What I saw at the doomsday prepper convention

CNN Money ^ | 11/11/13 | David Z. Morris

[Kartographer]

More and more Americans are spending money to get ready for an uncertain future -- gathering food, water, tools, and skills to help them weather anything from a hurricane to a pandemic. Contrary to images of deluded or gun-obsessed "lone wolves," many preppers are average consumers reacting to concrete worries, and their way of thinking is spreading, fueling an emerging lifestyle trend. That lifestyle is generating demand for a broad spectrum of products offering survival -- or even comfort -- when large-scale systems go down.

[Marcella]

Glad you put yourself on the prepper ping list.

[IMR 4350]

After hurricane Rita a girl that stopped in front of the house actually believed the electric co. had bought the generators to give to the “rich” people.

She had no clue what so ever that people had bought their own generators.

[bitterohiogunclinger]

“Despite the presence of at least five booths of firearms and accessories, many exhibitors are equally dismissive, even derisive, toward guns, gun shows, and the culture surrounding them. John Egger tried to sell seed kits at a gun show once and won't be returning. Gun show attendees are “a different breed of people. They don't want to learn.”

Not patronizing at all.....

[Donnafrflorida]

i was there. not too impressed. bought a big plaatic bag thing to hold water in tub. 20.00 quite reasonable. guns EXPENSIVE.
honey bee demo interesting.
rest really overpriced.

[Kartographer]

Thank you, but apparently many don’t think the same. I got question over stating this morning that there were FReepers who defended the Boston shelter in palce order aa well as defended the police going door to door with machineguns and forcing people out of their homes at gun point and with hands raised. I usual ignore such, but I did my research and provided the post. Of course he didn’t acknowledge the proof.

Thanks B4Ranch I appreciate the support.

[Kartographer]

Old Sarge a FReeper after your own heart!

[ASOC]

"People like her in government will be going door to door to search for hoarders when disaster strikes"

She won't be alone, there's an EO for that.....

Wait till someone tells you "This is the family you will be hosting..."

Yes, there is an EO for that as well.

[onona]

Shoot yeah. Even the Feds promote prepping now.

[old and tired]

I don’t know how many of you have had the topic come up with a liberal, but they have a seething hatred for preppers.

Hmm. THat hasn't been my experience here since Sandy which was a real game changer. People were without gasoline, food, batteries, you name it. Some folks in very populated areas were without power for months. Into the winter, and it's cold here. These days, I don't know anybody who doesn't have at least a month or two of supplies laid in.

[GeronL]

I did not know that

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm po folk and I gots a generator.

/johnny

[Rannug]

I was there a couple of weeks ago. Again. I have a daughter in Rapid and a son and his family in Gillette. Daughter’s husband is deployed.

[Kartographer]

My feeling is that there is plenty of anecdotal evidence and clear words as the fact that prepping has a bibical bases.

Just as we offer to tell the lost about the Lord and how they may secure their place in heaven so we teach them to secure their famlies here on earth.

[B4Ranch]

>>Wait till someone tells you “This is the family you will be hosting...” <<

I will mix their drinking water personally. 48 hours tops and they;ll be gone.

[packrat35]

Just cause they post here on FR doesn’t mean they REALLY are conservative would be my guess.

[Kartographer]

You could have atleast gave her a bag of electricity to take home withn her. ;-)

[JRandomFreeper]

Never, ever, piss off the cook.

That's a good rule to live by.

I won't be hosting anyone here.

I will, however, be trading my homegrown tobacco and beer for junk silver, ammo, or teenage girls that can pull a plow.

/johnny

[Jane Long]

Or a low power, low-level lighting source on the cheap.

That was my guess. Buy them on sale, after Christmas ;-)

[Hugin]

“Now if you could only explain why there are more than a few ‘Conservatives’ (even here on FR) that have a detest preppers with the same hatred and vitriol as the the most Government loving red diaper doper baby you would have answered the $64,000.00 question.”

I’m not one of those, and I don’t speak for them, but I can suggest a few reasons.

First, they think preppers are giving up on saving the country from liberalism and waiting for an apocalyptic event to take care of things. They look at prepping as giving up on political action and civil society.

Second they view preppers as nutjobs. Lets face it there are some who are, as shown by some of the people on shows like Doomsday Preppers. Someone who spends every penny to prepare specifically for an event like continental shift or a reversal of the earths magnetic poles is not exactly thinking logically. Still, those preps may help them in event of a more likely scenario like more common natural disasters or economic collapse.

Third, there are some people on these threads who actively want a collapse and civil war. It’s a fine line between being ready for the worst and wanting it. If you spend all your time and money getting ready hold off “zombie” looters, eventually you want to try out all those cool toys, kind of like cops with federally funded swat teams and armored cars. But the truth is there would be nothing romantic about a civil war. It would be a horrific experience even for the best prepared.

Clearly there’s no logical reason to be irate about people making common sense preparations to survive hard times, whatever form that may take. So it’s an emotional reaction to perceived or real excesses on the part of a minority of preppers.

[JRandomFreeper]

LOL! That gave me visions of charging up a honking big capacitor to hand to her.

/johnny