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Guest Post: Preppers Who Make Surviving The Apocalypse Even Less Fun
Submitted by Brandon Smith from Alt-Market
Preppers Who Make Surviving The Apocalypse Even Less Fun
Being forced to endure and survive a catastrophic macro event like a monetary or social collapse is perhaps one of the worst experiences I could imagine. Such a crisis leads to just about every crime and inhuman action in existence, and, the time required for a culture to right itself and rebuild is severely protracted. A hurricane or earthquake or tidal wave; these calamities are short lived and easy in comparison. The point is, as survivalists who are preparing to make an economic end-game scenario as “comfortable” to live through as we can, it is incumbent upon us to consider the kind of company we keep during the gambit. Some allies will make that mad world bearable; others will bring the madness to your doorstep.
Many preppers are aware of the dangers inherent in our progressively deteriorating nation. Unfortunately, some of them are completely unaware of the dangers inherent within themselves. Building a solid community of people to rely on during a collapse is absolutely essential, and the larger the group of liberty minded neighbors the better. But, if certain ground rules are not established from the very beginning, a rainbow of personal issues and character flaws could very well destroy years of effort. Care must be taken by all parties involved to ensure that internal conflicts remain at a minimum, and when they do arise, that each person is wise enough to resolve issues in an adult manner.
I hate to say it, but you will inevitably run into some folks that are beyond compromise and beyond hope. Working with them is like pulling teeth…shark’s teeth…from your jugular. Here are just a handful of powder keg personalities that will make the apocalypse more than a living hell for you and your friends if they manage to latch onto or take leadership in your survival watch…
1) The Self Assumed “Leader”
The “Assumed Leader” is not actually a reliable or practical leader; he just thinks he is, and reminds everyone loudly whenever he can find occasion. He does not generally do this by screaming “I AM YOUR LEADER!” Instead, he attempts to micro-manage every aspect of the survival group and shows early signs of control issues. The Assumed Leader will first make forceful suggestions to test the waters, scoffing angrily whenever people do not strictly follow his advice. If he gains traction, his suggestions turn into orders, and he begins to act as though he is somehow in a superior position to the rest of the community.
He seems to have an answer to every question or concern, which would be nice if he actually knew what he as talking about half of the time. Usually, this is not the case. He may have expertise in a certain field, like farming, or building, or engineering, or even defense, and this is indeed valuable. However, his mastery of one area of knowledge has inflated his ego to massive proportions and he now pretends as if he is some kind of hyper-educated elitist potentate. When approached with alternative options and methods, he will respond with ridicule as if you have no clue what you are talking about. When his ideas are criticized, he will react with fury, and try to remove dissenters from the community entirely.
The best way to avoid these people is to discover them early in your prepping project, and to make certain that NO ONE becomes a De facto dictator. Every person with particular expertise within the community should be given respect in that specific field, but not given authority over all decisions. The experienced farmer should offer leadership when it comes to farming, but step aside when it comes to defense and defenders, and vice versa. It is best to keep in mind that the most effective leaders always ask those around them for aid and advice before coming to any conclusion. The worst leaders already assume they know everything.
2) The Feudal Lord
The Feudal Lord is an Assumed Leader who has managed to lure other preppers into a Commune, rather than a Community, and there is a considerable difference. He is often a well-off survivalist who has suddenly realized that for all his money and land and supplies, he is basically defenseless, and needs an organized group to protect his bounty. He entices other preppers into the fold with ideas that he is building a legitimate and fair community, and with land already available, many take interest. The problem is, the Feudal Lord believes possession of the land that the group is defending automatically makes him Grand Poobah, and that those people are not equals, but servants and serfs.
I have found that Feudal Lords also have a tendency to charge people "fees" for the right to join their communes. They will argue that this is designed to "vet" candidates and see if they are truly "serious" about survival prepping. In the dark corner of their minds, however, they actually believe that they are OWED a tithe from anyone who wishes to earn the "privilege" of becoming a permanent installment on their property. From the very beginning they go into the project with almost no sincere regard for the people they are working with.
The reality is, the Feudal Lord’s land and supplies are utterly meaningless without security and without aid. His survival riches can be taken in an instant by a mere handful of looters, or even one experienced raider. Without other people, treated as equals in survival and ready to lay down their lives to protect each other and him, he has nothing, and is foolhardy to think otherwise.
This is not to say that all landowners who try to centralize a group on their property are seeking to become mini-kings of a mini-kingdom. If rules and agreements are made early on, and everyone understands their role, then such an arrangement could work. But, if the landowner purposely avoids set agreements, appoints roles to people without asking them, changes the plan regularly to suit himself, and tries to leech money out of participants, then it’s time to walk away now before it is too late. Eventually he WILL use his position as landowner as a means to dominate, and will threaten to cast people out who disagree with his methods.
The best way to avoid these characters and the commune situation altogether is to not centralize on a single piece of land, but to organize in a neighborhood fashion, where everyone maintains sovereign control of what they do and all aid is voluntary.
3) The Moral Relativist
There is, sadly, a small subsection of survivalists out there who do not plan to live off their own preps; they plan to confiscate the preps of others by force and solve every problem at the barrel of a gun. In their mind, a crisis situation calls for the abandonment of conscience and the application of a “survival of the fittest” mentality. They believe that morals are all well and good when civilized society remains, but a source of weakness during catastrophe. Their philosophy is: Only the strongest of men will be able to set aside principle and “do what needs to be done”. That is to say, they believe you must become the monster to defeat the monster.
In fact, only men who are able to hold onto their principles during the worst moments are strong. Weak men run away from conscience, using the excuse that times are “different and difficult”. They are not survivalists, they are terrorists in every sense, and they will only hurt our ultimate goal of rebuilding a free, prosperous, and individualistic society.
These people should be avoided like the plague. They will make enemies wherever they go, ask you to do highly questionable things, and push your community into annihilation. Eventually, somebody is going to put them out of their misery, and it’s best to not be around when that happens.
4) The Obsessive
The Obsessive is a person whose drive is initially impressive but also ultimately destructive. His entire life revolves around survival prepping and impending doom. Certainly, it is better to be extra concerned about the economic crisis on the horizon than to be utterly oblivious. A smart man over-prepares. But, there is such a thing as overkill, even in the world of survivalism.
No one can ever do enough fast enough in this person’s eyes. He will whine constantly about how he is the only one taking preparations seriously, and how everyone else is a lazy bum. He will become frantic on a daily basis, admonishing the group or community on their lack of urgency. In a leadership position, this person is a nightmare, creating constant waves of tension and panic, instead of calmly offering solutions or constructive criticism.
Obsessives are generally unimaginative people with little talent or intelligence who use their prepping lifestyle as their only means to feel superior to others. They tend to become legends in their own minds, dreaming of the day when everyone will desperately cling to them and their remedial survival know-how. They fantasize about all the people who "wouldn't take their advice" (usually smug advice), crawling in squalor begging them for help one day.
The Obsessive’s motto is: “Let me tell you why you are wrong and how you are lazy!” Instead of: “How can I help you fix this?”
We all need a break once in a while from the horrors we know are waiting for us. To step back and enjoy what we can of a beautiful day or good friends is not the same as being a freeloader or a backslider within your prepper group. Survival is about more than sustaining the body. It is about more than chopping wood, stockpiling ammo, and slaving over a piece of land from sun up until sundown like a mindless drone just to get by; it is also about sustaining the heart and the mind. Otherwise, what is the point of living?
5) The Ulterior Motive Drama Queen
The Drama Queen is a man or woman who is loosely interested in survivalism, but wants to join your community for other reasons, and these reasons may cause many members dismay. The opposite of The Obsessive, you’ll notice a strange non-involvement on their part or lack of interest as far as participating in survival discussions and decision making. They will often hand over all their survival preparation plans to another person or persons, while hovering like a gnat around the community searching for that special something.
They may be looking for friends and social recognition. They may be afraid of collapse and simply trying to lock into ANY group regardless of whether they fit, becoming disenchanted later. They may enjoy the excitement of feeling like they are involved, and are living vicariously through the accomplishments of others. They may just be looking for a date. Ultimately, their primary objective is not to build a working community, but to get something out of the community beyond safety.
If they do not get what they want, they raise hell, using whatever excuse happens to be handy without ever admitting their real motivations. They will deliberately start unnecessary drama, attempt to create divisions, focus on one person as the cause of all their troubles, or blame the whole group for the heartache in their life. They will attempt to draw everyone into their personal soap opera in the hopes of becoming the focal point, sharing strange and extremely private issues with anyone who accidentally offers to listen.
Eventually, they will be seen for what they are and will lose the ear of the other preppers, who obviously have better things to worry about, but not after wreaking some havoc in the process.
6) The Zealot
The Zealot has a perfect picture in his mind of how his survival community is going to look. Absolutely perfect. The problem is, all people are imperfect and all have different conceptions of life, and this disturbs and disrupts the Zealot’s fantasy. It is one thing to be careful in whom you associate with when assembling a prepper organization, but it is entirely another to hold everyone to insane standards that even you cannot meet.
The Zealot usually wants to be in charge so that he can vet and control each member of the group, but this is not always the case. Zealots are also sometimes highly anti-social, showing interest in a group for a short time and then suddenly walking away as if no one is up to par. He may base his zealotry on a misplaced religious fervor or philosophical inflexibility, but he will not be happy until everyone sees the world the way he does, or until they meet his grandiose brand of moral flawlessness. For him, it is not enough that the community around him shares a love for liberty and a disdain for tyranny, they must also be “spiritually pure” in his eyes.
One mistake or disagreement by a member of the group earns them a black mark on the Zealot’s list which he never forgets. From then on, that member is the enemy, and the Zealot will engineer conflict after conflict until the person gives up and goes away, or until he can convince the group that person is more trouble than they are worth.
The great dilemma for any survivalist is to balance personal freedom and a peaceful home life with the reality that they will not last long without relying on a group. Other people bring talent, friendship, and safety to our lives, but they also bring baggage. The key is to work with those who know how to manage as much of their own baggage as possible, who are aware of themselves and are willing to police their own quirks, and who have not swan dived off a cliff into extreme disturbia. No survival community can withstand the savage assault of national collapse otherwise.
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A review of the original "Red Dawn" will provide useful insight.
After living through the L.A. riots it's clear most people's ideas of useful insights to SHTF are based on movies.
That experience really sucked at the time, but now I'm glad I went through it.
Lock and load. Lock and load...
y'know, every time I lock, the fucking bolt is in the way of the chamber, and I have no way to get the round inside. So for me, it would be "Lock, Unlock, Load, Lock" if I were following your instructions.
But, instead, I've continued to contribute to the urban legend of "lock and load" in the hopes that in the (not to be desired) future situation, those who have their muzzles pointed in the general direction of things that I care about, well, that they actually do as you advise.
Please continue.
- Ned
I hear ya. 'Lock and Load' is one of those phrases that is easily recognized, so people know what you mean, but in today's frame of mind seems a little incorrect. 'Military Intelligence' also fosters a like-kind reaction in many.
Buy a 1911 and you can carry it cocked and locked.
Known as Condition 1
Booyah motherfuckers
I prefer the USP V1 but whatever works.
LONG/ Aussie Buggs!
Way to turn 'prepping' into a fucking reality survival show... Instead ~ I suppose, people need to PREP by trading worthless joobux over electronic exchanges... Yeah ~ that might make for a better survival narrative... Thousands of years from now, humanity will be grateful for your insights...
Are "joobux" your way of saying Federal Reserve Notes or fiat in general, but with obvious racism?
Well hey, his first sentence is pretty good.
I don't know but "joobux" makes me laugh. Every. Single. Time.
@XitSam
To answer specifically... I'll say that I'm going to call 'fiat dollars' 'JOOBUX' every time I can until people get the message...
I could [upon request], give you a different definition of what the US DOLLAR actually is... But I'd have to wait until you provided me with a more apt definition [including a summary of historical references] towards what the modern 'RESERVE FIAT CURRENCY' actually is...
Until then ~ I'm absolutely confounded, appeal to your higher wisdom, & breathlessly await your summary...
~~~
& for precise reference... 'JEWS' are not a 'race'...
JOOS tend to milk the shit out of a system near its end.
when they finally get to the top, they realize, they were "let in" to the top echelon right when the society is about to collapse by native elites. why else would cutt throat elites let new Joos in? so they milk it as much as they can then try to flip to someone else....Indian like Citibank or black like Obama, but old WASP elites will make sure they don't get to deflect all of the blame.
by that time society is fucked and way ahead into downward spiral in all aspects where only wars get them to sustain their riches.
AldousHuxley, One recuring meme is the oft repeated belief that somehow their fortunes will protect the wealthy, that they will weather the chaos and emerge even more powerful than they are now! Money, as a talisman, has far more adherents than the cross today, Mammonism is easy, all you have to do is, love your money and have unquestioning belief in it's power to protect it's owner from harm, should civilization collaspe the only ones with a chance are those who never learned to live in a complex society, for the rest of us... well,.. that is just the way it is, but for sure money won't have the power to command men anymore!
`The main advantage of "Prepping" is it allows "Preppers" to have comforting reveries before sleep, as they tell themselfs, "The Dragon can't get in my door, I'm ready!`
All I did was ask a question. Does that qualify me, in your view, with higher intelligence? But perhaps you were being sarcastic. As to your assignment (although I think you should have to defend your statments rather than try to make others do it for you), would A History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II suffice? It was written by Murray Rothbard who was as I recall, a Jew, or do prefer that they be called Joos. Or are there Jews and separately Joos? How does one tell the difference?
My intuition would suggest me to answer your question by replying...
FOLLOW YOUR NOSE...
But then again ~ that might be construed to be too obvious... Once again ~ I am at a loss & remain a beggar at your feet for being a higher wisdom...
Do you think I am a Jew? Nope, about as WASP as they come. Not religious though.
WTF does 'religion' have to do with anything?... & who TF ever implied francis_sawyer thought you were a jew or not?... NOT ME... I can assure you of that... I simply have this strange curiosity why people blindly defend a culture who has HISTORICALLY demonstrated a preponderance to steal their wealth...
To my knowledge... francis_sawyer has never stolen (or conspired to steal) your wealth... Why all the bad vibes?...
"Follow your nose", "but that would be too obvious". Sorry, I thought you were continuing the snide insinuations. My fault.
My 'not religious' statement was in reference to WASP = White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, I don't attend church.
I just kike 'Froot Loops' for breakfast... So I guess therez no problem after all then Toucan Sam... Is there?...
You guys will never believe whom I found commenting on a review of this book on AMZN. First, I present the original review:
"I had high hopes when I bought this, thinking it would be a history of US banking. That was a disappointment. There is some history, though the main story seems to be the lead up to the Federal Reserve. Even some of the political background was OK. However, as you get to the turn of the century, Rothbard steers into conspiracy thinking regarding the business actors behind creating the central bank.
I am not fan of central banking either. I would rather not have the Federal Reserve. But this book doesn't live up to the title as a history. It reads like a polemic. And it doesn't go much beyond the creation of the Fed."
Then:
Economics9698 says: That is a common thread in Libertarian publications. Reply to this post Permalink | Report abuse | Ignore this customer1 of 5 people think this post adds to the discussion. Do you? Thank you for your feedback. http://www.amazon.com/review/R1S3IGYGAKNN3W/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1S3IGY...
So WTF is your point anyway?... I'm just a dumbass goyim...
I was solely referencing the Rothbard book mentioned and pointing out that I found a ZH poster disparaging Libertarians on AMZN.
History is REPLETE with [paid] historians who are dutifully willing & able to tell you what happened years ago...
Hell ~ Here's one [OF MANY] interesting stories you'd prolly be interested to hear (if you happen to have an hour to spare)...
~~~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfPtDvm3a_s
f_s:
But really, why are you limiting your hatred. 'cuz it ain't only the descendents of the tribes, it is a whole slew of others, let's start with high episcopalians, and run the whole ethnic and cultural rack.
Actually: HERE'S A CHALLENGE TO YOUR INTELLECT! :
Name a group that does not subscribe to the awful situation that you describe.
I grant you Fiji Islanders and such. I grant you Haiti (poor bastards) and equally Far Rockaway.
And that is my point, focusing on JOO (or whatever) is a distraction (rather huge, in geo-political sense) from actual issues.
- Ned
Valid ~
But I don't live in FIJI or HAITI... [& for that matter... most of the world ~ NOR most of the population of the world who are required to achieve SETTLEMENTS in 'petrodollars' [aka ~ joobux] are interested in [or, I should say, SHOULD BE] interested in this type of logic...
So WHAT ARE the 'issues'?... [If not 'COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY' related]... In your mind?... Indulge me... & if your answer happens to revert back to the ability to COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY AT WILL... Please indulge me as to who is responsible for this abberation... Please leave 'RACES' out of the discussion as we have already pre-determined that JEWS are not a 'RACE'...
Please nominate a separate 'sub-culture' [using your infinite wisdom]... The entire human population awaits... (& I hoping it's not those damn 'Haitians' that are at fault)...
My "Joobux" have provided me with a mountain of lead and a bit of gold..a great deal for me, you obviously fall into one or more of the above categories......so francis.....go fuck yourself
Yes UNRULIAN... It was actually I... francis_sawyer... who bled into [from supernatural to physical being] the supreme WORTHLESSNESS of JOOBUX... which ultimately allowed you to buy gold & ammo at a cheap price...
You should erect a shrine in my honor... I'm ecstatic to be deified in such a manner...
Congrats...
The more you endeavor to convert your worthless JOOBUX into lead & gold, the more you [seemingly unwittingly] prove my thesis...
Carry On!
FRANCIS...
it's not at all unwittingly i prove your "thesis"...we can agree that fiat is worthless but if i can trade it for something of value to me and my family i'm more enriched for the transaction... My "thesis" in this matter is the fact you call it JOOBUX which shows you are an idiot and definately fall into one of the aforementioned categories whether you will admit so or not or you perhaps, just have a jeuvenile sense of humour. if there is a banking cartel that enriches themselves while enslaving the world in debt and it is comprised mostly of JEWS then i hate them for their lack of humanity and greed not the fact they may be of Jewish descent...there's two things in this world i hate...intolerance to other people, and fucking Banksters
You apparently do not realize that homo sapiens is tribal by nature.
FYI, there is a tradition that fiat currency is called "jewish confetti". I'm not making that up.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/790943...
Crap, now I'm hearing Joan Jet belting out:
"Put another dime in the JOOBOX baby...
Even if there are a lot of Jewish people that are banksters, it does not mean that all Jews are like them. There are quite a bit of run of the mill protestants that are banksters also. There are many other races and faiths represented in the global banking cartel. Yes, it includes the luciferians.
Stop singling people out by their race or faith. This activity is part of the problem and not part of the solution. If you focus only on the "Jews" that are bad, then you will have it handed to you by someone/something else.
When it comes time to survive what is coming and rebuild what is left, everyone can make a positive impact. Whatever happens, we need to be good leaders AND good followers (this does not mean follow anything but support what is right).
Liberate your mind! :)
How bout "the Fat guy" and my favorite, "The Vulnerable Coy Chick"?
A Quentin Tarantino fan
Clearly the chick can come in, the fat guy has to go out and collect wood.
What about the 'Concrete Cowboy'?
As long s they bring their gold , i guess i can put up with them for a few moonless nights.
Not a bad summary, but not comprehensive either. These creeps crawl, or attempt to crawl, into almost any well-intentioned effort to create a community to survive rough times. In fact all you have to do is to look at all the reasons that the various social living experiments of the 1970s fell apart to find numerous object lessons in what not to do. However there are a number of excellent, functioning models of social living - my favorite is the 'co-housing' movement which began in Denmark and which has a number of well-established communities in the US. If anyone is looking for a model that works, this is a good place to start. Not only is the model well-conceived, the actual contracts and codes by which co-housing communities function are time-tested and they work - and most important, they keep the creeps described here at bay.
Americanspirt, this is intriguing. Do you have any links you can recommend? Would be nice to get a start with one or two reliable sites.
"The Drama Queen is a man or woman who is loosely interested in survivalism, but wants to join your community for other reasons"
Sounds like me. Free love with smoking hot women in the community. Beans, bullets, bullion, Bibles and Cialis.
Collectives suck - always.
Cooperation is cool.
I plan on being the 'loose cannon'. "What do you mean we're out of fucking marinara sauce, bitchez??!!!" Rat-a-tat-tat...............
Ratatat-Mirando
And then there's the nympho baker.
She bakes the most amazing treats for the group and asks for nothing in return but sex from all of the members of the tribe.
She's usually Swedish and dressed in a fur bikini.
If you're not careful, she will seduce you into sex and pastries.
And then there's the "Dreamer", whose only contribution, if you could call it that, happens to be constantly conjuring up utopian delusions to distract the rest of us from the matters of the day.
Kind of reminds me of the bastard son of Frank Marshall Davis, in a way.
He never stated whether she was hot or not and that makes all the difference.
Not if you stocked up enough tequilla.
Until the last bottle....
When the time comes, it won't be what she LOOKS like, rather it will be what she SMELLS like.
Right. You can always extinguish the campfire.
"When the time comes, it won't be what she LOOKS like, rather it will be what she SMELLS like."
20k+ years of pre-perfume human history says that won't be the deciding factor.
Well, regardless of from whom the dreams originated, we should certainly give the Dreamer his due for leaving a few holes in the story. Just enough for each of us to fill in with our own imaginations. Very clever, actually - perhaps the Dreamer's more useful than we thought.
If the bastard son of Frank Marshall Davis can do it, almost anyone can.
+1000, well done and true
Then there's the "Face" ...always gets punched because of murdoch yet astonishingly his hair remains perfect...
BUT - look out for that nympho baker that prefers sticking long loafs of freshly baked bread up her vajayjay or sliding it up and down her throat . . .
http://blogs.pervnetwork.com/CuntAbuse/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/cuntabuse6271.jpg
I don't know if I should up or down vote this. Maybe after a few more beers it will become clear...
It's clear she's wasting perfectly good bread that could have otherwise fed the group, although maybe they'd make good crutons?
Sourdough?
Long Vagisil™?
Do they make penisil? (Insert long joke here).
She better be careful, she might get a nasty yeast infection.
She better be careful, she might get a nasty yeast infection.
Waste of good bread,you gotta be a sick POS to do that to yourself.
Anyone here found that titilating is a weird ass perv.
I thought that was a yeast infection.
Do you have her number handy?
My retirement plan is to become a hobo.
My destination will be Miami.
I ain't kidding.
I'm tired of being a slave to the man.
If you see me, throw a buck in my hat so I can buy some chili.
Thanks.
I keep looking to load up on Dennisons Chili when it goes on sale; hasn't happened in a long time.
$2.39 a can
So hope you got a nice smile to go along with the hat.
When TSHTF and FiatBux go flat, you're gonna need more than $2.39
Canned bacon FTW, if you can get it. The old Hungarian Celebrity stuff is the best.
I think there is less than a case left in the world.
If you have any, you can swap it for AU: http://www.canned-bacon.com/home.html
There are plenty of rural areas in the U.S. where you can still get a livable house and some acreage for not much more than $50K - and where taxes are under $100 per month.
Avoid the better school systems. Places with volunteer fire departments and no more than one resident trooper or constable are ideal and have a lower chance of tax increases.
Pick a place where the locals don't see the need to pave every road. Paving, like personnel, is expensive.
Stephen Fry traveled all over the U.S. and Miami was one of the few places he could not speak favorably of, nor could he come up with much witty or comical analysis. A $30K mobile home in Frostproof, FL will keep you warm and dry without the high crime rate.
That Obamacare $1,200 annual penalty will eat into your lifestyle starting in 2014, though.
Miami is s*it. Miami Beach is slightly better but crowded and expensive. I am suprised Fry was that astute. He was great with Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster.
Anymore Fry just prattles on about being a lefty fat old queen. I don't watch sh*t TV but some of his writing is on the web.
I'm moving to Mayberry and changing my name to Opey
My dad used to tell me stories about him and his friends taking used coffee grounds down to the "Hobo Jungles" little wooded areas near the railroad tracks. This was during the depression. The hobo's lived relativly good lives considering. They had booze, hobo stew, did small jobs, hopped the freights and moved up and down the line. Go south for the winter. His uncle was a hobo, came to the house one time, drunk as cooter brown, dad said he picked me up (I was about 2) and promply fell over.
Wow - it's been a really long time since I heard anyone mention Cooter Brown. Didn't know he was still around!
Bob, I live in miami now. Trust me on this, you do not want to be here if times get tough. This is, bar none, the most selfish, self centered shit hole I've ever made a living in.
Miami is the stain that forms when toilets from all over the world are flushed.
"Bob, I live in miami now. Trust me on this, you do not want to be here if times get tough. This is, bar none, the most selfish, self centered shit hole I've ever made a living in."
Consider visiting Detroit if you ever need to feel better about Miami.
Consider visiting Washington DC if you ever need to feel better about Detroit.
If god ever gives the Earth an enema she's going to put in Los Angeles.
If I didn't already live in New Hampshire, I'd move here.
Yea, but there's no sweet young valley girls there...
I live in a valley, just not the one you are talking about... :)
And I like more natural beauty and personality anyway. I know it's stereotype about the CA Valley girls, but I've met some who fit it.
I live in Miami (Doral) myself. I have slight bias for Miami since I was born here some 60+ years ago, when Miami was a white, English-speaking, uncrowded paradise. I've spent half my life elsewhere and will be retiring to a home I own up the coast soon. I don't know about the "selfish, self-centered" part, but it is a shithole. Most of it anyway. The hispanics can have the place, they seem to enjoy living on top of each other and I guess it is better than Managua, Caracas, or Havana.
The fact that people in Miami know they live in a shit hole is not lost upon them. I do a lot of business there and I was surprised to note that a lot of my customers are armed to the teeth.
Weak...
Imagine the bankster mind> If we can create such obscure product. TPTB/TBTB must really be getting ugly? Just a thought/
What about the harem master?
Before the SHTF, choose the members of your, errr, 'tribe', as if lives depended on it.
For the most part, that starts with your immediate family.
The good news? Nothing will stop me from shooting any one of these characters.
The bad news: You're the Moral Relativist.
Not at all! I have a strong sense of morals, and there are plenty of people that I would happily shoot today, except that:
a. there are too many of them right now, and thus I don't have enough ammo, and
b. the state continues to maintain its monopoly on violence, thus there is no one person that would be "worth it".
Once the vast majority of these people kill themselves off, I can take care of the rest.
Just stay six hundred meters from my place and we need never deal with each other.
I know where you are. hehe. I want your can of beans.
Not worried about it anymore. Not stockpiling, not doing anything other than living as normal.
I guess if the end of the world comes, I hope I am hit with a big bomb so it will be quick and I will not know anything.
When you become hungry, everything changes and you become a liability to those who have prepared.
Stay AWAY.
@waterfallsparkles
I'm a little bummed to hear that from you...
On ZH ~ I've always considered you to be a VERY RESOURCEFUL type... Look ~ many here think I'm just an 'anti-semitic' asshole [so I could understand any indifference ~ depending on the emotional state of anyone at large]...
But you?... No...
You shouldn't GIVE IN... If TS really hits TF... The world would need peeps like u...
That's my observation ~ take it or leave it...
fs...
i think "anti-semetic asshole" is putting it a bit lightly
Francis,
I like you live in Baltimore. I live in North Baltimore County. I have woods behind my house for wood and lots of squirrles, birds, deer, etc. I am also by the watershead for water, fishing. I have a fireplace and can burn the trees in the woods if necessary.
I do not use any chemicals on my lawn so I have tons of Dandelion and violet leaves that can be eaten. I would be the one running around collecting everyones dandelion leaves while they are starving. Hey, if I had to I would dig up some worms or eat the bettles in the downed trees. Believe me I would not LIKE doing that but if I was hungry, I would. I also understand that you can make pine needle tea. At least in the spring I have a few Mulberry trees and tons of wild Rasberry bushes.
I do have a gas powered chain saw. I intend to get a whole house generator for my well pump. Yet, this is not for prepping. It is because where I live our electric goes out 10 times a year for up to 4 days at a time. We are the last people to get reconnected because the population is sparce. I also have a ton of water bottles but that is because I do not trust the quality of my Well Water and re fill them with filtered water. We all have about 50 gallons of water in our water heater as well. Most people forget about that. My Neighbor also has a pool that could be filtered for water or used for flushing.
I also have mirrors that could be used for solar cooking or starting a fire. I also have a 250 gallon Oil Tank. The oil could be drained off and used for lamps or for other uses.
I do have a large amount of instant potatoes, rice, noodles, dried beans, barley, flour, sugar, coffee, canned milk, tomato sauce but that is because I buy them when they are on sale and stock up to avoid paying retail. During the Holidays all of these things are on sale. I also love to make soup I use the dried beans and or barley, tomato sauce. I stock up because when it snows I sometimes cannot get out for 4 to 5 days.
I also would rely on my Family. I think that we would all pull together, probably in one of the Relatives house and share all of the resources we have. I have a lot of faith in the abilities of my Son, Daughter and Son in Law. I am sure the In Laws will be there too. My In Laws are great gardners and know how to can. She also saves seeds for each year from the prior years havest.
So, to be honest with you I think that prepping is more about your life skills, knowledge and fortitude than storing up canned food. Most of the preppers should be reading about edible plants and how to make flat bread over a fire.
The small wildlife within an hour walking time of any major city will be gone in a week. The dogs a week later.
If you are thinking about this, you need to consider scale, and the number of folks who are in the same boat.
The scenarios these folks are considering would be on the scale of "The Stand." The first two months would be biblical in the amount of death going around.
In fact, I would suggest that unless you have one years worth of food, meds, and bullets you are almost better off digging a hole and just laying down.
I am not addressing this at you per se, but rather those who are prepping for the end of the world. Unfortunately, most of us will be the 99%.....who will die.
Prepping for disaster is an excellent idea. Having a plan to "get out" is always a good idea. God, I check for exits whenever I enter a room. But "getting out of the city" and into an area that could sustain you will be almost impossible unless you have an "in." Anyone that thinks they will drive to Upstate NY or Maine (in our case) and be welcomed with opened arms is simply delusional. In those cases, YOU are the zombie. And we all know what happens to Zombies.
This is sad but true. Just drive on a good sized interstate and see all the cars, trucks and people or fly over a metro area. If things fall apart - the food and support system for these people will be gone.
Like you said - most will not make it beyond two months. The dead bodies in homes will cause disease and the water supply will be done.
The small wildlife will be gone like what happened in the depression.
Like I said I do not live near Baltimore City. I also live near a Watershead. There are thousands of square miles of woodland surrounding the Watershead with all kinds of animals and tons of Deer. So many Deer that they have Deer huning every fall just to thin them out. So many Deer that I cannot even have a garden. They eat any vegtable I plant and they love my flowers. Especially, Day Lilys, Tulips, roses, higrangias, hostas, dasies, mums, etc. They seem to think it is an exclusive buffet just for them.
Many people fish in the Water shed even today. They have walkways on the bridges for people to fish. There are people there every day fishing. Plus, you can fish off the shores. I have an animal trap also. I used it to get a possium out of my basement. Poor thing had a broken jaw (probably from a fight with a neighbors dog). Must have come in my Basement for refuge. Frends of Wildlife came and got him and they said they would rewire his jaw and let him loose again once he healed.
Although, I do not think that you are able to cut down any trees in the Watershead, in an emergency I am sure people will load up on the fallen wood.
There are also local Farms around the area that I am sure you would be able to buy produce, eggs, milk, beef, etc.
In a true SHTF situation, ask yourself one question...Who is running and maintaining the nuclear power plants in your area...region...nationwide...and for how long?
If there were to be a continent-wide Carrington Event, it would hardly matter how many beans and bullets any of you have stockpiled.
Get it?
Plus, all you would need would be a few chicks from the Farmer to raise your own Chickens. There would be plenty of eggs and a roaster once and a while. Or a couple of rabbits. They multiply so fast.
I am sure that a Goat would be valuable for milk, cheese and butter.
Yes, they would be expensive but it would be worth the price.
P.S. In the City there would no longer be a Rat problem. They eat them in China.
So the upshot is, we're good to put everything on plastic because we only got two weeks.
According to the Mayans ;-)
The silent civil war/ It's been too long. Always in the back ground/ Good on ya { nmewn} Always embrace your faith!
Stay sharp on those charts!
What the hell, why not.
If its not 12/23, then it's sometime in 2013. And if not 2013, then 2014
Keep piling it on the plastic and when that runs out, do like the Feds and ask for more credit.
Man it's taking a long time for this SHTF to hit.
;->
I'm still waiting for the S to HTF in Greece. 26% unemployment, over 50% among youth and still no zombies roaming through Athens commiting murder and mayhem.
I figure if it takes that long for S to HTF then I don't need to be in any big rush to stock up on freeze-dried food.
Greece is nothing like Obanm-Amerika. Greece has always been poor before the Euro debt bonanza theft. As long as people can eat and have some shelter - Greece can go on like this for decades.
The Greeks have almost no guns. Obamville USA has 310+ million people and probably 300 million guns. People are armed to the teeth. I would bet ona weekend in the USA since 2008 - more guns and ammo are sold in one weekend than probably every country does in a year.
The only positive thing I have seen was the vote in Michigan for right to work. Some SEIU/ACORN, ObaPhone, UAW rats showed up but the crowd was fairly small.
People are fed up with these thugs. Unfortunately, we are too far down the road now to turn it around. If only Americans had the guts that the Egyptians have in standing up to Oba's AlQeada/Muslim Brotherhood puppets in Egypt.
I've been debating on whether or not I should buy my wife a Christmas present since she may never see it. Or should I just go out and blow everything getting shit faced drunk? Tis a dilemma I tell you.
Problem is you would die either way. If the world ends you would be dead. If it doesn't and you did not buy her a present well, there would be a good chance that you would end up the same way.
nmewn: that would be: tick, tick, tick, tick. ...
Jezzz cooomrad...or awaiting zee spark ;-)
All kidding aside and slightly on a tangent, I believe the issue really is, the young have no concept of freedom as we once enjoyed it.
Every new law or reg comes with a new born, a generation who then grows up with that as their perspective of life.
Very few are left who remember that, driving drunk meant, you were actually driving drunk, not .0007 or whatever from two drinks and seatbelts were an option. Virtually none realize capitalism requires savings to invest...first...not endless consumerism amounting to zero savings for the individual, at the same time government is saying it's "investing" in the future via taxation of their own labor...I don't even know how that's accepted without being ridiculed as the farcical lie that it is...it's crony, how could it be anything else?
We have an entire segment in society NOW who think the best bullshitter is the brightest.
And they eat it up...its all they have ever known...Big Daddy save me, protect me, make it fair, you said you wooooood. I'm ready to chuck it, let it burn.
nmewn:
Wise words - albeit late Friday.
You are dead right - the ever encroaching nanny/regulatory state convinces us (by small, incremental portions) that IT IS ALL FOR OUR OWN GOOD!
Slowly but surely, the chains of serfdom are voluntarily hung around our necks.
We LIKE this, because we are afraid of what is being told to us - that EastAsia might attack us at any time, and we have ALWAYS been at war with EastAsia.
There is no hope for us as a cohesive society, whatsoever...
Let it burn, as you say.....
I hear you...but cleansing society by fire is ugly business.
Where's Nutnfancy when you need him!
After hanging out on some survivalist web sites I have come to the conclusion that I would not want to be around 99% of them. They have some good ideas but I want to hit them up the side of the head with a 2x4 when they start there holier than thou politics.
Have you ever watched an episode of "Preppers"?
I watched half an episode once. They were fucking morons to put it gently. If that is the kind of person that survives the apocalypse then the human race is fucked and Im not sure I want to be around with them.
Now that made me lol in real life. Cheers!
@Zap
CORRECT ~ Mostly 'morons'... It's an idiotic show at best...
I saw the one where the guy has all of the food and guns you could ever want. But he was so out of shape he had to use one of those scooter things. And he got pissed when the "evaluators" suggested he was a fat bastard.
The FIRST thing most reasonable survival people will tell you that you have to be able to survive to be a survivalist. Stop eating and take a feaking walk.
ok...I'll do it....but what is a feaking walk?
Yeah, I saw that afterwards. feaking, freaking, fucking...you get the gist.
Now I have to go find more fat people to ridicule. Oh wait....who is that fat fuck in the mirror?
Most those folks got as much together as the bozos on Gold Rush whichever edition.
I plan to assume the role of High Priest, Possessor of All Kool-Aide, Arbiter of Shits and Grins, Official Repository of All Snarky Comments and Cynical Witticisms
That's fine, as long as you designate me to be hareem lord over the single women.
I think we can make this work.
I love gold rush. Big machines, big country, blowing shit up. How much better could it be? At least they are working their asses off. Not like that Honey Boo Boo crap. I just want to chain them to a treadmill for a few weeks.
Well, TV here in the states today isn't anything besides regime propaganda. With the exception of most sports broadcasts, I suppose.
Sports broadcsts are filled with propaganda. All the shits on ESPN are leftists. I stopped watching The Matrix years ago. TV and Hollywood are for retards who support The Matrix and their own serfdom. F TV
Sports takes your mind off the really bad stuff for awhile.
I'm not saying we don't need sports. I'm just saying it's just another pacifier to keep us from grabbing the pitchforks and ball peen hammers.
Sports helps keep things quieter for the police, fire department and paramedics. That makes it a powerful form of social engineering.
So while I'm not a major sports fan, I truly appreciate the vital role that sports plays in keeping us from burning down the city. (Except when said city wins the playoffs.)
I truly appreciate the vital role that sports plays in keeping us from burning down the city
No it is just like Rome with bread and circuses. It is used to distract you from them looting the Treasury and stealing more and more of your liberty. It is manipulation. It IS The Matrix.
Americans traded liberty for HD and clicker. Admire the Egyptian people rioting against O and Hillary's hard line Islamists.
The "preppers" as seen on TV will be the ones that are looted by "The Moral Relativist".
How about "The Banker?" He infiltrates your group and over a period of months and years convinces the weaker-minded among you to exchange their gold and silver for his own printed fiat currency and eventually your insulated survival group collapses into a small hyperinflation within a larger hyperinflation. And then you have to prep within your preps.
Anyone who falls for that scam at THIS point in history is much too stupid to be a prepper.
a five thousand-strong crowd seized the town administration, and unfolded a banner of the united Egyptian opposition - the National Salvation Front.
El-Mahalla City in Egypt declares independenceThat will piss Obama off, he put alot of effort in getting the Muslim Brotherhood all set up there. Prepare for the invasion of Egypt to re-seat the Pharoh's puppet.
I wish all the best to the Egyptian people. They are not cowards like Americans, The Pentagon, Joint Chiefs, CIA or the pathetic GOP.
The Egyptians have balls and i hope they throw an Obam/Hitlerry AlQeada/Muslim Bro Hood scum to the curb. Some of them are Coptic Christians fighting for their survival.
Dammit Freddie. I find myself agreeing with you more and more as time goes on.
ONE OF US IS LOSING IT!!!!!
I was thinking the same thing.
That article was dated 07/12/2012
I realize that when the collapse happens I will have to work with other people and cooperate and share. That is going to be hard for me because my current ideology of "what is mine is mine and what is yours is yours" and "you leave me alone and I will leave you alone" is a bit anthama to a co-operative.
I dont much like working with people on projects. I dont like joining groups or belonging to clubs. I like being left alone.
Perhaps the pressure of survival will have a positive effect on me and change my mind.
Yeah, I'm just going hope to survive by depending on family,(well, some of my family) my friends, (well, some of my friends)and my neighbors (well, some of my neighbors).
Hmmm, guess I still have my dog.
Yes ... dog is 'meat' too ...
Barry?
"Who is the bastard son of Frank Marshall Davis?"
"Who exemplifies the acronym SCoaMF?" Ref: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=SCoaMF
Were we playing Jeopardy?
You are what they (the insecure, envious, trapped, and weak minded) derogatorily refer to as 'The Lone Ranger'. You are not alone........
I'm the same and way too old to change. This means if you and I are the only survivors I will have to kill you.
I suspect you are like me, and have just learned from experience that very few people are actually willing to invest the time, effort and resources required to finish anything. And in most cases today, that even includes small tasks.
I agree with your ideology that "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours". To me, that's just an obvious tautology. However, there is nothing wrong with mutually voluntary exchange of "what is yours" for "what is his". The problem is, the number of people who have adopted the behavior and modus-operandi "get away with whatever I can" is now vastly larger than any other behavior and modus-operandi. And therefore we can't trust what people say, can we?
You are clearly another human who should move to the extreme boonies. That's what I did, but few seem to have the right attitude. Hell, the mere thought of being alone scares the jeepers out of them. I'm the opposite, and you seem the opposite too. My advice, for whatever it is worth, is "head for the boonies, the most extreme boonies you can manage or tolerate".
The Brits have more stones, then the Yanks on this issue! Those blokes are tired of being bollixed!
All of neighbors that I ever had are mooches. Loan them tools, takes months to get it back. I also don’t want my neighbors to know what I have. When SHTF, they will be knocking on my door day and night. I don’t have enough ammo
Seriously Dude - loose lips.
Don't tell you neighbors sh*t. Tell your wife, kids or whatever to keep their mouths shut too. Prepare them for the possibility that neighbors may be starving because they did not prepare. When it starts getting uglier then you better have a plan.