The Consequence of Doomsday Preppers
5 min read
There has been much discussion of late in the Prepper community about National Geographic’s “Doomsday Preppers”. One frequented point is that the show severely skews Preppers in an effort that can be summed up as “making good television”. This is evident not only through viewing the show itself, but through the format they have built the show around. Some highlights of that format include:
- Featuring one Prepper for 15 minutes only, ensuring that you don’t get too comfortable with them or learn very much about them
- Requiring each guest to pigeon-hole themselves into one thing they are preparing for – almost always a “doomsday” scenario
- Creating conflict and drama via their “experts” who review the segment and then condemn or condone what the Prepper has done – all within the context of the “one thing” they’re preparing for
The core belief of The APN is that “every family should strive to become self-reliant”; and our Mission is “to teach Self-Reliance to every household in America”.
Therefore, we are very pleased to see Prepping getting so much attention in the media! While most of us can probably agree that in theory this is a good thing, many of us appear to also agree that the presentation through Doomsday Preppers is not necessarily accomplishing those goals.
To demonstrate this point, I would like to bring your attention an article published yesterday in The New York Times: “Doomsday Has Its Day in the Sun”. In it the author draws conclusions that, at first pass, appear to be a scathing judgement of Preppers. He says:
But the unmistakable impression left by these programs is that what these folks want most of all is not to protect their families — the standard explanation for why they’re doing what they’re doing — or even the dubious pleasure of being able to say to the rest of us, “See, I told you the world was going to end.” What they want is a license to open fire.
“What they want is a license to open fire”. Is this true of our community? I fervently say “NO!” However, I believe it is an easy conclusion to draw from watching the show and the way National Geographic presents us. Additionally, I believe there are members of our community who do feel this way on some level – I think it’s a very, very small minority, but I think they’re out there.
Presenting anything to the mainstream that allows them to easily draw this conclusion is something we would like to see avoided. Every person who draws this conclusion will look at us as crazies, as they should, and not only will they not investigate becoming self-reliant themselves, but they will spread the counter-message that we are a sub-culture that should be avoided.
I’ve seen some outrage in the community over this conclusion being drawn by the author – but was he wrong? Think about it critically for a moment and consider some of the quotes coming out of Doomsday Preppers and the overall way in which the guests are presented. If I remove myself mentally from being a Prepper and consider it, I could very easily draw the same conclusion. In fact, from that perspective, I wouldn’t want to be associated with several of the presentations I see on the show. The bottom line is, Doomsday Preppers isn’t necessarily doing us a lot of favors in their presentation of us to the mainstream. As for the author and his conclusions – I don’t think he’s wrong, from his perspective.
In short, by allowing, promoting and participating in (as guests) the show we have consequences; The consequence of Doomsday Preppers is a negative viewpoint being presented and built of our community.
And this is exactly what they want. I’ve talked to them – long before the pilot was put together last year. Their view of our community and the view that they want to present is that we are on the fringe, we are not normal and that we are gun nuts. And WE are letting them do it – for a literal 15 minutes of fame. They are getting exactly what they want; they present a show with a bunch of crazies and they get the largest viewing audience they’ve ever had all at the expense of our community and how the public perceives us.
Perhaps they should call the show “Rawlesian Survivalists”, because the show is a lot more about that type of thinking than the general Prepper Mindset. Not that we have anything against James or SurvivalBlog – but the ideas he espouses about “Opsec” and total collapse survival are just like the show Doomsday Preppers – Preparing for ONE situation and one situation only. Self-Reliant living or Prepping is about living a lifestyle where you are able to handle the ups, downs, ins and outs of life – not just when there’s a total and complete collapse.
As for Neil Genzlinger, the author of the Times article, he has a special needs daughter. I know quite a bit about that. I’m more than willing to bet that if he read a little bit about us and why we prepare it would make a lot of sense to him. Having special needs kids actually makes you into a specialized Prepper of sorts – I’m positive that Neil has ready access to medication, physicians, specialized care and so on and I have no doubt that whatever his daughter needs to sustain her, he has plenty of backups for it. What we do isn’t really any different – it’s just that where he’s very targeted on one issue, we’re doing it broadly so we can deal with anything that may come.
Because I’m sure I’ll get called on it for writing this, I’ll address my own show – Meet the Preppers. While there is certainly some “made for tv” drama in my show, we have deliberately and carefully made sure that we aren’t presented as fringe. While my show deals with some unusual topics for television, they are real world topics that happen every day. As the show progresses, you’ll see that we’re dealing with everyday scenarios in each episode – not the “End of the World” as it were.
As for those few in our community who may be “wanting a license to open fire” – our official policy is to please leave our community and go find a different one – Thanks!
I dunno. I read the article and yes, I could embrace some of the sentiment. I believe that NatGeo are profiteers and fear mongers (as is the case with any media campaign worth it’s salt). They know the average white American is scared of everything. Now that the President is a black man this is the perfect time to air what level-headed farmers have known for centuries. Fend for yourself because folks are nuts. When this phase blows over we can all give this mega-fake-food-and-supply crap to our kids to play camp-out with in the backyard!
Just a quick note. Has anyone seen the latest commercial and plea for help from Israel? So stay strong in your preparedness, another epedemic of foot shortage and the inability to be able to feed themselves because they can no longer afford the high price of food. It makes my heart hurt that the elderly are made to suffer because of a failing economy. They said that we would never have an oil shortage, but today we are way more dependent on foreign oil then our own home resources. The gentleman that runs his car on biodiesel is one smart fella because he is already making a split from the dependency on foreign oil but oil is used in so many products that a lot of people are not even aware of. Since watching preppers I find myself even more aware of just how much things have gone up. I really like ideas of collecting seeds, alternative heat sources. I think I am turning into a sponge, because everything that I am seeing is what is happening all over the world as well as here in the US. I am sure that those elderly people over there never expected that the prices could rise so much that they could not afford to feed themselves in their end days would ever come. But it is here. Just food for thought.
Hi, I disagree with an aspect of your article. The part where you basically said that because of the negative light NatGeo painted you in, it was causing people to think of you as freaks pretty much and turning them off to the whole prepper thing. I’m not quoting exactly because I can’t find it now, but I think you understand.
See I’m a Marine. I was active for a while and now I’m in the reserve (should’ve stayed active or got out though haha). I have always had a mindset that my grandfather gave me of being prepared and always having the things in case you need them. The ole “Better to have and not need than need and have” lifestyle. But I was never a prepper more like just a thinker with a few supplies if that makes sense. When NG launched this show, yeah I’ll admit it openly, I thought it was a bunch of crazies. I thought it was weird and I did kind of laugh at it. But then I started thinking about it some more and then Googled a little here and there. And now I’m way into it and it’s all because it got my curiosity going. Granted I’m new so I have a long way to go, but I have increased my food and water storage and made better plans for various scenarios because, and I do agree, NG did make it seem like everybody was preparing for one thing and that is just plain bullsh*t. I guess what my point is, is that had NatGeo NOT made it seem weird or crazy, I wouldn’t have watched it which means I wouldn’t have prepared more. I think the majority of the viewers probably had the same experience as me, I don’t know for certain, but the same thing happened to my dad and two younger brothers….Mom still thinks we’re crazy, but it’s okay we have extra for her just in case. I wouldn’t sweat it honestly. NG probably did do it just for ratings, but what show doesn’t now-a-days? I say let the show run and keep showing the weird people to get folks curious and think about it in a humorous light at first instead of them never hearing or thinking about it at all.
let me say this,, back in ’94 we had a very bad ice storm and was without power for over 2 weeks,, lost our water. no way to cook food except by single burner camp stove, unable to really travel to store. no heat cause no power to operate furnace, got water in buckets, jugs so could use toliet,
thank goodness for guns and ammo as used them to kill squirrels and deer for food. got no help from government was completely on our own, I remember this, so now Im saving food and things that I know will be needed if it happens again, being in the dark and hungry with a family is no fun or a joke. If you dont believe me in winter cut off your lights, water, heat and check it out for a couple weeks.
The entire doomsday scenario is something that is relatively new to me. As a newbie, I enjoy the Doomsday series as informational and the different ideas you can get from each prepper featured. The more they show, the more holes in my own plan are revealed to me and allow me to better think through the issues. Yes, each person only gets their “fifteen minutes”, but I feel like the message of the neccssity of preparedness is getting across. It is interesting to watch and learn from a newbie’s perspective.
First things first, prepping for doomsday is hard to do in any situation, preppering for any of these situations is almost impossible. For example, you prep for a nuclear disaster and you underground bunker gets destroyed in a flood, or you prep for some kind of chemical attack but you were out doing some shopping when it strikes, miles away from your preparations? The best way to prep is being prepared for any situation. Being able to move quick, defend yourself, think an adapt to the situation at hand, and have a bit of luck, you might be ok. If some of these preppers actually sat down and thought about the how to real prep for doomsday, their best bet would be to sell everything them have, move to some remote stretch of the world with an abundese of naturally resources and live off the land. Think about it, what will these people in a year when they 1 year food supply runs out in a year for they are still alive?(And I don’t want to hear anything about that seed bullsh*t). I’m not saying that things won’t happen, but of you are prepping for just one thing you just as doomed as everyone else.
At first, I was reluctant to post a comment… But I felt it appropriate to mention, as others before me have, that “Doomsday Preppers,” a show depicting preppers as “gun nuts” or not, actually did a bit of justice for the prepper community by pulling in my attention, and making me think about the future and what might happen. Prior to watching the program, I had always assumed I was well prepared for anything that might happen, but in conclusion I realized I am not as close to being prepared as I would like to be. Watching the program put me in the mindset to actually do something about it. Now, I’m ready to train myself to provide the protection that my family needs.
Wow! An article without sensationalism & bafoons! Well done, great read. I’ve only recently begun prepping, after my family urged me to think about all the risks involved with NOT prepping. lol I’ve already spent about $10k, but I was really motivated after watching this guy’s video:
http://691756p-5t3xhr10p9o6ua57xy.hop.clickbank.net/
Mr. Burns put forth a very good article. Prior to reading it, I was becoming quite concerned about NatGeo’s broadcasting of the “Singular Doomsday Scenario” played out by the participants in this series, and the 15 minutes of fame that they collectively enjoyed by revealing their personal secrets that only a precious few should be privileged to.”Prepping” as it is so called nowadays, will always be subject to ridicule by those who believe that government is there to take care of their every need. While I don’t knock a positive outlook on life, I am very wary of those who choose to only see the “GOOD” in everyone, look at life through rose-colored glasses, and don’t prepare themselves for eventualities that may or may not occur. Surely if events transpired to the negative, these people who ridicule us will be first in line, with the loudest of shrill protests…for the government to intervene and “GIVE” them some of the hard-earned provisions that we have labored and paid for over the years. Don’t believe me…go back to Katrina and evaluate the aftermath more closely! For those of us who choose to live this way my advice is to remain silent, be vigilant
I myself have been “Prepping” since January 1994. I was stuck in an apartment in Chatsworth, CA after the Northridge quake with two bottles of water, some Cheerios, maybe a couple of cans of junk food, less than ¼ tank of gas, no electricity for 4 days, and my facilities were becoming quite odiferous. I said to myself…”This will never happen again”; hence the start of my lifestyle. For 15 years I did not know that I was a “Prepper”, I only knew I needed to plan for any eventuality that could be thrown my way. What made matters worse in my book, was the fluffy-bottomed press coverage that chose only to focus on the folks that were doing the right thing and pitching in…I was there, and I testify that such situations were not as common as the press made them out to be. Crime was rampant!
For those of us who choose to live this way my advice is to remain silent, be vigilant, and resist the need to see your own face on the wide-screen (even if it is in High-Def). AND…get used to ridicule by the liberal bloggers. Go about your lives as if everything is normal, pray that everything does remain normal, nurture your family and friendships, but BE PREAPRED. There is no singular scenario that could occur except one being caught with his/her fly open. There is nothing bizarre about emergency preparedness, except maybe to the Paris Hilton’s, Brittany Spears’s, Cher’s, and George Clooney’s of the world. The rest of us must live in reality.
Regards to all,
J
I understand that many people would rather put their head in the sand than to even consider a major change in lifestlye. These preppers want to survive….period. They are not wishing for the worst case senario, just being prepared. Don’t want to prepare, don’t. Don’t damn people for a different view than yours. Look at the evidence at hand. Just look at the science. Become observant of your surroundings. We are in a time of climatic change. Plate tectonics. Solar flares. The earth has experienced mass extinctions multiple times. Just because humans are here isn’t going to change anything. Don’t like what we are getting ready for, don’t look. You have that freedom……so do we!
“We are in a time of climatic change.”
Professor, everyone has always lived during a “time of climatic change”. It is a ludicrous assumption that the climate of the Earth is static. It isn’t. It is always changing. Sometimes it changes more than at other times but it is still changing. We haven’t had an Ice Age in about 112,000 years when the Ice Age cycle is more like every 100,000 years. When Leif Erikson sailed to Greenland about 1000 years ago, he called it “Vineland” because the island was covered in wild grapes. There isn’t a single sign of a grape vine there now because it is simply too cold to support them.
Reading from the top was funny. Seems that many of you only think the people that prepare are repubs and seem to be very anti Obama, not sure why that needs to be in here. For some background info, I’m a dem, voted for Obama because I think he was the better man, gosh I even have guns, and may not be considered a prepper but yet I’m prepared. I have quite a stock of food on hand, even keep bags for the dog, cat, and food for the chickens. Have a stock of fuel on hand, 40 pounds of wheat for bread, and other items.
I know how to sew, cook, can, plant a garden, and my husband can fix about anything. We are not far from the coast and have been through some hurricanes. We have generators, extra fuel. We had lights, running water, we have a well. I can cook because we have propane for our stove and water heater, also can run our furnace. We cannot run the W/D because of the electronics but we can run the one in the motorhome.
I probably have more skills from my growing up years then many could imagine, I don’t have to develop them. If some of you would learn to be more self sufficient and teach yourself a lot of skills that might really help you in the long run if something did happen, but also will help you in your lives. My husband is a carpenter, mechanic, electrician, and fixer of most anything that has helped us to save our money. If you just learn a lot of skills to make your lives richer and you will have a lot of the skills you need to survive in any economy and any catastrophe. Cooking and hunting skills help also and having extra of supplies can’t hurt. All these things will help you have a good life no matter what and none of it is extreme. Hope is well for all of us.
Agree totally! Except for voting Democratic but that is personal choice.
It’s sad to see that NG has to resort to trash reality programming to compete for ratings, “preppers” could perhaps move them a couple points close to the steaming pile of sh*t that is prevalent in telecast today.
Note to preppers: its a waste of time and energy and I feel very sorry for your children who have to live with your paranoia and later suffer severe psychological issues later in life.
I developed a home invasion prevention door bar. This device works and is essential for preppers. Please check out my site. We hope to hear from you. Thank you, Andrew.
The most “prepared” I have ever been is to always have some sort of first aid kit available and I had two weeks of water available for the big “Y2K” event that never happened! I just watched my first episode of Doomsday Preppers and I have to tell you that I disagree with the author of this article. I DO NOT consider anyone who prepares for a catastrophic events to be “nut jobs” or “crazies”. As for the NY Times well, it’s the NY Times and they will skew EVERYTHING!!!
“As for the NY Times well, it’s the NY Times and they will skew EVERYTHING!!!”
Yep… and ALWAYS to the left. 😉
Phil, thank you for helping people understand that prepping is a frugal lifestyle choice, not a license to get ready, aim and fire. I especially like the way you ended the article “As for those few in our community who may be “wanting a license to open fire” – our official policy is to please leave our community and go find a different one – Thanks!”
Being a APN meetup coordinator, I am finding individuals with that sort of attitude and have to work hard at keeping the discussions positive and less about “Rawlesian Survivalists” ideas as I go about encouraging every family to become self-reliant. Your article hit the nail on the head. Thank you.
If they mistakenly make the assumntion the we are a subculture that should be avoided, it will be interesting to see how that changes if TSHTF> I storongly feel that they will ‘all of a sudden’ decide to beat a path to our doors for food, shelter & protection, once they realize it might not “come back” for a while & OMG what do they do now(????)
Prepping is a way of life, we chose not to be caught out & believe it is our responsibility to take care of our families. Things happen in life, we choose to be prepared as best we can for whatever may come! I believe we live a happier less stressful life by making a choice to be prepared!
I think knowledge is the best thing a prepper can have,its about knowing how to protect your family in many ways,building a fire,collecting water,knowing where to look for food sources,its not about being able to say i told you so,most of the things you need to survive any situation you need anyway,after the great depression people prepped,canned food,made thier own clothes,self reliance in not a bad thing in my opinion,we live in uncertian times being prepared is common sense,the last thing i think of is hurting someone,i love life,i love my country and i love my family and as the man of the house its my responsibility to take care of my family its been that way since cave man days,i work everyday,i live my life just like normal,work on my hot rod go cruzin around town,prepping does not control my life but i take caring for my family seriously,but im not consumed by it.I can say i sleep better knowing i can feed my family for a little while,cloth them,hopefully provide a roof,the prepper community has taught me much and i appreciate you all.
Whether or not the show Doomsday Preppers did the prepper community any good is certainly debatable. On one hand you have folks like my wife who thought the people were nuts (and would’ve regardless of how they were portrayed). On the other hand for people who are not preppers, but agree that there are a myriad of unfavorable circumstances that could befall us it served to open our eyes to some employable strategies. Moreover it caused thought and open discussion on this topic that will likely continue for some time. The truth is that it’s never a bad thing to be prepared for the worst. Some people you will never be able to convince though because they are afflicted with a bad case of “that-couldn’t-ever-happen-to-me”. It seems to be a big theme in the prepper community to want to teach others self reliance and I certainly understand the strategy behind it, but the truth remains that you can lead a horse to water…but you can’t make him drink. There are many out there that no matter how practically you present prepping will still be opposed. For the more pragmatic of us however the discussion needs to be open and better publicized and National Geographics program did that. Perhaps APN should round up some resources and present a counter point that they find less damaging?
The Times article is right in the one regard that part of prepping is an “I told you so” mentality. This attitude isn’t merely restricted to preppers though. Religious people do it, so do those of various political affiliations, self-appointed experts in all fields do it, as well as intellectuals. Since this mentality appears across many different belief systems and areas of life, it’s safe to assume that humans in general are susceptible to it. At one point or another, we all like to think we’re part of a special group or are privy to special information. Sometimes we fancy ourselves the lone voice of reason in a world gone insane. I’m not shooting anyone down here, just making a statement about people in general.
There’s always a hint of truth in what an opponent has to say about you. Perhaps some preppers do worry too much about what other people are doing. Maybe they are a bit too eager to validate what they spend so much time doing. The solution here is to be satisfied in doing it for the right reasons. Nobody should actually want the world to end. Yet some seem to want it to. I prep because I get to learn new things and I find it to be a neat hobby. A nation-wide disaster would be horrific and extremely unpleasant no matter how well you prep.
I watched the show thinking preppers would be made fun of and I was surprised they weren’t. The “experts” give the gentlest of criticisms and it seems the only people making a big deal are the journalists and prepper communities. Some of the preppers in the show ARE being silly about certain things. The woman who was prepping for a viral outbreak or biological war, for example. She was doing things that made no sense and no real plan outside of hanging plastic sheeting. Being an ignorant prepper gives us all a bad name and those people should be criticized. They’re more harmful than beneficial. We shouldn’t be afraid of speaking against them because the mainstream media did too.
spent the last few hours reading the whole thread and it just struck me
almost everyone is a prepper to a certain point…. even the people that think preppers r nuts of the people that not prepping activly how many of them have a fire extinguisher in their house im pretty sure they have it in case they have a fire not coz they are planning to have one. im not a prepper just yet but the show opened my eyes to the idea that one day for whatever reson society might collapse and that beeing prepped even if it means that i only have more knowledge and skills that would help me in a event like this
I see myself as a sort of “prepper ” I’m trying to become self-sufficient but primariliy as part of a strategy to save the world, definitely not just myself.
This show just seems like the latest veiled attempt to sell guns to morons unsuspicious that they are being manipulated by their “friend” the TV & military industrial complex but suspicious of almost everything else… though I admit it made me want to vomit so much I didn’t watch that much. Is this the best national Geographic can come up with to save humanity from self-destruction “Buy a Gun” ???!!! Very weak. That’s how it seems to me anyway. Cheers.
A gun is a tool. No different than an axe or knife. Depending on the job you need the right too. If you want to drive a nail you dont use a screwdriver. If you want to chop fire wood you dont use a hammer. If you want to protect yourself from an armed threat you dont use a cell phone. Military industrial complex? LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McxB75FOFOw just one of a million self defense stories
I love watching this show. I cannot believe that The National Geographic Channel would support this. Paranoia seems to be a big seller these days. I find this a “comedy show” Good luck on 12/21/1212. Some of your watchers are very sure it’s over. Well, email me if you are alive on 12/22/212. We will be here, will you?
It’s just a freak show, I would think, from the perspective of the network. No different in context than the shows that highlight drug addicts, hoarders, people who believe they are haunted, or all the rest of them. National Geographic also has shows about people in prison, but in the few episodes I’ve seen there was never a mention about racism in the drug laws or the big business profit involved in our gulag nation. It’s about examining the weirdos, not about social issues.
The consuming public love to watch shows that make them feel better about their lives – hey, I’m afraid all the time and things seem to be getting worse, but at least I’m not overreacting.
The prepping and self-reliant movement is gaining momentum each year. As we – the minority that are preppers – became more common, it was just a matter of time until one network or another figured out that us weirdos are interesting to the consumers at large because they can sympathize with our perspectives as the economy struggles and the world becomes even more crowded and polluted. That little segment at the end where the experts talk about how unlikely each scenario is the happy ending for the general public – hey, you don’t have to worry, but isn’t it interesting that these preppers aren’t even ready for the things they claim to be worried about? In some way, it gives the viewer the feeling that even though they aren’t prepared for even a two or three day crisis, it’s okay because even the preppers can’t manage to do it right.
The one good thing is that it makes it easier to explain to friends and family why I have buckets of dried beans in the guest bedroom.
I just read all the comments, and I just have to give you my opinion.
First off: I really like the show. Before seeing it, I had no idea that people did this kind of stuff. In the Netherlands (where I live) almost nobody worries about natural disasters or political instabilities. This seems kind of silly, since half of the country is below sea level (with most of the population), and is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The stuff I see on the show makes me think about how I could plan things (better) in case of an emergency, and I marvel at what ingenuity some people have.
I do understand the comments from the critics though. It does look like the people that are doing this are a little, how do I say this politely, slightly off. I think this comes from the fact that they always put in a reason for WHY they are doing this. (usually something happened to them with a big life impact). As for the gun thing: “luckily” we don’t have that many guns in our country, as regulations are very, very tight. I realize that for you Americans guns are a necessity to stay alive, with so many guns around (seems like a big paradox to me).
So what am I trying to say? well, I am glad Nat. Geo. aired this show, because it gave ME the idea that I am not alone. But I would really like to see more techniques en ingenuity, and less of the why. And you preppers should be glad too, simply because of this: The people who understand that being prepared is a good thing will not think you are crazy and paranoid, and people who do think you are mentally unstable, will hopefully (and probably) die soon out of starvation, disease and other peoples bullets when that smelly brown stuff hits the fan.
I am not really a prepper, but I am an engineer and volunteer fire/rescue & EMS. Having deployed a number of times to disaster areas, I think people in general would benefit from being more prepared, and I’ve made some adjustments to my own life accordingly, which is what led me, initially, to watch Doomsday Preppers.
My observations: most of the segments contain at least some good information. The majority of the people featured seem like sane, decent people who I probably won’t need to jump out of a helicopter to rescue during a storm. A few of the people featured, however, really come across as loons. Those few are, unfortunately, the ones who make the most lasting impression (like the woman who’s escape plan was to hike clear across a city to a vehicle that would likely have been stolen days before she could get to it).
One thing that I note here and on similar sites is an incongruous defensiveness. A NYT writer is looking from a very specific perspective. In NYC, even well trained police officers hit bystanders during shootouts, because when you stack 7 million people on top of one another, there is no harmless place for stray bullets to go. People in NYC cope very well with certain disasters, but there are quite a number of them who can neither drive nor cook. It isn’t easy to stockpile emergency supplies in a 600 square foot apartment. Point being, to someone from that environment, preppers might as well be aliens, not because the preppers are (as a whole) crazy but because there is almost no common ground. An article written for the NYC audience isn’t the best gauge of how the prepper community is seen even in the rest of NY, let alone the rest of the country. While I agree NatGeo obviously is adding drama for the sake of ratings I think overall people are more interested than anything else, and if it inspires even a few people to be more prepared at least for everyday emergencies, that’s a net positive.
dear sirs i am big al from season 2 doomsday preppers i hope you enjoyed the segment seems like each day it makes a little more sense to prep. please checj out new prepper theme song from the show the jokes on me [prepper song] artist big al bunker also the video at www. hollywood reporter . com doomsday preppers musical teaser [exclusive video] if you can please help pass song around. thanx so much and keep on prepping big al
I have to say, I disagree in a way to what you have said in this article. Before the show appeared on TV, I prepared my family for short lived natural disasters (enough food for 7 days and extra batteries and flash lights and some minor first aid supplies). I didn’t know what “prepping” was at the time. Since watching the show, my husband and I have decided to begin prepping for worst case scenarios (couponing helps us do this more efficiently). Because we do not own our home, our credit is horrible, and we have just began researching our prepping is a little limited at this time but the show had raised the awareness to me and my husband of the importance to be prepared for anything…which is what we prep for. The show has taught us some good tips such as how to start a fire with wool steel and a 9 volt battery, how to protect electronics for solar flares, and loading pepper home made pepper spray into a squirt gun that shoots 30 feet as your first line of defense to try to stop people before they get to your home in hopes to prevent yourself from needing to use lethal force. Though I do understand your sentiments, I think that most of the people who would have the assumption that all preppers are trigger happy paranoid loony toons would likely have that assumption with or without the show.
In the immortal words of Ice-T:
“Haters gonna hate.”
TV almost by nature makes anything that isn’t mainstream look bad. A lot of times this isn’t on purpose, it’s just the effect of trying to make shocking television with slick editing. Add to it the actual INTENTION of trying to make someone look bad, and you get stuff like this.
Everyone who was ahead of their time almost always ends up mocked and even persecuted. It’s just human nature, and the fact that there is a show making us look bad should almost be looked at a sign post that we are moving in the right direction.
I mean… what DOES television aspire to? The Jersey Shore? My Sweet 16?
HONEY FREAKING BOO BOO?!
I think I’d almost be more concerned if they aired a show that made us look good.
While the show Doomsday Preppers does put an unflattering spin on the topic of doomsday prepping, it helped me learn that there are others who have a similar interest. The show has even given me some ideas that I feel are reasonable (and not so far out there people will look at me as nuts).
While we don’t believe the disaster will be nuclear strike, pandemic, or Zombie Apocalypse (not really sure how come that one is so popular now), we have lived through the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in CA and know it could happen again. Additionally, New Orleans and New York are two more examples of how Mother Nature can hand out enough damage to shut an area down for awhile. Do I believe I need to own assault rifles and leave traps all around my property… no! But do I believe that I should have means to cook, light and heat my house… yes. We even have a plan for just in case the catastrophe destroys our house. Though if you have the gear to car camp comfortably then you are ready for most disasters. Is it reasonable to keep an eye to the possibility to protect your family from possible attack… yes, though again I don’t believe an assault rifle is the answer. A shot gun, pistol or hunting rifle should do the trick.
I too like Doomsday Preppers. I understand it is entertainment, but there are alot ideas that I have taken from the shows. I am a trucker and have had concerns about safety while away from home, and how to get home if shtf. I no longer drive cross country. I am more regionally closer to home now, and carry supplies with to be more prepped. The show has opened my mindset for being better prepared on the road and at home. I am glad that because of the show which at times seems a bit crazy has led me to this site and others to help me better prepared to survive. It has been interesting reading all the comments here. Thanks!
This is an important time to consider media portrayal of preppers, given frenzied news coverage of gun control and a recent publication of gun owners names and addresses. All this in the aftermath of a tragic terror shooting linked by most media outlets to a prepper’s personal firearms.
Doomsday Preppers represents one end of the self reliance continuum. It’s no surprise that the media has selected this group for it’s series. After all, nothing sells ads like fear, except maybe sex. The program illustrates the extreme and in the absence of context could be used to bolster threats to the 2nd amendment. Bits like this from New York Magazine, which describe Nancy Lanza as a doomsday prepper, don’t help…
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/12/adam-lanzas-mother-was-an-avid-gun-collector.html
Tragic as the shootings at Sandy Hook are, the event is a statistical outlier from the perspectives of gun ownership and the practice of self reliance/preparedness. It would be awesome to see that on the news, but instead of holding my breath I am buying ammo, safely storing all firearms I am not carrying, and looking to fellow preppers for reliable information.
Thoughts?