All the people like us are ‘we’, and everyone else is ‘they’

I do enjoy chatting with fellow survivalists. There are two or three that I communicate with back and forth in email and it’s always very satisfying and enjoyable. What makes it such a pleasure, other than us being, basically, on the same page is that it also helps to make me feel like I’m not unique and ‘strange’ or ‘out there’… there are people who think that my concerns and actions are perfectly reasonable. I like that feeling of…I dunno…validation?

It isn’t always that way, though. See, everyone has a different flavor of apocalypse. And everyone, when it comes to their particular flavor, is a remarkably fussy eater. For example, the Peak Oil guys are quick to attribute everything to Peak Oil (which, much like how Global Cooling morphed into Global Warming and is now simply the much more vague Climate Change, has undergone some brand retooling)… water wars? Its because Peak Oil makes transporting water too expensive. Food prices up? It’s because Peak Oil makes farming more expensive. Neighbors dog got into the chickens? Peak oil.

I shouldn’t give the Peak Oil guys too much grief….my own particular flavor of apocalypse is probably scoffed at by other parts of the survivalist demographic. But…my point is that it’s always nice when you have ‘out of the ordinary’ interests/beliefs/concerns to get to interact with other ‘like minded individuals’ so you don’t feel so isolated or alienated.

I was thinking about that today as I was restocking the rice containers in the kitchen. As of late I’ve been going through a lot of rice, mostly to use it up and also out of a renewed sense of thrift since there’s a new alternator sitting at the curb with an old car attached to it. Anyway, I was scooping out the last of a five-gallon bucket of rice and I was thinking what it must feel like to have that moment where you see the bottom of the barrel (literally) and think ‘thats it…we’re outta food’.

Of course, in my case that just means opening up another five-gallon pail. But how many people keep multiple five-gallon buckets of food on-hand? For years? Not many, I’d wager. But when I encounter other people who do that sort of thing, I feel much more comfortable with myself. Go figure.

I’m relatively active on a bunch of discussion forums. Some as Commander Zero, some as other anonymous names, but I really enjoy reading other people’s experiences and ideas about preparedness. It really helps to lessen the feeling that I’m the only one who thinks this way and, therefore, somehow I’m abnormal or not quite right.

So…let’s ask an interesting question: not counting spouses or relatives, how many survivalists do you frequently interact with in real life.. not over the internet, not on discussion boards, but in genuine “Hey, you wanna go to the range/gun show/Mormon cannery/backapacking store?” fashion?

[yop_poll id=”9″]

 

11 thoughts on “All the people like us are ‘we’, and everyone else is ‘they’

  1. Commander:
    I didn’t find any other preppers until I got hold of a Bug-Out Point and started supplying it.
    I started to see the same faces at the local (to my B.O.P) warehouse.
    By assisting them load their van, I had a chance to gently enquire if they were preppers.
    Over a beer, we got to know some generalities about each other.

    It can be hard to balance networking and OPSEC…

  2. Dear Commander Zero,
    Thanks for your blog. It is very down-to-earth and honest, which, in my life, is a real change. I read about the charity (obligation) vs sharing (helping a friend/family move towards a common goal) and agree entirely. I prep with my friends and family in mind. Your poll asked about the number of survivalist friends a reader had. Many preppers think that someone relocating to the Third Little Pig’s House will/should bring their own supplies. I think it’s far more likely that my little pigs will be running for their lives and when I take them in, they might have only the clothes on their backs. I won’t turn them away. And yes, I have an extra sidearm for each of them. And a few more. With magazines. And ammo. Worst case scenario is not Global Warming or pandemic or earthquake. It’s having those near and dear to you show up under dire conditions looking to you for succor. Maybe for a long time. Being the Third Little Pig is a huge responsibility. We should all consider ourselves Third Little Pigs. We will be to somebody. Plan accordingly.

    • Third piggy is a great way to look at it. I’m doing it the same way as you, making sure everyone will have what they need. I feel like a squirrel getting ready for a very long winter, I’m putting away so much food… I keep making the garden bigger, adding chickens even though I can’t eat all the eggs, buying canned meats/beans/vegetables whenever they’re on sale.

      If the collapse doesn’t come I won’t ever need to shop for groceries when I retire, just go into the storage room and eat what I’ve been storing for a dozen people.

      Thanks Commander Zero, I enjoy your blog!

  3. The poll asks about “preppers” we know. I know less than ten. Ask me about how many friends or acquaintances I have who are worried about the future and who take steps to prepare but don’t consider themselves “preppers” and the number jumps to over a hundred. Points of view, I guess.

  4. Hah, thanks Virginia Granny, I love the idea of “Third Little Pig”!

    Maybe TLP will rise in awareness like LMI… šŸ™‚

    n

  5. The poll wasn’t working for me, but I know scads of like-minded and prepared people. However, most of these people wouldn’t call themselves Preppers or Survivalists. I don’t call my self a Prepper and rarely use the term Survivalist as I don’t need the baggage that comes with the terms and I don’t see myself so much as preparing for some wickedness that may come as just trying to figure out a happy, healthy way for me to navigate life.

  6. Here in the land of hurricanes I find most folks are prepared for a week of trouble. The smart folks are pretty much set up for a month or so. People set up for longer term (say a year or two) are pretty rare. They also tend to keep quiet about it.

  7. Here in Wyo it’s easier to count the people who aren’t. First day of hunting season looks like WWIII.

  8. Iā€™ve heard people around here using a new name for ā€˜preppersā€™: ā€œold-school boy scoutā€. I had a couple separate people look over my property in the last month, and they said, ā€œ youā€™re an old-school Boy Scout, arenā€™t you?ā€

    I kinda like it.

  9. Ants and Grasshoppers,I live frugally while others complain(drive new payment books,eat out,new gizmos) then wonder why. Suspect some in my aquaintences but keep opsec tight and don’t pry in others lives

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