Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
By Aquaponic Farmer
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Don’t Fall for the Preppers Fantasy

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


There are so many thoughts and beliefs around what our own personal TEOTWAWKI reality will look like. Every prepper I talk to about any subject has their own take on what will happen, when it will happen, how bad it will get and in what order the chaos will or won’t descend into their world. I think that is natural and shows how we each have our own thoughts and creativity. Often these different perspectives are helpful to me by making me consider other points of view that maybe I had overlooked.

Each prepper has to take the facts as we see them and apply our own set of experiences, bias and guiding principles to any potential outcomes we foresee. Nobody can tell the future, so the best we have is history, combined with some individual common sense that hopefully leans on lessons from real history to tell us what to prepare for and guide us toward what we might expect. What each of us is actually faced with may be exactly what we anticipated, or it could be completely different. The trick is to not let a surprise do you in.

I think a lot of people have a best case scenario view in their minds of how the world is going to end and how they will fare through the upheaval. I call this the Prepper Fantasy. I don’t mean fantasy in the sense that preppers wish for events like this, but if something bad is going to happen, this is what they view as maybe the more ideal scenario. It goes a little something like this.

  1. There is a global EMP or Financial Collapse or Pandemic that kills 90% of the world’s population in about 1 year.
  2. The Prepper will have plenty of supplies and survival seeds to keep them alive. The garden will be started right after the catastrophe and they will hunt and fish for food all day long because they no longer have a 9-5 job to go to. They also have guns and plenty of ammo to keep the bad guys out of the house.
  3. After the huge die off, the prepper will begin the task of rebuilding society with some incredibly talented friends (doctors, ex Special Forces, nuclear engineers, etc.) They will be able to barter for just about anything they need either with supplies they have or goods they are able to produce. The lack of money or banks won’t impact them.
  4. This New World will be populated only with people who were smart, good-looking and tough enough to have survived through the bad times and we will be so much better off. Oh, and all of the women will wear leather bras and very tight pants. And they will have Ninja skills too.

Sounds like the outline of a movie plot doesn’t it? One of the many problems I see with this view is the timeline itself. While a global pandemic could make the rounds of the planet in under a year (see Spanish Influenza) there would need to be a lot of other things that fall nicely into place for this Prepper Fantasy to work out.

Contrary to what Hollywood would have you think; I don’t believe this is what the average woman who has lived through near starvation would look like. I like a toned stomach as much as the next person, but C’Mon! Will all the clothes vanish immediately too?

For one, you would have to be incredibly lucky and everyone else who came up against you – to include hunger, disease and accidents, would have to be equally unlucky. In addition, you would also need to completely discount any form of government in the world. You would also need to overpower any and every opposition force (including governments) or be able to hide indefinitely all the while surviving.

What if they held a riot and nobody showed up?

I have often wondered about the fall of society and in our present day and age how a government could keep 318 million people in check during a collapse. We expect that when things get bad it will play out just like it always has around the world and even here on smaller scales with places like Ferguson and Baltimore most recently. There will be riots and the police will show up to keep the order. Arrests will be made and eventually, if things get bad enough our politicians would step in and urge some redress of our grievances. That is how government works, right? People complain so we create new laws.

The police will keep things from getting too violent and the firemen will put out the burning buildings and overturned police cars and the clean-up can begin at some point. There will be speeches and rallies and this will all be broadcast on the news.

But what if it isn’t?

What if there is some event that causes people to riot and the police don’t appear? What if the fire trucks don’t roll down the street to put out the shops that have been set ablaze? What if all of the buildings and shops are looted, people are killed, the mob simply takes over and nobody stops them? What if government doesn’t step in at all for some reason and we burn our own country down? What if we kill off 80% of the population fighting amongst ourselves and the government sits back and gives us “room to destroy” – to let it all happen without stepping in? What if nobody took your guns, because they wanted you to use them to kill your neighbors so they didn’t have to?

Well, we could all march on Washington and demand to be heard! We could storm the capital and crash the gates at the white house. What if nobody was occupying those buildings anymore?

How do you control 320 million people?

I think there are only a few realistic ways you can control that many people. (warning, gross over simplification ahead) The first and easiest is fear. Fear will make perfectly sane people do irrational things. You will give up your freedoms, your privacy, your rights, your property and dignity for a little safety. It has happened over and over again throughout the years and I would argue it has been going on here since 9/11. You can control people with fear. If they are afraid of something or someone and you offer them protection, they will do just about anything you say.

The other way to control people is through force. This would be harder to do in my opinion without a full scale war because it relies on the people being controlled to go along quietly. That gets back to fear. You would use the fear of death in a war to get people to give up their freedom to you.

The easiest way to control people is to amuse them. Keep them distracted and focused on other things besides how they are being treated, or how crappy their life is. For this to work you need a highly evolved media and entertainment industry which we have in spades; a reduction in the awareness of civics and common sense of the masses which, unfortunately, we also have plenty of.

I for one don’t believe that the people in power are going to give anything up willingly but they will still need to control the population. Right now, control isn’t an issue because for all intents and purposes, everything is fine. Sure we have record unemployment but there are still people working. You have your smart phones even if they are paid for by the government. You have cable TV and you can go to WalMart and buy your groceries on the modern-day equivalent of food stamps as you watch reality TV all night long on-demand and post updates to your Facebook page.

But what happens when that all goes away?

Preppers assume that at some point it will. The electricity will go off, people will riot and get angry and we will march on Washington to demand a change. Once our government sees we have had enough they will completely see the error of their ways. Then they will step down willingly and let better people – people who think like we do, assume control.

Do you really see that happening?

Who needs us anyway?

Our country doesn’t manufacture anything anymore. We the people aren’t needed to keep the wheels of commerce moving in a large sense. We aren’t vital to the war effort. We just exist to buy things and pay taxes to bail out the banks (who no longer need our money but will take it anyway) and conduct wars on foreign lands (that the people don’t agree with). I don’t think we are viewed as necessary in the eyes of some.

Modern day Eugenics proponents say that our population needs to be wiped out for the greater good. John P. Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote in the book, Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment ,”To provide a high quality of life for all, there must be fewer people.” If fewer people is actually the goal of some of the “experts” in society, wouldn’t it behoove them to take steps to ensure that goal is achieved? Some could say that plan is already well on its way and I agree, but getting back to the prepper fantasy; do you think Government is going to simply disappear overnight because you don’t like what they are doing? Do you think nobody is going to maintain power and control at the highest levels? That simply doesn’t happen in history.

I am personally not expecting a big SHTF event to happen where in only days; I will pull out the stops, armor up and begin watching the streets for tricked out buses full of mutant zombies to come rolling into town looking for the last can of gas. Even if there is a global financial collapse, people will still be going to work, maybe not me or you. Mortgages will still be due even if people can’t pay them, grocery stores will still get food, even if there are riots and shortages. It may not completely come crashing down for everyone at the same time.

So, do your prepper plans anticipate a different kind of collapse that isn’t in line with the generic prepper fantasy? Can you live through a slow decline into oblivion? One that doesn’t happen overnight, but over a decade? When our country turns into a third world hell hole in slow motion, will you still be prepared for that?

Preppers should have a plan. The easiest scenarios to plan for, in my mind anyway, are catastrophes well down the road – like Mad Max where you know it’s time to bug out because the evidence is unmistakable. We assume the crisis will happen overnight, but I don’t think it will be like Hollywood. It will take a long time to build all of those souped up hot rods… and the costumes you will have to create. That will take some time too.

I don’t think we will wake up one day to zombies and I don’t think governments will crumble over the span of a few weeks no matter what happens with the financial markets. There may not be a huge showdown or revolution in the streets. We may all just fade away very slowly.

Are you prepared for that?

Preppers – Take that Target off Your Back

All Over America, Government Officials Are Cracking Down On Preppers

10 Things That Non- Preppers Will Strip From Store Shelves

Preppers and the Economy: Can You Afford Not To Prep

Preppers: How Many Firearms Do You Really Need

Food Storage, Water, and Cash for 1st-Time Preppers

Understanding EMP: What Preppers Should Know

10 Things That Preppers Get Right

Coming To America: The Hoarding Begins: Greeks Rush To Grocery Stores, Gas Stations and ATMs In Anticipation of Collapse

What Are Your Generation’s Chances of Surviving Doomsday?

What Would a WROL World Look Like?

www.patriotnetdaily.com



Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!


Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST


Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!

HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.

Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.

MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)

Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser!  Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!

Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.

Smart Meter Cover -  Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).

Report abuse

    Comments

    Your Comments
    Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

    Total 8 comments
    • Man

      Don’t listen to those preppers, we are the TRUE preppers! :)

      • PackersGo

        Well it depends… They are more geared up with physical power rather then all talk on a computer. Major difference in just writting you are…

    • living and loving

      Well said. I have read on other sites how many AR-15′s,pistols, ammo,dogs and such, a person has.
      Many have not,repeat have not, planned for the unexpected.
      I just don’t see how a person can survive unless there is joint community effort.
      Even then it will be a day to day test. Because the strong, those with more weapons, more people in their group, will seek to take over: Take a persons food, guns and other supplies, forced slave labor and such.
      Loners will not make it, well perhaps those who need sunshine pumped to them.
      Some will say, not me, don’t say that, some will say, “I will die first”, and you will.
      This world,in part, as described in this article, could come to past this year if you consider the economic situation the world is falling into. I pray not………. No one is really ready…… :sad:

    • moochie2

      I’ve never been quite sure where the preppers think they’re going to go? Up to the Adirondacks with the prisoners who break out? How many preppers will the democrats allow up there? Either that, or the western waterless deserts crawling with illegals. Maybe some guys farm field?

    • Michael

      The realities are that you are far more likely to be affected by a natural disaster and an extended power outage than any other scenarios. For our family that meant needing to have a way to access well water without power. This was one one of our planning weaknesses but now we have an Emergency Well Tube to allow us to access our well water. Check it out at http://www.emergencywelltube.com.

    • Thane36425

      Some good points and some not.

      There are some in high places that would love to kill a large part of humanity, but I don’t they’ve really thought that through. If they wipe out 80% or 90% the global economy, most particularly the mining and transport, will collapse. Doesn’t matter what plans they might have, there will be so much chaos and terror that those system will fail. Maybe they will be able to get some people back to work eventually, but they probably won’t be as efficient and very well may be slaves as well.

      That’s just assuming what happens is part of their plan. If it is something more unexpected, like a nasty pandemic (a very lethal flu and a more easily transmitted Ebola would be horrifying), an EMP attack against the US and Western Europe, an asteroid impact or Yellowstone or another great caldera goes off, the chaos and terror could easily be more than they could handle. Wouldn’t matter what their plans were, something like that would overwhelm them. Sure the elite might be safe for a while in the bunkers, but not for long.

      I don’t think they’d be able to manage something like this any better than they can manage economies or natural disasters, or even riots. They might succeed in killing 80% or more of the population but they won’t be able to handle what comes after any more than they can handle the regular world.

      As for the preppers, if the world really does go to Hell, most of them are going to die, just like everyone else. They might last a little longer but eventually raiders, diseases, injury, etc., will get most of them. Now that’s not saying one shouldn’t prepare for the non-end of the world events, only that the real end of the world events probably wouldn’t be worth living through.

    • FarmerX

      Are there really so many atheist or ignorant “preppers”? Do you really not understand what is about to happen?
      This is the book of revelations kids. Obviously some you you peoples inner voice is working, but it’s amazing you don’t even know what you are actually prepping for.

      No plan will survive first contact intact. I don’t even know what is actually coming down the pipe with any certainty.
      But I think it is safe to say Soon CERN will open the the door to the bottomless pit. There will be asteroids and and earthquakes and volcanoes and tidal waves. We may not even be able to grow crops for years.

      You want to be prepared? Really prepared? Prepare your hearts and minds and get right with our Holy Savior because if things get as bad as it sounds in the book that is gonna be all that you have in the end.

    • LoverOfFreedom

      Do you have a plan once martial law starts? If not, here is some great advise what to do to win back your community to the people:

      http://www.beforeitsnews.com/protests-demonstrations/2015/03/martial-law-a-citizens-handbook-2455546.html

      You can’t trust anyone in power, and have to question everyone… Once SHTF, you’ll have weapons to back you up to hold everyone up to their word… If not, goodbye… Remember most of all, the Blue Helmet UN are freedom Loving US Flag patriots WORST ENEMY, equal to the US Gov! The instant you see one, they need to be stopped from stepping foot on to US Soil! The “UN” IS A PRIVATE, FOR PROFIT BUSINESS CORPORATION, and NOT ANY GOVERNMENT as you were BRAINWASHED TO BELIEVE! Look it up! It is “Owned” by the Rothschilds, Bushs, Clintons, Cheney, and all the top US Gov scum and rich 1% elite! You see tons of UN vehicles because the criminal US Gov TRANSFERED many 10s of MILLIONS OF ACRES OF US SOIL TO THEM, so they quietly funnelled the land into their names while in Gov Senate and Congress, etc! Wake the hell up! Just as in 1776, we faced the “Red Coats” from Britian, and today in 2015, our “Blue Helmet” UN is trying to overthrow our nation for their private business corporation! That is why stop all Blue Helmets!

      Just like in WW2, freedom fighters did many things to help fight against the Nazis. They removed rails from railroad tracks, so no weapons, vehicles, supplies and more importantly GAS/FUEL and PEOPLE were saved by this action. It takes them days to repair each track, and needed supplies DID NOT get to where it was needed, so other freedom lovers could defend themselves, with their help. Remember too, they stopped ALL GAS TANKS and VEHICLES because if they do not have gas, THEY CAN NOT DRIVE AND SPREAD THEIR WAR! So these were the main targets that caused the most kaos… Never forget…

    MOST RECENT
    Load more ...

    SignUp

    Login

    Newsletter

    Email this story
    Email this story

    If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

    If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.