Are you in the closet? If so, should you come out? What’s the first rule of Fight Club…uh…I mean Prepping? For many it is “Don’t Talk about Prepping”. That’s a rule that has been around for a while, but it isn’t fair. It isn’t fair to your neighbors, friends, or your community. They have a right to be prepared, but they may not know it! Preppers are not new, but there has been a sense of ridicule that has pervaded the media. If you recall the Robin Williams movie, Survivors, it was all about people that feared the worst and were trying to prepare for it. My love for Jerry Reed aside, the movie made the survivalists seem like simple minded buffoons led by a liar. Militias were all the rage in the news at one time. The media have made them look like racist idiots hoping the world ends. At one time there was some truth to that. I’m not convinced that is entirely true today. (For the record, I’m not a militia supporter, but I understand they agree with the prepping philosophy more than most.) Preppers have had a slightly different treatment in the media. The show Doomsday Preppers was harangued in the popular press and especially in the east coast print media. However, as much as they wanted to go after the show, the ratings didn’t lie. The show was a hit. People were buying what they had to offer. By the time Superstorm Sandy hit, the show was in its second season. The tone of the media changed from “Those people are crazy” to “Maybe we should listen…but they’re still crazy.” I’d call that some improvement. What does this have to do with you? Hopefully it means that people are more open the concept of prepping than before. I have been to some events that were scheduled for Illinois preppers on Meetup. I was surprised by the variety of people there. I went to a preparedness expo in central Illinois last summer and there were two families with infant children. Lots of middle aged women. Yeah, there were more of the expected middle aged white dudes, but the crowd was so mixed that I stood there just to try to get a concept of the demographics. It was not what the east coast media would have you believe. Does this mean you should start talking to your neighbors? Yes, it does. I’m not suggesting that you beat them over the head with it, but just touch on it lightly at first. I’ll even tell you my conversation opener. There is always some medical or weather related topic in the news. I try to bring up the tornadoes in Joplin, Mo. In case you weren’t aware, that was a horrific storm in 2011, but what made things worse were the after effects. Lots of people climbed out of their ruined homes and started trying to help their neighbors. They had cuts and scrapes, but there were people that were hurt far worse and the severely injured were treated first. The problem…those people with the cuts and scrapes didn’t get medical attention. Instead of having a first aid kit where they take shelter, they were kept upstairs and were blown away or unavailable. In the weeks after the tornado there were many serious infections and hospitalizations from bacteria that could have been cured on the spot with some neosporin and a regularly changed bandage. Does that get your neighbor thinking that maybe they need another first aid kit in the basement? Hopefully. It isn’t much, but it is a start. What about food and water? Mention to your neighbor about the recent contaminated reservoir in West Virginia. That really could happen anywhere. Even on municipal well water. Milwaukee, Wisconsin had an outbreak of Cryptosporidium in the water supply. That could happen in a lot of places. Nearly 900,000 got sick over two weeks. Those are some good examples to get some bottled water stored or a purifier. You can come up with your own examples. Just do enough to stir their interest. Oftentimes simple sincere questions gets someone thinking, like what would you do if....? Once you do that, you’re halfway home. I don’t mind showing people my preps once I get to know them. I make sure to show off that it isn’t just some arsenal. It is well rounded storage of the basic needs of survival for some defined period of time. Food, Water, Shelter, Security, Communications, Electricity, and Mobility. I appreciate the lone wolf prepping concept, but it isn’t fair to your friends and neighbors. They may choose not to participate and that’s ok. They don’t have to. They may have to rely on the charity of others or on the government in times of need. That’s their choice. However, if they don’t know they have an option, the choice is made for them and not for their benefit. I think as preppers we owe it to our community to give them an opportunity. Talk to your neighbors. Give them a choice they may not know they have. Sincerely, Anthony Wynn
Posted on: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 20:31:37 +0000
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