Myths People Believe About Preppers

I’ve received all kinds of reactions when people first learn that I am a prepper. Everything from “cool, how do I get started?” to “so you think the world is going to end?” and everything in between.

I think this is because there are a lot of myths about prepping. I blame the media as well as some in the prepping community for this. Some preppers are just bat shit crazy, and in a quest to churn out more mindless drivel, the media is more than happy to find the crazies, make them appear even crazier, and paint the entire group with the same brush just for ratings.

Here are some of the myths people believe about preppers. If you’ve heard one that you don’t see here, be sure to let us know in the comments below the article.

Preppers are crazy/paranoid

Do you know what I think is crazy? People who think that the government will save them during a disaster.

Every major disaster over the past several decades has shown that FEMA and Red Cross don’t even arrive until at least 72 hours after the disaster is over, and even then, resources are scarce and conditions are poor. Hurricane Katrina is a perfect example. The government has dropped the ball leading up to, and following every disaster over the past several decades, yet most people still think that they’ll get it right next time.

That is crazy in my opinion.

As for paranoid; we know bad things happen. Whether it’s natural disaster, riots, or economic collapse, things will go south far more often than we’d hope for. We’ve seen it happen over and over, but so many people think it will never happen to them. That is willful ignorance.

Preppers are anti-social

We may not spend our weekends at the bar or sit around talking about stupid shit the Kardashians did on “reality” TV this week, but that doesn’t mean we’re anti-social. It just means that we are more selective in how we spend our free time and choose our friends.

Most of us have plenty of friends who share the same mindset we do, which is why they are our friends. To me, it just makes sense to associate with people like me; people who I can rely on in an emergency, people who can contribute rather than drain resources.

Preppers think the government is out to get them

Most preppers don’t think the government is out to get them specifically, but it takes a fool to think the government isn’t hostile towards citizens in general. Here are just a few examples:

• NSA spying on pretty much everyone.
• The Supreme Court ruling that police can arrest you and use any evidence collected as a result—even if you didn’t break any laws, as long as the officer “thought” you did.
• Asset forfeiture based on suspicion, not conviction, of a crime.
• The IRS targeting citizens based on political affiliation.

Spend a few minutes on Google or YouTube and you’ll quickly find thousands of instances of law enforcement, zoning/code enforcement, DCF, and city council officials violating citizens rights.

We don’t think the government is out to get any one of us, we think the government is out to get every one of us. In other words, anyone who isn’t in the government.

Preppers are hoarders

Perhaps some are, but having supplies in your home is very different from hoarding. Hoarders keep things that serve no purpose, like magazines or toys, while preppers store things intended to keep them alive, like food and water. There is a big difference.

Preppers want America to collapse

I believe preppers are the people who least want America to collapse. That is why we tend to identify with the libertarian and/or conservative principles of limited government spending.

Many of us are veterans who fought to protect this country, and nearly all of us are fiercely patriotic. We don’t want America to collapse, we just know that if we don’t change course soon, it is inevitable. We also know that it’s unlikely that things will change, so it’s wise to prepare for the inevitable.

Preppers are violent

Most preppers are peaceful people, but the fact that we own, carry, and train with weapons make uninformed people think we’re violent. The fact of the matter is that since we are better prepared for violence, we are less likely to be violent. Statistically speaking, people who legally carry a concealed weapon commit fewer crimes than any other segment of society—including law enforcement officers.

I know what violence looks like up close and personal, both from the training I’ve conducted among like-minded people, and the training I received in the Marine Corps, so I do everything in my power to avoid conflict. I have nothing to prove by getting into a fight, and I really don’t want to hurt anyone, so when someone is looking for trouble, I simply leave.

Now this doesn’t mean I am a pacifist. If someone enters my home or attacks me/my family, I will eliminate the threat by whatever means are necessary to ensure the safety of my family.

Prepping is just a fad

The term “survivalist” popped up some time in the 1970s and the media painted them out to be a bunch of crazies just like they do to preppers today.

Before that, what most people call “prepping” was just considered common sense. Many of our grandparents (and all of our great grandparents) used to can and store food, hunt, and use natural remedies. They fixed things instead of replacing them, they grew their own food, and they relied on friends and family rather than the government.

From the beginning of time until just a few decades ago, nearly all Americans lived what we call a “prepper” lifestyle, but suddenly, the people who are capable pretend it’s some new phenomenon. Newsflash folks; our modern lifestyle is a fad, prepping is not.

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