There are more of us than you may think, and our numbers are growing every day! It wasn’t that long ago that no one knew what a prepper was and now there are millions of us. It’s not that prepping is new, it’s just that it didn’t really have a name. In fact, most of us called ourselves Survivalist because we were preparing to survive the end of the world as we know it. Slowly, more people adopted the name “Prepper” as it had no negative stereotype attached to it. Then came the History Channel and their “Doomsday Preppers” Series. I swear I think they went out and found the most backwards, non-educated preppers they could find for that show. Then came the negative stereotype. I can’t help but wonder just how much money the Government paid them to do that. It is no secret that our government wants to stop people from becoming self-sufficient. The more people depend on the Government the easier they are to control and that is just how the Government wants it!
What they didn’t count on was that the show also planted a seed in people’s minds that maybe they should start paying more attention to what was going on with our Government and perhaps they too should consider putting away a few preps for a rainy day. (just in case.) Despite the Governments best efforts, those seeds have grown at a tremendous rate due to the tremendous BS fertilizer that the government has been spreading on regular basis. Yes, our numbers are growing every day as more and more people are waking up to what’s going on. Sadly however, due to the stereotype attached to the name people are reluctant to admit that they are preppers, even to themselves in some cases.
Despite all of this our numbers grow more and more every day. How do I know this you may ask? You see, I work at a University and deal with young people every day. What I find amazing is all of the young people becoming preppers. They are the fastest growing segment of preppers I believe. They are young, smart, and strong and have their eyes wide open. They simply are not buying the crap that our Government is peddling. They want the country that they have heard there fathers and grandfathers tell them about. They want a Nation that they can be proud of, not ashamed of. And yes, they are embracing conservative values. They know that we are no longer on the right track and they too can see the coming storms ahead of us.
These young people give me hope and every day as I meet more and more of them. They are coming from all walks of life and backgrounds. They are coming with conviction and belief that there is a way to get back what we have lost. They are forming small groups and staying hidden for now, but don’t be surprised to see them when SHTF hits because they are there and they are determined to survive the coming crisis. They are not the only group that is growing however. While those of us in the 40 to 60 years old age group are growing every day as well, we tend to hide it better. We have the knowledge and the experience while they have youth and strength and together we can turn this country around. If not before the darkness comes, then after. Together we will do it. Sadly, it seems to be the ones in the 30 to 40 and 70 + age bracket that are too busy chasing Rainbows and Unicorns to even consider the idea of prepping while the 70 + group tend to feel that they are too old to even bother. Not all of them mind you, but far more than other age groups. I guess it is just their generation or advanced years.
I honestly believe that the number of Preppers here in America is now over 20 million people. Can I prove this? No, I cannot, it is just a guess based on what I see every day. There could be more, and there could be less, but whatever the actual number is, I know that it is growing dramatically every day. I believe in the Prepper Spirit and the American people and that the American spirit can’t be subdued or destroyed. Believe in yourselves and the other Preppers as well and together we will survive the coming crisis. You are not crazy and the darkness is coming and we all just have to be ready for it. May God bless America and all of us preppers as well. Until next time just remember, that prepping is not a destination but a journey and there are more and more of us every day. 🙂
“Then came the History Channel and their “Doomsday Preppers” Series.”
Wasn’t that show a National Geographic production? Does the History Channel own Nat Geo? It wouldn’t surprise me since they rarely do actual history any more.
Living in Florida prepping is a natural thing. With the threat of hurricanes each June-November, I’ve always had spare batteries, store extra food, extra gas, etc, etc.
I watched one show of Doomsday Preppers, rolled my eyes and thought “oh great, we’re all nuts.” Notice how many other “survivalist ” show were on TV a few years ago. Some were better than others.
I’m in that 40-50 (closer to 50). I don’t chase rainbow farting unicorns, never have. I’m Conservative to the point that my wife says, “I make Rush Limbaugh look like Harry Reid.” I’m ex-Navy and raise my Old Glory every morning.
Prepping will be temporary at best. America depends on a multitude ways of getting products to market for consumption. We need to secure a way to reorganize the transportation of food to areas of high population. Second on the list will be garbage and sewage removal so it doesn’t pollute and spread disease. So first and foremost we need to make fuel for to make gas and oil for trucks. Natural gas is a good alternative and should start to be stored for emergencies. Strict regulation of trucks and emergency vehicles would have priority. The purchase of goods will be nearly imposable without the ability to handle cash for credit would be non existent so cash on hand should be used by peppers and local laws that boost prices and refusal to take cash would be regulated by local authorities. Pharmacies would be under local authority and would be handed out to the critical first. communication would be set up by the fire department to shift medical supplies with need under consideration. i could go on but if communities would look and plan ahead for these problems they could have much less impact on everyone.
Grampa
I live in rural middle America, am 72, have hunted and gardened most of my life. Present day theatrics are probably going to end in unprepared people suffering from lack of foresight and, if those numbers of people are great enough, the destruction of our easy, contrived economy. I’m not sure when large numbers of people decided government should shore up their lack of ability but it was probably an outcome of television’s market-driven mockery of legitimate concerns. We should be concerned that the country with the nuclear power to incinerate Earth entertains the masses with distractions which make fun of the fear of death. Be prepared. It’s always been that way.
20 million …. if you include the people that agree that prepping is a good idea …. they can’t get their lazy collective butts into forward to go buy even the basics …. look at the Gulf hurricane residents …. even the veterans are busting azz Wally World competing with the newbies preparing for the hurricane coming ashore …
if you want to describe the US population in one certain term … half azzers
So, glad to here a positive article for a change. I wrote an article myself awhile back. I don’t consider myself a prepper, I consider myself a person that wants to get back to a simpler lifestyle. A lifestyle like I had as a kid, were our eggs, and milk came from neighbors. We grew our own pork, and local man butchered them, my clothes made in the USA. As much as I stress over it, I believe collapse is the only way it will ever get better.
@SA I agree, it sounds like you grew up in the same world I did. 🙂