(21 May 2013, 16:51)bigpaul Wrote: pretty much agree with all the above, the reasons given are why we all are preppers. however where I think the Brits and the Americans differ is in relation to "community prepping", there are many Brit preppers who would not trust their neighbours an inch in any event or collapse, not only is this true in our wonderful multi cultural inner cities, but is also true out in the countryside, there are very few, if any, people living near me that I would trust (completely) in a total collapse, in fact there are 1 or 2 I would happily remove from the gene pool immediately post shtf.
Those concerns are also universal BP, urban and rural.
You must always factor in human nature and capacity for evil along with the capacity to do good. It has always been that way and is the reason even primitive societies have norms of behavior.
I have good neighbors, but I keep my distance and they keep theirs. Still, we swap use of items on occasion and make use of each other's knowledge. It's nice to have a small engine mechanic, heavy equipment operator and fleet diesel mechanic and all their necessary gear in sight of the house.
And I know that if one of them pulled me from the rubble that was once my home and then stated that his wife or child was bleeding badly and needed help I would respond as best I could.
I also know which ones I could trust to stand guard up at the end of the road and which ones would watch my 6 when I stepped out to turn looters away. I sure miss my wife in that regard.
Fact of the matter is that you probably know more about your neighbors than you realize, and they know more about you than you would expect, all due to simple observation and deduction.
That is also survival knowledge.
Whether you like them or they like you or if you converse on a daily basis is not relevant. Just knowing who you
can not depend on in a crisis is survival knowledge.
And getting to know the people around you might be the cultivation of a valuable survival skill.
You don't have to like them, you do need to know them. What is that old saying; "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
Now all this is just my American flavored opinion talking about universal norms and should be taken as such. I do realize that "people are people" does not apply across cultural boundaries.
One of the basic problems with international diplomacy is the fact that most of the government fools have not realized that everyone does not think like they do!
As for the response to the incident, one will see all levels of reaction in our population. In the same camera frame you will see a young woman sobbing because her sell phone will not work and in the background men with chainsaws clearing the road.
The guys with chainsaws are not preppers, they are just homeowners with chainsaws clearing the road for emergency vehicles. Or clearing the road so they can get the he!! out of there and into a motel before dark!
Every tragedy in America reinforces the standard principle that the most important piece of gear any prepper can have is an unlimited balance credit card!
a large portion of the 100,000 people affected by the tornado are now scattered through motel rooms for a 100 mile radius.