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Monday, August 19, 2019

Rise In ‘Doomsday Prepping’ Due To Mainstream American ‘Culture Of Fear’


Poor Man Survival

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Study Finds Rise In ‘Doomsday Prepping’ Due To Mainstream American ‘Culture Of Fear’


“Doomsday prepping” or stockpiling food, medicine, weapons and other supplies in case of an apocalyptic scenario has long been considered peculiar behavior only exhibited by conspiracy theorists and other extremists in the United States. However, such prepping has actually been steadily on the rise in the U.S. over the past decade. So, what’s causing this surge in stockpiled rice packets and underground bunkers? One group of researchers say it is an ever growing sense of impending doom in American culture.

Many have speculated that this surge in doomsday preppers over the last 10 years was linked to an extreme political reaction among many conservatives to Barack Obama’s initial election in 2008, but a new study out of the United Kingdom finds that neither the Obama presidency nor extreme right-wing conspiracy theories in general are the main cause of this growing phenomenon.

Researchers interviewed preppers from 18 U.S. states and asked about their motivations for stockpiling food and supplies. The results indicated that, although most did seem to be conservative and fear liberal policies, the main reason behind their motivations was the overall sense of fear currently dominating U.S. culture across a variety of media channels. Most Americans can’t seem to log online or turn on the television without being hit by a grim view of the future being reported or speculated on.

Potential occurrences commonly worried about by preppers include possible economic depressions, terrorist attacks, cyber-attacks, pandemics, or environmental disasters.

Furthermore, researchers say that frequent recommendations from the U.S. government on how to prepare for potential disasters, such as when residents of certain communities are advised to stockpile water in preparation for a hurricane or blackout, have also contributed to the rising number of doomsday preppers in the United States.

The study’s authors say their findings paint a more nuanced picture of doomsday preppers and their motivations, especially since up until now most were simply considered crazy or delusional. According to their results, most preppers don’t believe the world will end tomorrow or a giant meteor will hit the earth at any moment, they simply want to be prepared for anything “just in case” something terrible happens.

 

 
Researchers note that while extreme right-wing ideologies don’t seem to be the main cause of these fears and preparations, the general idea among many conservatives that if a Democrat regains control of the White House it will inevitably lead to chaos remains very much connected to the phenomenon of doomsday preppers. At the end of the day, though, that is just another possible event for conservative preppers to fear, and not themain cause.

“Fear is now deeply entrenched in modern American culture and is the principal reason that so many citizens are engaging in ‘prepping’,” explains lead author Dr. Michael Mills in a release.

According to Mills, these preppers believe that if the worse were to happen, the government’s response simply wouldn’t be adequate and many people would be left to fend for themselves.

“Rather than seeing prepping as an exception within America’s right-wing political culture, we ought to see it as being reflective of increasingly established and popular outlooks,” Mills comments.

The study is published in the Journal of American Studies.
 
>>>I prep because it simply makes good sense!


Yours for better living,

Bruce ‘the PoorMan’

 


News of Note

 



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In particular, soybean farmers are going to see demand for their crops absolutely collapse. In recent years, China has purchased approximately 60 percent of all U.S. soybean exports.

 

The Electrical Reliability Council of Texas, which manages about 90% of the electrical flow in the state, released a report earlier this month stating that—during the first half of 2019—wind power generated 22% of the state’s electrical usage while coal only generated 21%.

 


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There are certain items that can be incredibly useful in a survival scenario, yet they don't usually make it onto people's survival shopping lists. A great example is aluminum foil. It can be used to grow plants, catch fish, start a fire, cook food, collect rainwater, signal for help, and many other things.

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 Here is her list...
 12 Underrated Prepping Items
 

How to start a neighborhood barter club


It takes more than just preparing for the basic survival food kit, water, and shelter. Having an advanced knowledge to sustain life through whatever is available in your surroundings is critical! Not just for you but for your family and the people around you. Here are a few disaster survival skills you might find useful in the event of a man-made or natural catastrophe.


A Final Note…

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2 comments:

Rick said...

After seeing so many unprepared people during natural disasters mobbing & cleaning out store shelves because they didn't have any extra food/water on hand or even a damned flashlight; I found that disturbing...also, witnessing government employees with good paying jobs who were broke after a couple of weeks, eating cans of spaghettios during the shutdown, I made up my mind to NEVER be like them or caught off guard. We now buy extra food items and prepper items each time we go to a grocer or buy hard goods at flea markets and garage sales!

Stephanie said...

Being prepared just makes good sense; it is the way most folks used to be!