BBC article - "Preppers" vs. Zombie Squads (ahem) Survivalists

[Xela]

Oh great...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/americas/8587464.stm

" "Tom Martin, who began the American Preppers Network makes the distinction. "A survivalist is more a specific term," he says.

"For me, a survivalist is someone who can go into any type of situation and live off the land. Me, I'm not like that.

"People call themselves survivalists because they've got guns and MREs (military ready-to-eat meals). A prepper is a more generalised term. " "

I'm probably behind on this, never heard of "preppers" before.

"Prepper", survivalist? Heck, I prefer the term: Zombie Squad!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_Squad
http://zombiehunters.org/

Xela

[Xela]

1. Wiki - prepper network

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Preppers_Network

Looks like a recent addition to wiki (2010?)


Xela

[MercutioATC]

2. Nothing wrong with prepping.

Seeing as most stores only have what you see on the shelves, and in an emergency we all know they're stripped of the essentials pretty quickly, prepping is the responsible thing to do.

Whether one is prepping for 2 weeks or 2 years, I've never understood why some people feel the need to make fun of them.

(but I can guarantee that those snickering now will be the first to whine about not being able to get things like food and water and batteries in an emergency)

[Xela]

3. I agree!!!

I have nothing against the idea, survivalist, or "prepping".

What I don't understand is the "preppers' desire to be set apart from survivalists.

Especially the way they put it, MRE's and firearms? Come on.

Maybe it's just me.

Xela

[tburnsten]

6. Exactly, it's odd that they are so finicky

I mean, MREs provide all the nutrition an active adult needs, last almost forever, granted they aren't the best food in the world, but they aren't bad, and three of them is plenty of food for an adult for two days.

And if everything breaks down, then firearms will be worth their weight in gold, because protein is important, and you can't keep a freezer running off a generator forever. Eventually you might need to take up some hunting to supplement your diet. And disasters have this nasty habit of bringing out both the best and worst in people. You are very likely in any medium-long term disaster to need to run off an attacker. And no, they generally don't just want you to share with them.

[MercutioATC]

9. "Prepping" and "survivalism" are different mindsets...

...or, at least, very different intensities of the same mindset.

I know people who keep a week's worth of canned goods in their cupboard for emergencies. They're "preppers"...and that's great.

I also know people with years' worth of food and water, complete first-responder medical bags (and the training to use them), generators with hundreds of gallons of diesel stored, and small arsenals with tens of thousands of rounds of ammo. They're "survivalists"...and that's great, too.

However, there are some "preppers" who view "survivalists" as extremists...and they identify "survivalists" by items like MREs and guns.

[tburnsten]

10. Ten or twenty thousand rounds can be a single season of competitive shooting

I think people throw around the term "arsenal" way too lightly. An arsenal is where an army stores weaponry of all types, not just individual firearms but crew-served and larger equipment as well for a full-scale, every man of age to fight mobilization.

Shit I think there have been times when I've had ten thousand rounds of a single caliber (ok, ok, it was .22LR, but there were more expensive calibers in there too) and I'm just a broke 23 year old.

So by a prepper's definition I count as a prepper myself, having spent thirty or forty bucks on a bunch of bags of rice and beans? Sweet, I'm a member of a new group!

[MercutioATC]

13. You're preaching to the choir.

I should have put "arsenal" in quotes.

A dozen firearms and 10k-20k rounds irrationally scares some people...

[jeepnstein]

4. We prep.

I always have water on hand. We also keep food. Batteries, gasoline, a bit of ammo; doesn't everyone? My wife lived through Hurricane Andrew and has a whole different perspective on the topic than many. You never know when the power might get knocked out for a couple of days or some such thing as that.

Survivalism? That's a different animal. Yeah, I could do a stretch in the woods with minimal gear and make it OK. It's not rocket science after all. All it takes is a willingness to learn and the ability to adapt. Oh, and lots of practice.

In either case a firearm is a handy tool to have around. I keep one in my Get Home Bag. It's just a backpack with some of the essentials and usually rides around in my truck with me. Some of the other stuff in my GHB is water treatment, Scout axe, First Aid, some money, change of clothing, 550 cord, a shovel, stuff like that.

[Xela]

5. "In either case a firearm is a handy tool to have around."

That's the point I had in mind exactly.

Xela

[cowman]

7. I'm like you

I keep 10 cases of MRE's at all times, 50 cases of water, 4 battery powered radios, water purifier tabs, plenty of firearms, plenty of ammo,
xtra gasoline, blankets, flashlights and a shit load of batteries and every thing else I need for me and my wife to survive in case of bad shit happening

[MercutioATC]

8. I carry a 3-day bag in my vehicle, too.

More stuff at my house, and even more stuff at my parents' house (more remote...better location if things start to really deteriorate).

Started about 5 years ago, and I'm good for myself and my son for about a year. We keep trying to get a prepping group here at DU, but the admins keep ignoring us.

[Xela]

11. "prepping group"

You'll probably have better luck as a Zombie Squad :)

jk...

Xela

[MercutioATC]

12. Unfortunately, you're probably right.