Nov132010
Let’s Play Survivalist Multiple Choice!
I was talking with someone this week about all the different sorts and varieties of people in the survival/preparedness community. I kept coming up with new sub-groups he had never heard of, and thought it might be fun to list them here. To play “Survivalist Multiple Choice,” give yourself one point for each person you know personally who fits any of these categories.
a. Peak Oil — These folks believe the planet has a limited amount of oil reserves and that at some point we will reach the peak of our ability to extract the oil, and it will be all downhill from there. They’re preparing for a life without the easy source of energy we have enjoyed for so many years. That peak moment may come at any time, or have we already reached it???
b. LDS/Mormons — Almost from the founding of the Mormon church (Latter Day Saints), this group has taught its members the importance of being prepared. A year’s supply of food has been their mantra, and they have spent many years researching best practices when it comes to food storage.
c. 2012/Mayan Calendar — There’s a large group of people who are convinced in the accuracy of the Mayan calendar, and its ending date of December 21, 2012. That date will be the literal end of the world, give or take a few days.
d. Plate tectonics — Then there’s another group of people who have been studying Planet Earth, its magnetic poles, plate tectonics, and they don’t like what they see. They expect a series of massive quakes to take out most of the U.S. and have a very specific analysis of which areas will be safe-ish.
e. Classic survivalists — “Just leave us alone”, has been their mantra, and who can blame them? They prefer quiet solitude, hate cities, and enjoy the challenge of living off the land. Unfortunately for them, there are also a few crazy people out in the woods, such as the Unabomber, who give them a bad name.
f. Neo-survivalists or Preppers — Recent economic turmoil has produced a large and growing number of people who never gave a thought to survival but are now stocking up on freeze dried food and learning how to use a solar oven. Most of them live in urban and suburban areas, which is where they plan to make their last stand, so to speak.
g. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” – What can I say? The winds of change carry a whiff of danger. These folks are skeptical about 2012, the Antichrist, the collapse of America, but just in case, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few cases of bottled water and some extra soup.
h. Great Tribulation/Antichrist –According to Bible prophecy, the end times will bring about a period of devastation known as the Great Tribulation. During this time a third of the world’s population will perish, and a man of unspeakable evil, the Antichrist, will rule the earth. If you want to be among the two-thirds that stay alive, you’d better be ready! (On the
image by solidstate_
other hand, you’ll have to put up with the Antichrist, at least for a while.)
i. Collapse of the economy – This crowd watches the price of gold, the value of the dollar, the commodities market, and much more and are convinced our nation can no longer sustain itself. It’s a matter of time before hyper-inflation, bank closures, the devaluation of the dollar, and a literal shutting down of the economy occurs. They’re a pretty depressing group to hang out with, but they’re probably right.
j. Conspiracy/Glenn Beck — Sorry, I had to add this because so many people listen to Glenn Beck daily, read his books, and never miss his program on GBTV. They weren’t preppers before, but they are now! The Bilderburgs are out to get us! Now it’s George Soros! It’s that darn New World Order, I tell ya! Communists! Socialists! They’re all working together behind the scenes!
h. International survivalists/preppers — My blog gets viewers from all over the world. I have regular readers in Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland. I’d love to know more about what motivates them to prepare. Of course seeing the collapse of Iceland and, soon, Ireland and Greece, it’s no wonder that Europeans, specifically, are nervous about the future.
i. Off their meds again — I’m adding this category because it’s likely there are people who are just naturally paranoid about everything and have a survivalist mindset. It may be a chemical imbalance, who knows.
Now, I’m not saying any of these groups are wrong in their beliefs or motivation. In fact, it’s possible we may all be right! It’s just fascinating that so many groups, representing millions of people with such diverse views all have this sense of urgency that “something” is about to happen and they’d better get ready for it. The mystery lies in exactly what that “something” will be.
Do you fall into one category? Two? Three? All of the above? What’s your final score in “Survivalist Multiple Choice”?
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(49) Readers Comments
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Oh my goodness Soren you are hilarious! I guess we had better stock up
Fern
You left off "Global Warming" folks – who feel that climate change is going to do civilization in. I know HUGE amounts of this group, several dozen Mormons, many Peak Oil (and everything Else) folks, and about a dozen each "Bad feeling about this" and "preppers"
TheSurvivalMom
How did I leave out the Global Warmers? I'll have to fix that.
) Thanks, Fern!
Josh
I don't think that any of the preppers I know fit into 1 category. They look at the big picture. There's a big enough likelihood that at least one of them will happen (or a combination of smaller events) to justify seriously getting into personal readiness.
Kandi
I probably fit 7-8 of those categories. I will let you decide which ones. lol
Barb
All of the above works for me.
My older teen sons + friends got super soaker water guns and were engaged in a running battle up and down the street wearing Hershey's Kiss shaped tinfoil hats this summer. It was hilarious, but strangely, started a neighborhood discussion on readiness.
More than a dozen of us stood leaning on the fence rail talking while the boys battled. I was pleased to hear how many of them had at least a minimum of provision, despite the many reasons why.
Ellen
I fit into a few of those categories, but truth be told, I know for a fact that – all things remaining as they are today – my income drops by 2/3 on my 62nd birthday. I want to be able to eat and heat my home when I'm old.
shotzeedog
What about those that worry about the big one (nuke or emp)
TheSurvivalMom
Hmmmm….the list grows longer.
) Yes, there are some who focus on national security issues. Maybe I'll title that category, The Big One. Thanks for the suggestion!
Moss Walker
Lisa,
Most of us fit into multiple "categories.". I believe all of us, including non-preppers, have a gut "feeling" that some major crisis is going to happen. Some of us are diligently preparing to care for our families, with your help. Others, like the grasshoppers, "know" something is about to happen, but are hoping it's later, rather than sooner. Like Scarlet O'Hara, saying Fiddle-de-de, I'll worry about that tomorrow! Most people I talk with are instinctively stocking up for a rough winter and they're not talking about the weather!
TheSurvivalMom
Yeah, I fit into more than one category myself.
mama4x
I didn't know that C and D people really existed. Why would a "C" make any preps? They should be hedonists instead. I am definitely 33% each F, H, and I.
Stephanie
"Peek Food"
Karen
Whoa! I fit into 6 catagories….Peak oil, Prepper, Bad feeling, Tribulationalist, Collapser and Conspiracy (I love Glenn Beck). Our investment advisor is peak oil, bad feeling, conspiracy and maybe collapser as far as I know. Maybe more as he is a Christian. He had great stuff on his website, interviews with big names involved in the economy. It is: http://www.financialsense.com if you are interested (if not, you can delete it, not sure if you want links or not) the Newshour is great, and so are the archives of it.
The nutter
Me i'm nuts lol just need to be ready. Btw Your blog is awesome and I love it.
TheSurvivalMom
You are so in luck! Nuts are quite welcome here!
Red
I'm friends with a few of the Mormons (love to visit the Cannery with them!) and Preppers. Don't forget the hippie/off-the-grid/commune types, I also know a few of those. Personally, we are a mix of Peak Oil (DH), collapse of the economy, just overall bad feeling, and mama bear watching out for her cubs (me).
Sunshineblog
Excellent list. Although I prefer the term "tinfoil hat brigade" to "conspiracy theorists"
Dagny
I'd guess there are also 9/11-ers and Hurricane Katrina-ers — seminal disaster events.
Some of us are simply motivated by a belief that the rain does eventually fall in buckets, snow happens and the earth will shake – somewhere – and then the power will go out, at the very least.
You build a couple weeks of supplies, then a month, a couple months and before you know it you're as ready as can be for something much worse.
iFerret
Didya notice that silver is under $26.00 today? I'm buying sugar 'cause Glenn Beck says George Soros is buying up sugar fields = "collapse of the economy + Conspiracy" = 1 prepped mama
dagny
U.S. sugar prices are inflated in large part because of tariffs on sugar imports. American sugar farmers have successfully lobbied congress and successive administrations for quotas to limit their competition and keep their prices up.
Consequently, Americans pay more than the rest of the world for sugar. That disparity recently blew out to its widest in a decade.
rightwingmom
No matter which category (ies) you fall under, it's simply wise to be prepared. We are only one generation removed from living a more self-sufficient and prepared lifestyle. Today's materialistic and instant gratification society is convinced that we (preppers) are crazy and that the modern way of life will never change. I, personally, do not want to take a chance. Whether man-made or natural, disasters happen and it's up to us to decide how we're going to weather the storm!
FL Awareness
I'll wager that there are more than a few of the denizens of this blog who fit into the Total Situational Awareness group that consider the fact that all of the groups in the above discussion to be enough to cause apprehension enough to begin to prepare for TEOTWAWKI… just in case one of the above happens to come about!
Concerned Guest
rightwingmom
No matter which category (ies) you fall under, it's simply wise to be prepared. We are only one generation removed from living a more self-sufficient and prepared lifestyle. Today's materialistic and instant gratification society is convinced that we (preppers) are crazy and that the modern way of life will never change. I, personally, do not want to take a chance. Whether man-made or natural, disasters happen and it's up to us to decide how we're going to weather the storm!
rightwingmom
OOPS! Sorry for the double post…hope everyone got my point! HA!
Grammy
Saw you on Glenn Beck today! I've been waiting all week for this! You can tell which list I'm on, however, the conspiracy theorist in me was already searching when Beck appeared on Fox news! Anyway, I'm thrilled to be able to connect. My husband and are probably going to move back to the farm where we can "live off the land". It's time to retire, and we're starting over! Hopefully we will be able to provide for our family! They aren't convinced yet! I keep telling them, "I go to prepare a place for you!" Hopefully we won't be here for the worst of the tribulation!
Maddie
Im in the "whenever-something-happens-the-whole-family-comes-here" category. It's just me and my husband, but I'm the only one with good first aid kit, let alone food storage (which I have). I gues I'm also part of the group that just wants to be ready for anything that comes our way. But I have to prepare for more people than currently live with me, because they know that I will be the one to have what we need. So I have added to my storage, and now we are ready. Some have said, "you don't have to let them in, ya know." Tell me, could you watch your family starve? I didn't think so. (that's in response to those negatives out there)
maverick's mom
wow! You are so kind. You probably should get more food ,more will come than you anticipate! Just sayin…
ravenwolf
I am mostly the Glenn Beck, and regular prepper sort. Oh, you forgot to add Alex Jones listeners, I think. hehehehe
zeroczars
My husband and I are at least 5. I'm in CA so we have always be prepared for earthquakes. But, since Glenn Beck, we are prepared in all areas and have at least 45 neighbors that are getting prepared.
conservativepup
I guess I fit into several of these categories; just 'have a feeling' that any one (or more) of a myriad of things could happen. But, regarding the Tribulation, won't the Christians who have been raptured be spared the Tribulation? Or are there different lines of thinking that I'm not aware of?
Lora
There are Christians who believe in post-tribulation rapture. In other words, they believe that they won't go to heaven before it gets bad.
hparis
what you are referring to are "Pre-trib Pre-millinarians." You also have mid-trib and post-trib in the pre-mil camp. Then there are the preterists, post-millenarians, and the amillenarians which is what I am. It all depends on the hermeneutic used to interpret Scripture and Revelation chapter 20, in particular.
The belief in a "Rapture" is a 19th century phenomena which caught fire in the US in particular. A 2-part second coming of Christ is not a historic Christian doctrine, but it is most closely associated with Dispensationalism which was standardized in the 1909 Scofield Bible.
SavetheCanningJars
Top 10 reasons I prepare:
#10: Because my money will never have more buying power than it does right now (the $ value is rapidly decreasing due to hyper-inflation).
#9 Because most of the population has never heard of an EMP and will never read the congressional report on it.
#8 Because my house is total electric and I refuse to be at the mercy of the utility company.
#7 Who is Glenn Beck? Ha Ha Ha…just kidding! Yes I believe their is a conspiracy to get the U.S. under global control of a one world leader, and collapsing the economy is part of the plan.
#6 Because our society is too detached from sowing the land. Only a handful of farmers/people are growing for the masses. Learn to grow.
#5 Because God does nothing that He does not first reveal it to His prophets…and those prophetic voices are saying to stock up on food and water and some cash,etc.
#4 Because the secular world is saying to stock up and prepare.
#3 Because I have 44 relatives within walking distance of my house and I don't see the majority of them preparing.
#2 Because I remember studying the Great Depression and I really believe there is a GREATER DEPRESSION that is yet to come and I WANT MY FAMILY TO EAT WELL & NEVER STAND IN A GOVERNMENT BREAD LINE!
Drum Roll…………………………………………
And the Number One reason I prepare: Because God told me back in 1998 that we would have 7 Good years followed by 7 Bad years and then He told me to get out of debt and stock food.
God said it and I did it. Yes, reason #1 is reason enough for me!
NM Retired Vet
A wee bit of all of the above fit for me. Why buy something you don't know all about, when you can grow it at home(most of it anyways) for nearly free. I'm also the type that figures the Lord would have me do for myself and my house all that I can, so as to not be needing His help for things that I can control.
@ FL Awareness…you hit it right on the head:) Something gotta give some where on that long list, and probably soon…hehe
Chris de Vidal
My personal SHTF list, after studying for a long time. Guess I fit into several categories:
-90% sure to see these within ten years-
10% unemployment for years (offshoring, Boomers stop retiring)
Boomers eventually retiring but Social Security, Medicare and pensions are all bankrupt
401k stocks all withdraw from market as Boomers turn 65 years old
Debt causes US to hyperinflate/default, standard of living dramatically collapses
Calls for austerity and higher taxes, then riots over failed promises
-90% sure to see these within 50 years-
Housing prices collapse due to foreclosuregate, commercial overhang, lack of demand (unemployment) and shadow inventory
Severe tax increases
Poor quality healthcare
Peak oil, with food shortages, riots, water shortages
Peak water, with same concerns as peak oil
Increased kidnapping, robberies, murders, rapes, mafia
Takeover by Islamic fundamentalists or dictator
-50% sure to see these within 50 years-
Peak soil
Europe debt crisis
Japanese debt crisis
Chinese demographic crisis
EMP from sun or terrorist
Middle-east conflict
Massive earthquake in California disrupts food supply, drains economy
Virus pandemic
Super computer worm takes down major infrastructure
-Even less, but still concerned-
Asteroid
Gulfstream collapse causes ice age
Yellowstone caldera goes supervolcano
Global warming
Global cooling
CCD bee collapse
Morghan
I fall in to a lot of those categories and none of them. Looking around at the state of things I don’t see how anyone can not be at least a little paranoid, and I’d sure rather have some food stashed in the closet that I end up eating over time as nothing happens than have nothing if/when something happens, especially now that I have a child to care for.
By the way, how high do you have your comment delay set? I posted a comment, read two articles, and typed this one up only to get a message that I’m posting too quickly.
ke4sky
Since 9/11/01 our fire department has been training municipal employees and Citizens Corps groups in "Disaster Survival Skills for the Urban Environment" in the Washington, DC metro area. Our .ppt presentation may be downloaded at following link: http://www.w4ava.org/races/KKauxcomm33.htm
ke4sky
Other links where these materials are co-hosted are: http://www.slideshare.net/ke4sky/acs-survival-ski… http://www.theprepared.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=… http://www.cert-la.com/smf/index.php?topic=108.0
TheSurvivalMom
Thanks! There's a lot of great info at those sites.
ColoradoMtGrl
So I would say that I'm a "F-Prepper" with a hint of "H". My husband is most definately an "I and J"
katzien
Oh Lisa, what happened to the good old days (one year ago) when a blog post had 10 or so comments and one could read them all and add a comment at the end. Now it takes longer to read comments than it does the blog post, and it's harder and harder to see when or if you reply with any words of wisdom. Can you set up your site for RSS feeds?
TheSurvivalMom
Kat, it's so good to see you around here again! Yes, I actually NOTICE when frequent commenters suddenly disappear! On my homepage, you'll notice a gray bar right below the sliding picture area. (I'm sure all these parts have technical names, but I wouldn't know what they are.) On that gray bar you'll see icons for Facebook, Twitter, RSS Feed and an RSS feed for comments. That should take care of making sure you never miss anything that goes on around here. :O)
Sean
Lisa, when I click on the RSS feed for comments, it just gives me a massive screen of continuous text, there is no option to add it to a feed reader.
TheSurvivalMom
Sean, my IT guy checked that out on different browsers and didn't see a problem. If you could email me with more info or a screenshot, that would be very helpful.
Sean
No worries, I found a workaround. It may be due to the fact that i'm at work, so I just manually typed the link addy into my RSS reader and subscribed.
Shea Gate
Your internet site seems really exceptional. Being a blog author myself, I really treasure the time you took in creating this write-up.
dee
im a, d, f, g, i, j and h… lol. my husband is f, g and h.
new to this, only been at it a few weeks, but had a feeling something was wrong for years and just kept ignoring it. im not religous but what got me started was a combination of: a book i was given for free by the jesus christians called "survivors", it was quite a good read. and the movie "the book of eli". both of them had me wondering what i would do, so i googled survival. everything ive read has been a real eye opener. thank you for this brilliant site.
Gerardo
Add a Mexican as continuous reader of your blog.
TheSurvivalMom
Welcome aboard! Vaya con Dios!
)