What do you think of when you hear the term survivalist?
- Thread starter Lark
- Start date
Someone who has several generators, storage of canned foods, blankets, space heaters, insulation, a year before winter. Then talks about how people never prepare for winter.
Or uhm someone who never has a shortage of MRE's, pepper spray, has hidden stashes of weapons in just about every corner of the house...
Someone who is convinced the zombie apocalypse will be real...And has plans already in play to survive...
Someone who fears storms 24/7 and can't lighten up when the slightest news of bad weather approaches.
...Someone who is good friends with me.
Or uhm someone who never has a shortage of MRE's, pepper spray, has hidden stashes of weapons in just about every corner of the house...
Someone who is convinced the zombie apocalypse will be real...And has plans already in play to survive...
Someone who fears storms 24/7 and can't lighten up when the slightest news of bad weather approaches.
...Someone who is good friends with me.
That's really as clear as it can be right there. And if history is a guide, shortages of some sort will happen. They've happened throughout human civilizations throughout time: shortages of water, food, medicine, labor, or even justice.
I think there's certainly a point beyond which survivalism turns into paranoia and obsession, but I don't think survivalist automatically means that. If you could predict when we're about to run out of something (oil? electricity? water? food? public transit or roads?) and could prepare for it, what would you look like from the perspective after the event? Not like a loon, I think.
Survivalists and preppers are inbred hicks who dig holes in the ground, stuff them with a week's worth of supplies, and declare that it's their fallout shelter for when Obama lets the Russians start nuke-you-ler war with us.
I've been called a prepper by some people before because I advocate carrying seatbelt cutters, first aid kit, reflective vest, cones, blanket, etc. in a car. These people were idiots, incidentally.
I've been called a prepper by some people before because I advocate carrying seatbelt cutters, first aid kit, reflective vest, cones, blanket, etc. in a car. These people were idiots, incidentally.
Prep-pers are the guys everyone runs to when the shtf. Lot of folk are running around buying twenty-two long rifle am-monition. People call them ho-arders, prep-pers, resellers, and everything else they can think of. They don't have to run all over town trying to find amyounishun when they go shooting, though. With the limitations being placed everywhere, they are just assuring they will have what they think they might need.
Food? Water? Can't stash enough for everyone, and could never turn someone away. Would rather help to solve the problem at hand.
Food? Water? Can't stash enough for everyone, and could never turn someone away. Would rather help to solve the problem at hand.
The term has negative connotations in that survivalists have been the focus of media attention when they kill someone and then escape into the back country. If it only happened once, the term might not mean what it does in current culture.
I have only met two actual survivalists. One is among most interesting, intelligent, capable people I know who could and did live for months in the wilderness and would do nothing to harm another but the second was a wild eyed loon who constantly talked about his paranoia and how stupid everyone was for "living on the grid".
I have only met two actual survivalists. One is among most interesting, intelligent, capable people I know who could and did live for months in the wilderness and would do nothing to harm another but the second was a wild eyed loon who constantly talked about his paranoia and how stupid everyone was for "living on the grid".
Unfortunately most of the time you hear of survivalist its of the extreme. You only hear of this one aspect of their lives and so this is all you k ow of them. When I hear the term I think of intelligent people who wish to survive in a world where it will become increasingly difficult to do so. Doing nothing more than stocking up on food makes you a survivalist. In mo not doing that simply makes you ignorant.
I thought it was keeping a good knife (and/or leatherman) a pack of lighters and some paracord.
I wasn't kidding.
I mean food is great and smart and all but simply hoarding it and hoping things turn out is a bit short sighted and anyone can do it. It's great if say you get snowed in, or need to stay in your home for some days, but if you must separate from your food cache and can't take it with you for whatever reason, then what?
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Also the food storage mentality addresses the problem of running out of food by saying "don't run out of food". If a food cache can hold you then I wouldn't call it survival. I mean shit I used to stock up for the winter pretty routinely because I would shop by walking and going out for food in sub zero weather is a bitch. That's convenience.
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A food stash is to survive a shortage of any sort for whatever period of time
Survival beyond that is going to require extra tools and know-how
So what do you call it when people go shopping for food once a week, or even once a month in some cases?
Exactly. It's the same deal, only difference is why you're doing it maybe. Getting it while you can does not speak to independence or sufficiency. It's like saying of first aid "don't get hurt" or "get hurt as near as you can to a hospital"
It's just taking your dependence out of the market and putting it in a food bunker instead.
The difference is the weekly shopper expects to be able to return to the store next week and find food on the shelves
The prepper/survivalist is not banking on there always being food on the shop shelves for whatever reason