Underground Survivalist Movement - Any Details?

ok........lets say i wanted to join....how would that work? i am under age and live in so cal i m trying to prepare myself solo but help wouldnt go amiss

Greetings once again.

After spending more time discussing the topics at hand in an effort to further respond, Resident Anti-Hero would like to issue this as an official response, whereas the last response was issued by me (one member of the duo) immediately upon reading the thread:

Our most recent tour has generated a great deal of questions and discourse, which we as artists feel compelled to speak on. Resident Anti-Hero is dedicated to communication, and it is in the interest of such communication that we now seek to define certain understandings of our music group; it’s origins, and intentions.

There seems to be debate as to how real The Anti-Hero Underground is. How militant the group chooses to be. How extreme its members are, and more importantly, the group’s use of music as a tool for both monetary and promotional gain.

Firstly, The Anti-Hero Underground is real, however it is more of a conceptual think tank/skill trade network, than that of a traditional organization. The skills and thoughts shared and traded throughout the group and its self-proclaimed members are all based around aspects of survivalism. Survivalism is a commonly used (and often mis-used) term for the preparedness strategy and subculture of individuals/groups anticipating and making preparations for future possible disruptions in local, regional or worldwide social/political orders. Survivalists often prepare for this anticipated disruption by learning skills such as: emergency medical training, farming/biodynamic farming, permaculture, martial arts/self defense, primitive structure building, alternative energy production, and overall wilderness survival tactics (e.g. hunting/fishing/fire craft). Survivalism, in and of itself is general self-sufficiency. Survivalists strive to at any point in time, under any circumstance, be adequately prepared. Resident Anti-Hero and The Anti-Hero Underground stand firmly behind this mantra: Be Prepared At All Times, At All Costs. It is the belief of we artists and the movement we represent, that one must be militant in the pursuit of survivalist theory and practice.

Militancy is a term that usually conjures images of camouflaged fatigues, assault rifles, and violent uprising. The root of the word, i.e. militant is as follows:

Militant
–adjective

1. vigorously active and aggressive, esp. in support of a cause: militant reformers.
2. engaged in warfare; fighting.
–noun
3. a militant person.
4. a person engaged in warfare or combat.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME < L mīlitant- (s. of mīlitāns), prp. of mīlitāre to serve as a soldier. ]

The Anti-Hero Underground has often times been described as a network of “militant survivalists.” However it is the opinion of Resident Anti-Hero, that if this word should be used to describe our causes and the cause of The Anti-Hero Underground, that it be redefined. Militancy by our terms DOES NOT INVOLVE REVOLUTIONARY BLOODSHED. IT DOES NOT INVOLVE THE USE OF CRIMINAL OR POLITICALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE AS A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS AT HAND. The Anti-Hero Underground DOES NOT SUPPORT OR CONDONE violent direct action against people for ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. Such actions in these times amount to nothing more than severe loss. This being said, we do not sponsor or promote pacifism.

continued...

Pacifism is akin to apathy, and it is this that we are militantly opposed to. Consider the word militant, when attached to the nomenclature of survivalist, as an antonym for the word apathy. We live in a culture of consumerism, spectacle and vice. Oppressive forces subversively perpetrate apathy and ignorance upon us, through the use of powerful paradigms. These forces (unaccountable private tyrannies with extensive access to media sources) wield carefully constructed distractions of pleasure, designed to (directly or at times, indirectly) pacify the general populace. Although there is nothing wrong with entertainment, theatre or the carnivalesque, there is something wrong with a culture of entertainment/theatre/carnivalesque so all-consuming that it detracts from urgent global catastrophe. This is what has happened. The populace is and has been transformed into a generation of passionless cowards- apathetic and passive. More disturbing than the transformation itself is the effect that it has upon the environment: politically, socially, and ecologically.

Resident Anti-Hero is the artistic vanguard of The Anti-Hero Underground. What this means, is that the group, utilizes artistic license and creativity to construct an alternative mythos that involves survivalism, resistance, and self-sustainability. When using the word resistance, we are not speaking of armed resistance, as mentioned earlier, armed resistance is futile in the face of the powers that be. One can only account for themselves, and their community. This is as things were before the rise of empirical civilization, when small communities and villages looked after their own well-being. Through music, Resident Anti-Hero attempts to raise awareness by remaining (somewhat) on the grid and in the underground music community. This means, that we (like all other independent music groups) are subject to the compromises and exploitation of the overall capitalist industry that governs us. We hustle to get the word out. We scrape together minimal funds to produce albums. We travel the west coast on low budget tours in efforts to further the cause. We use the Internet, Myspace, and other tools of the larger oppressive system in a Machiavellian (see Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince) ends justify the means attempt to reach as many people as possible. Shall the master’s tools dismantle the master’s house? We shall see…perhaps they can convince the master’s slaves to pick up and run away from the plantation at whatever cost. We are using the medium of Hip Hop as it was originally intended to be used- as a mouthpiece for social struggle and societal discontent. We remain active in our communities, teaching workshops in prisons, juvenile halls, and shelters for disenfranchised youth, fundraising for charities, and, of course, participating in survivalist skill trades. We do not stand outside or against other important political causes or campaigns, we believe, support, and maintain contact with a number of organization who represent people of color, women’s rights, gay rights, etc. We offer our voices and opinions in hopes that listeners will comprehend the overall damage that the entire first world industrialized complex is inflicting upon every living organism. We do this through music, the universal language of sound.

continued...

Our music is a tool for monetary and promotional gain, however our monetary and promotional gains are tools for our music. The underlying sentiment is no different than the sentiments of The Anti-Hero Underground- we survive and resist as best we can. Artistically we utilize the metaphors of war, machines, and machine culture to strengthen our mythological narrative. Myth is akin to storytelling which is rooted in oral storytelling i.e. bardic/griot tradition. Oral storytelling is the fundamental root of most lyricism and all Hip Hop. If we were to return to a neo-primitive state, without media, hard documentation, or even base level means of communication, word of mouth and oral storytelling would be all that sustained information. It is for this reason that we, as Resident Anti-Hero, have chosen to develop a new mythology; offering it in the face of and as an alternative to the dominant social paradigm which (in our opinions) distorts values and contributes to the overall destruction of the earth. It is our intention to express and bring light to different ways of living life. Meaning that, you don’t have to aspire towards taking some #-eating job and working at a desk and living in some Lego cookie-cutter house with your SUV and HDTV etc. You don’t have to allow yourself to live beneath the rule of credit. You do not have to actively contribute to the dominant first world culture that sacrifices the long-term sustainability of the earth for temporary comfort in excess.

Food comes from the earth…not from the grocery store. It is realities such as this that we would like to further promote. We are not militants, running into the streets to arm children and detonate explosives. We are not wacked out loner Unabomber types either. We are not telling you to physically go out and destroy machines in the literal sense. We are artists, creating a mythology through sign and symbol in hopes that our message can be received and retold amongst others.


If you are interested in learning more about Resident Anti-Hero, or The Anti-Hero Underground’s skill trade programs, please send word to [email protected], our staff of anti-heroes will do their best to respond timely.

Thank you,
Resident-Antihero

And to those who have requested interest in information regarding participating in the Anti-Hero Underground, the best way to do so is to email us a physical mailing address (preferably a p.o. box or an untraceable mailbox) so we can mail you some information packets.

[email protected]

It will take some time for you to receive the information packets as we are currently neck deep in a project that will be demanding our time throughout the month of march. first week of April we will mail out packets to those who have chosen to email addresses. This is the easiest way for us to safely send untraceable information to you in regards to participating in our network.


And to those who question whether or not its 'safe' to join our email list. I suppose that depends on your definition of 'safe'. We send out one email every couple months or so to the list with information on current articles, books, events that we find interesting, as well as information regarding Resident Anti-Hero events, projects, releases. We are very careful and considerate not to abuse the mailing list, and you can always have yourself removed. Whether or not being a part of our mailing list would get you in some sort of legal or political trouble, that seems pretty unlikely to us, but in a culture such as this, we are careful not to make promises.


Stay Up and Fight Hard.
Anti-Hero

reply to post by residentantihero


I have to say I was extremely impressed by your above replies. Everything you said was parallel to my own beliefs. I don't know about joining a mailing list, but could you tell me what being a part of the Anti-Hero Underground means? Would I have access to classes or resources which would help me get off the grid? I'm currently working on becoming completely self-sufficient, and finding it more complicated and expensive than I had originally thought, so I could definitely use a network of like-minded individuals who might be able to help me. I live in upstate NY though, so I'm not sure if you're franchised out here. (Not sure if franchised is the right word, but you know what I mean.)

Originally posted by residentantihero
Firstly, The Anti-Hero Underground is real, however it is more of a conceptual think tank/skill trade network, than that of a traditional organization.

So in other words you are not in fact a real organization just people with common interest. in the real world we have a name for that its called friends.

The skills and thoughts shared and traded throughout the group and its self-proclaimed members are all based around aspects of survivalism. Survivalism is a commonly used (and often mis-used) term for the preparedness strategy and subculture of individuals/groups anticipating and making preparations for future possible disruptions in local, regional or worldwide social/political orders. Survivalists often prepare for this anticipated disruption by learning skills such as: emergency medical training, farming/biodynamic farming, permaculture, martial arts/self defense, primitive structure building, alternative energy production, and overall wilderness survival tactics (e.g. hunting/fishing/fire craft). Survivalism, in and of itself is general self-sufficiency. Survivalists strive to at any point in time, under any circumstance, be adequately prepared. Resident Anti-Hero and The Anti-Hero Underground stand firmly behind this mantra: Be Prepared At All Times, At All Costs. It is the belief of we artists and the movement we represent, that one must be militant in the pursuit of survivalist theory and practice.

That is a very well put explanation of survival and preparedness codos for that. how ever the last sentence is as you well know what I have issue with.

Militancy is a term that usually conjures images of camouflaged fatigues, assault rifles, and violent uprising. The root of the word, i.e. militant is as follows:

Militant
–adjective

1. vigorously active and aggressive, esp. in support of a cause: militant reformers.
2. engaged in warfare; fighting.
–noun
3. a militant person.
4. a person engaged in warfare or combat.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME < L mīlitant- (s. of mīlitāns), prp. of mīlitāre to serve as a soldier. ]

Militant is also known as a terrorist/freedom fighter.

The Anti-Hero Underground has often times been described as a network of “militant survivalists.” However it is the opinion of Resident Anti-Hero, that if this word should be used to describe our causes and the cause of The Anti-Hero Underground, that it be redefined. Militancy by our terms DOES NOT INVOLVE REVOLUTIONARY BLOODSHED. IT DOES NOT INVOLVE THE USE OF CRIMINAL OR POLITICALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE AS A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS AT HAND. The Anti-Hero Underground DOES NOT SUPPORT OR CONDONE violent direct action against people for ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. Such actions in these times amount to nothing more than severe loss. This being said, we do not sponsor or promote pacifism.

So let me get this strait. you want to redefine a word to explain you and your friends. You don't find that Odd? I have fought for years to get peoples opinions of survivalist away from words like militant. We are not solders we do not go looking for a fight. your explanation above is fantastic. show me in there ware it even resembles the word Militant. I'm sorry to inform you but the world is not going to redefine a word for you.

People here that and they automatically go to Rambo, or revolutionary loners. You are in the business of communication how bout communicating the real definitions. if you take out the guess work or any chance of misinterpretation then there will be none.

You say that survivalist are not pacifists. I agree pacifists set there and do nothing. survivalist are active we take our future into our hands and activity work twords our goals. We do not go looking for a fight. looking for a fight is under no circumstance survival it is the opposite. Sometimes going the opposite direction of trouble is the survivalist best course. it leads to life not death. you would have people believe that going the opposite direction is a bad thing. which is just like saying living is a bad thing.

Steadfastly standing your ground and defending the day is a romantic notion that does not transfer into the real world. if your dead or imprisoned how can you defend any thing. Were not talking cowerdis or government brainwashed zombies. its common sense. to put it simply Militant and survival do not belong together. pacifist and survivalist do not belong together. if your little group really want to help try not redefining words to suit your own scewed vision of the world.

reply to post by angryamerican


whats wrong with being a freedom fighter anyway???? A militant is not a terrorist - where did you get your definition? From the dictionary edited by Bush?

I am familiar with the Elwha River basin.

To my knowledge there was never a big gun battle there. There are lots of park rangers on that side and a ton of fish and game cops that live in the woods full time following the elk herds there and doing study oriented work. It should have been in the papers. What was the approx date?

reply to post by angryamerican


Trying to sound intelligent while lacking major grammatical skills is pretty funny in a sad sort of way. Obviously you don't know English very well so do us all a favor and shut up.

In the UK we already have three ( that I know of ) closed circuit survivalist forums and planning groups, most gain membership by invite from the leaders / moderators. They study and read other survivalist forums and events and watch for a long time who contributes the most, from those the best get invited to join the relivent groups.

That way the loons, gun nuts, and the dreaded talking shop armchair survivalists, along with those who talk the talk but never actually do anything get weeded out.

The mutual support agreements between various individuals and groups often develop into something greater like regular meets and shared training events, all of this builds bonds between the serious survivalists, again leaving the wannabes and armchairs wondering why no one wants them.

Most of the wannabes are VERY easy to identify, they nearly always have some great reason why they can not move out of the town or the city, they simply wont make the serious sacrifices needed to be taken seriously by those of us who have made great personal efforts to relocate/ re establishthemselves in a better location and be better able to interact and liaise with other survivalists.

I prefer to offer asistance and support to survivalists who say " I have done this or that" rather than those who say " I am planning to do this or that"

My advice after 32 years of being a survivalist is to be very very wary of the requests to join up with people asking for members or money or personal details.
The real survivalist community will reach and and ask you to join them if you have already made the effort yourselves to become self reliant, they will have seen you attend events like the Wilderness Gathering or some groups RZs, they will have noted the amount of time and effort you make to develop links and to learn from forums. Oh and when or if they ask you to join their closed circuit forums or communities they will ask to to join as an equal, and they wont ask for money or other commitments. They will invite you because you have already shown that you have already made the grade.