I shouldn't have to preface posts like this with qualifiers, but it seems it must be done, sooo...if you don't think what I'm saying applies to you, then it probably doesn't. This post is by no means meant to paint all preppers with the same brush. I know a lot of people don't want to hear what I am writing here, but it has to be said.
Prepping is becoming more and more mainstream. It is now officially pop culture, as there are kids who are getting into prepping without guidance from parents and the presence of many shows on television that have to do with prepping or social collapse in many ways. With the more visible "prepper culture" comes more and more misconceptions.
One of these misconceptions is what I call the post-adolescent post-apocalyptic fantasy. AKA, Red Dawn syndrome. The idea that collapse, or TEOTWAWKI, is going to turn the U.S. into a war zone or wasteland where bands of youths are going to be able to roam around destroying trained military forces and roving bands of villains is the result of too many movies and video games. News flash: just because you watched The Road and stomp asses on CoD, doesn't mean you stand a chance of even surviving two days in a hostile environment, let alone thriving.
Take a look at the parts of the world that have experienced either an economic collapse, or are simply one of those areas that are perpetually in a state that resembles TEOTWAWKI. People still work and do what they can to get by. People are still trying to raise families the best they can. It isn't just a play land for people who want to practice their sick new survival skills. If you have a vision of busting open one of your stockpiled MRE's and sniping bad guys with a rifle you have read all about shooting, please reconsider. It seems as though many with this misconception, or some version of it, are actually hoping for a societal collapse. They want it to happen so they can live in their fantasy world come to life.
Let me pass on from personal experience, this is not a world you want to live in. People do horrible things to each other in many parts of the world. On a lesser scale, people do some horrible things to each other here in the U.S. It gets worse when people are desperate. I have been in the unfortunate position to witness the aftermath of some of these things. Killing each other is probably the kindest of these acts. In human trafficking rings, rape is a common act. It isn't just done for the personal reasons that are often associated with this despicable assault. It is done to establish dominance over a group. I'm talking men violently raping the people they are smuggling, men and women, to establish their place as the HMFIC. People are assaulted then killed and discarded like trash.
People are forced to live in the most horrible conditions you can imagine. There is no romantic fantasy of rebellion when people are living in piles of their own shit and washing in the same water they use for cooking and drinking. Oppressors mutilate women and leave children to die slowly from starvation. If you think that you and your trusty rifle are going to be able to stop these things, you need to hope and pray that you never need to face the reality of a world in which these conditions are brought to you. You don't want to be stuck with images in your head that you can't get rid off. There is no "collapse fantasy" about it, just painful memories that never go away.
People react to violence and stress in many ways, and it usually isn't good. You do not know how you would fare in a violent world without experiencing it. You simply do not know how you would react. Trained soldiers don't know how they are going to react in combat, until they experience it. For young people to believe that they will have no problems taking another human life is troubling. It's troubling because they don't even know that they may cave under stress. They don't understand that no matter how tough they think they are, they may very well break down mentally. It happens to the toughest of people. And some of those that you wouldn't suspect can really shine in stressful situations. You simply do not know until it happens. Harboring the belief that you are just going to have "it" when the time comes does you no good. You are better off never having to find out. If you have a burning desire for a righteous fight, find an outlet for it. If you must test yourself, there are plenty of Army recruiters out there. Find one and tell them you want 11B. You'll get it, guaranteed.
Get a grip on what collapse looks like. It is already going on in many parts of the world. But that is why you prep, right? You want to be able to take care of yourselves. Prepping is about being able to survive and make it through troubles, not hoping for them. If you are hoping for disaster so you can experience life without rule of law, please reconsider. One way or another, get your self a reality check.
Again, I am not trying to apply this to all of the preppers out there. I don't want to get an inbox full of "Hey, I'm a prepper and don't think like that." If this isn't you, then it isn't you. -LLP
I see that sort of fantasy being held by even full-grown adults. Some dream of post-collapse as a release from their current pressures, most of which are self-imposed. There's also some element of renaissance fair posturing and dress-acting happening out there.
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