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My how we have evolved (preppers)
My how we have evolved (preppers)
NR © 2013
I was just trawling back through some articles of survivalism from the late 80s to early 90s and by heck what a change there is in our communities’ priorities and objectives.
Way back then survivalism before it evolved into the more politically correct ( but not necessarily better) prepping was for all purposes a culture aimed at single you men (and women) who thought the end of the world was nigh and its demise was going to be global thermonuclear war. The focus of the survivalist was to get out as soon and as far as possible from anything that was likely to be a target for the soviet multi megaton nuclear arsenal. (Now we know our Russian neighbours were doing exactly the same as we were when it came to survivalism)
Back then the focus was on sub-terrainian shelters and bug out locations as far into the boonies you could get and as far from civilization as well. Huge great massively powerful and equipped four wheel drive vehicles, Bug out Bags based on military or militia philosophy and armed to the teeth to fight off the invading soviet hoards. NBC suits, blast doors, over pressure rooms, chemical warfare treatments, and stockpiles of MREs. Most articles in period magazines focused on guns, living wild, owning the nastiest knife ever, second hand army surplus gear radio scanners and hoarding enough ammo to refight the battle of the Somme.
Our favourite publications were LIVE FREE NEWs, Guns n Ammo, American Survival Guide and SWAT. There were few if any online forums, like minds wrote letters and posted adverts for contacts will similar minded folk in the back of ASG, it could take up to 8 weeks for a guy to post a letter to ASG to it getting printed to you getting a reply, often it could easily take up to 12 weeks for a response.
Then I look in both awe and amazement at how our sub culture has matured and evolved into what it is today. Today there are as many families as young bucks involved in prepping and women have rightly asserted themselves as equals in our sub culture. Nuclear war though still a concern has been superceded by fears about economic collapse, civil unrest, global pandemics, totalitarian governments and mass immigration and all include a massive great dose of health concern about food and fuel security.
We still have a lot of interest in bug out locations especially among those of us with a passion for bush-craft and field-craft. But today’s BOLs are more likely to be Caravans, Statics, Second homes or for the wealthier among us Small Holdings. And equal to the progress made in the quality of BOLs more people than ever are deciding that BUGGING IN is a more useful procedure to undertake as the issues of bugging out for some folks have become almost insurmountable.
Equipment for preppers has advanced in huge great evolutionary bounds we are able to draw upon modern clothing and equipment from civilian sports like mountaineering, paintballing, mountain biking, extreme sports etc as well as the very latest in military equipment.
And whilst our security concerns are as valid today as they were back then we tend to fear millions of dispossessed starving and desperate refugees falling upon us like a plague of zombies, instead of waves of soviet soldiers. Today it could be said of many preppers that we now fear our OWN government’s evil intentions more than those of foreign regimes.
Today’s preppers are just as likely to read BUILD YOUR OWN HOME or KEEPING CHICKENS FOR FOOD or SMALL HOLDERS WEEKLY, BUILD YOUR OWN 12VOLT POWER SYSTEM as they are likely to read COMBAT AND SURVIVAL MAGAZINE. And the instant communication and access to information on the internet is light years distant from our original efforts at seeking out info or other preppers.
Of course as with many of the poorer periodical publications of the 80s that rose and fell as well as the good magazines even today we still see huge variations in the quality of modern web sites and prepping forums and magazines. Some more informative than others, some more repressive than others, some more open than others but at least they are there regardless of their limitations and shortcomings and we as preppers would be greatly diminished without these resources.
As the drive for conformity, standardization, compliance, socialism, and erosion of civil liberties and rights continue to be eroded under the guise of fighting extremism we are blessed in the knowledge that there is a growing and thriving sub culture of like minded individuals who still seek self reliance, still want selfdetermination, still want to think outside the box and most of all be in control of their own lives.
Prepper ! Off-Gridder! Small Holder! Home Steader! White Flighter! Down Sizer! Eco dweller! or Survivalist god bless em all and their individuality. VIVE LA DIFFERENCE.
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