Whenever I see reddit preppers talking about their preparation for when “shit hits the fan”, I can’t help but notice they seem to think they’ll survive on their little homestead either alone or with their nuclear family. They don’t seem too worried about the threat of civilization collapsing, they’re just excited that they’ll get the chance to larp as lords ruling over their lands.
But without any kind of community organization or serious wealth to hire a private militia, aren’t they just as fucked as the rest of us? Like, these people are going to be the very first targets of roving bands of raiders no matter how many tacticool, tricked out AR-15s they own, right?
i don’t really believe in doomsday prepping, but i do believe in preparing for interruption of services, especially in the context of severe weather.
i also think more people in the states should take up vegetable gardening. even if it’s just a window box with some tomatoes or some herbs. just because it’s cool and life affirming. and fresh herbs are G. things would have to really be fucked to not have enough carbs coming in via rice, corn, potatoes, other shelf-stable staples, so i’m not really talking about that. but vegetables are like vitamins and fiber. so even if you can’t grow stuff, maybe you can learn to can stuff and get in on a community garden scene. that’s a good skill–and social: canning party!–that can stretch produce out and stave off weird disorders that come from only eating oatmeal or beans and rice for a while.
but back to the weather emergency preparedness thing, i like to keep a 3-5 gallons of water per person on hand, a bunch of different batteries, and when i was broke AF i picked up the habit of always trying to fix broken stuff first, so i have a nice little collection of tools. i also used to live places where the electricity / fuel delivery were spotty but storms were common and sudden, so i have a back up kerosene heater and keep enough K-1 to last a few days if rationed, even if it’s just to keep pipes from freezing. i have a bunch of spare fuses for the car and shit like that plus a little stockpile of OTC anti-inflammatory meds, anti-diarrheals, etc. if i had a chimney i would get a wood stove and store a cord of wood under cover somewhere to let it season.
i don’t think of myself as a prepper… i just lived in places/communities that were “under served” by civilization and the metropole. those experiences taught me how much more chill things are when something dumb happens, if you can make do with what’s around without having to drop everything and go on some half-cocked adventure to the nearest store, which may not be open for some related reason.
i know some people from when i was much younger who think i am weird/paranoid/etc. but those peoples’ lives have been a non-stop conveyor belt of treats and delights and they have no perspective on life without every convenience, so if something does go wrong in their community, they aren’t going to be the ones helping others.
