the truth of their position regardless of its factual veracity.”

There is power in storytelling… and value, in good storytelling. Knowing how the mind works is a great foundation for good storytelling (as well as countless other valuable contributions).

[agnostic.com]

@skado You just won't let me wallow in self-pity, will you? 😉 Excellent refutation; I concur. Still think I'd starve, though. 😛

@stinkeye_a A lot of us would, I imagine. I'm just thankful there's food in the fridge tonight!

Instead of pickin the poison berries, you could fish...(?)?

So eloquent you are

3

Last time I visited my son we went to a prepper store. Those people are nuts. They were selling a 5 gallon bucket with kitty litter for $29.95 as a portable toilet. The buyers are the crazy ones. The sellers are on their way to being rich.

Jim Baker's back on TV hawking that stuff, I guess God isn't gonna provide?

2

My fam are, my grandma survived the Great Depression as 9 of 9. My dad lived through the 50s red scare with her, so he’s hard wired for that neurosis, but for the most part I tolerate it but explain that rationally, in such an emergency my head count would be out since I’d rush TOWARD the emergency not away.

2

I am a two week prepper... LoL
I have lived in several areas, where due to weather you might not have power or water for days or weeks...

That is the extent of my prepperness though...

I’m honing myself down to around that time-span, too 🙂 Was without power for 3 days a couple weeks ago due to heavy snow - our neighborhood came together! I was offered meals, a bed, and a shower opportunity, from 3 different households. Anymore, my ‘preparedness’ will come from helping those closest to me.

2

I know people who believe everything will be coming apart at any minute and think they have to be armed all the time, but at the same time are apolitical or worse, leaning conservative. It is as if they unconcsiously are promoting the apocalypse to promote a new "frontier" of opprotunity for themselves becasue they are not happy with how things are going. So instead of being involved in fixing problems, the prep and hope for the worst. I've a attached an instersting presentation about frontiers, etc. A little long, but worthwhile.

Source:
jeffy Level 7 Apr 7, 2018

I’ve not yet watched the linked video ..still digesting your wisdom. If anyone wanted to know what ‘this movement’ is all about - I’d say you nailed it… “It is as if they unconcsiously are promoting the apocalypse to promote a new "frontier" of opprotunity for themselves becasue they are not happy with how things are going.” (and you must have written that, too - cuz my spell-checker just lit up pasting your quote; we spell alike 😀 ) But seriously, that describes the mentality of the ‘preppers’ I’ve met as of late..

2

Read the book "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen. It may change your mind about prepping, one way or the another.

If it all falls over and there is no law the ensuing chaos would have preppers robbed sadly I feel. Fast. Or killed for supplies. If military control was lost it would fall back to anyone with communications - so CB / Radio ham / people like that would have fair organisation.. but the chaos would win I am sure!

@Nickbeee I have read where preppers will be actively targeted and many can't defend themselves to the level that would be needed. A few rifles won't save you.

@MacTavish totally agree .. they may get an extra day or three if lucky.

2

No, I tend to procrastinate things, it usually works itself out.

2

I'm not really what you would call a 'prepper'.
I am an avid outdoorsperson, I can grow my own food, I believe if I choose to survive some major 'uphevel', I could do so quite easily and comfortably.

Im coming to live with you??

2

Nope... Life is too short to worry about those things....

2

You're a Prepper, I'm a Dr. Prepper.

godef Level 7 Apr 6, 2018
1

I am a prepper/ survivalist. History has shown that everything comes to an end...
Will it happen in my lifetime? Probably not, but who knows.
I want my kids to be able to perform at least basic survival if they ever find themselves in need. If that means stranded in the mountains, lost in the woods, or the end of the known world... I don't think we should lose our survival skills.

1

I preparing for the next drought of weed by stockpiling weed lol !! Does that count 😉

1

I take meds that I can only get a 30 day prescription on hand, high blood pressure and antidepressant. Natural remedies? Don't make me laugh.
I won't last to long without them so why prep? Meanwhile Dad left me enough bullets to hold off the looting hordes for a while. lol

1

No but I am well prepared for a natural disaster. This (Seattle Area) is still earthquake country, not to mention nearby volcanos. I teach disaster preparedness for the Red Cross

I'm in a first strike zone so trying to prepare for that seems fairly pointless to me. I'd rather be gone right away than deal with the aftermath.

1

After social collapse, preppers become targets.

@pc10101 yes, that would make the sport more of a challenge.

1

I’m not motivated by any potential collapse of civilization; I doubt many of the best prepared would have guessed correctly exactly which kind of preparation would be called for, given the varied threats we live under.
I’ve been accused of being a prepper because I enjoy living simply and having a cursory awareness of self-sufficiency skills. It’s just a healthy and rewarding lifestyle, in my experience. Plus it’s just a lot more interesting to me than turning all of my time into money and then paying other people to live my life for me. Growing veggies, raising chickens, building and repairing shelters and various means of transportation feel more like authentic engagement with life to me than rotting in a cubicle. (I know; I’ve done my time in the cubicle farms) Building a broad base of knowledge and skills feels more stable in good times as well as bad, to me, than specializing in money-making.

skado Level 9 Apr 7, 2018
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