Survivalists V The Public

SURVIVALISTS COMPARED

It is difficult to define what makes a survivalist different from any one else in the population? Why are we so different and what makes us tick?

Well to start with we don't like to rely on governments to dictate how we live our lives and by what values we find socially acceptable. We tend to be a tad conservative in our outlook on the world.

We don't ask for anything more from the state than we can contribute, we prefer to stand up for ourselves, and in return we simply wish to be left alone to live our lives by our own long established and generally traditional values.

We have a different view on how to live our lives in comparison to Mr & Mrs Joe Q Public, After work we tend to spend some of our free time on trying to better our life skills and improve our knowledge of our environment to better prepare us for any given crisis and we make time to live life to its fullest without harming anyone else or the environment where possible. We make contingency plans whilst Joe Public expects the Govt to provide for him when things go wrong.

If there is a huge electrical storm and the main power substations get toasted Joe Public will pick up the phone and call the utility companies and his councillor and sometimes even the police demanding that action be taken to put the power back on because "A" its not his fault, he pays his bills and demands the service paid for. "B" Its the governments fault for not preventing it.

Meanwhile down the street the family of "weirdo's" who are survivalists use their flashlights to get out the stored camping lanterns and candles, turn on their battery powered radio to find out more about what's happening, Then go round their close neighbours providing hot drinks, spare candles and news reports.

Its the same with our kids and our free time, Joe Public will happily give his kids £10 and tell them to get out to play and get home before 11 pm whist he and his partner head of to the Pub / Club/ Soccer match. Whilst their kids are tormenting the residents of some distant neighbourhood and getting into all sorts of bother (drunk, stoned, arrested, pregnant etc) the Public's have got a skin full of beer and a takeaway meal, are screaming and swearing at each other on the walk home, ruining the peace and quiet of the late evening.
(Mrs Smith at number 37 will once again wake up and find a discarded Chinese meal in her garden and old Tom at number 43 will find vomit all over his car).
When the Public's get home they find a message from the police dept on the answer phone saying young Wayne has been arrested for being drunk and stealing a car, whilst discovering 15 year old Tracy is in bed with her boyfriend.

After the hassle with the police and social services you will find the Public's in the pub again the next day telling their associates that the government should do something to stop kids from getting into trouble and "don't you think those stupid survivalists would have anything better to do than go round banging on peoples doors asking folk if they would like some candles and a hot drink".

In the meantime what are the survivalists doing? First they are ensuring that if the gas / electricity / water go off they can get by comfortably with their reserve kit. Dad is taking the lads out to go camping and cycling, and Mum is going to help the girls at the white water canoeing event before she orders those books on helping educate your kids at home.
Tomorrow she will help the girls with their preparations for their exams and if they do alright she will let them off with their garden chores and let them have some free time providing they are in by 10 pm and let her know where they are.

Last year when Mr Public and Mr Survivalist were laid off work at the same time Mr Survivalist spent his time doing odd jobs for people to earn a few bucks and to maintain his dignity whilst going to night school to improve his education.
Mr public told his mates in the club were he spends his enforced free time that he went down the social security office and told them straight " I demand some benefits because I've paid my taxes" and then evicted his kids saying "Get down the council and tell them you must be given a flat rent free plus some dole because the bloody government wont help people like us when its their responsibility".

Mr Survivalist at the supermarket asks his wife “Cant we find something better than this for our main meal because the packet says it pre-processed, full of E's and additives and preservatives, surely this cant be doing the kids any good"

Mr Public at the supermarket says to his wife “Don’t go wasting any money on fancy crap because I need to get my cigarettes yet and we need some cash to go out with tonight".

Mrs public got mugged last week her assailant ran up to her and demanded her purse, he got it, Soon after the same thug came across Mrs Survivalist and tried the same on her, he got it, a broken nose and fractured elbow from her telescopic baton. Of course it was the police and governments fault for allowing Mrs Public to get attacked.

Mrs Survivalist went home with a confident smile on her face; she did not bother to report the attack because she knew that she would be the one who got prosecuted.

There is a distinct difference between the mental attitude of the general public and survivalists in planning for and dealing with adversity, The attitude of Joe Public has been and is getting more biased towards relying on the nanny state to tell them how to live, work and play and to not make major decisions or take actions of their own accord. The politicians leap at every opportunity to react to knee jerk public outcry over some tragic event and to introduce more and more Draconian / Orwellian legislation.

This leads us down a narrow path to a point of divergence, Society willingly gives away its given right to freedom every time a politician promises to make things right with new laws, The shooting incidents at Hungerford and Dunblain are perfect examples of vote grabbing, knee jerk politics used to disarm and pacify a population of willing serfs in exchange for hollow promises of a safer society.
If this was not truly the case then why have the British Police with Home Office support, year after year since 1918 but en masse since 1966 demanded and received more restrictive firearms legislation, on the assurance that when such laws were introduced armed crime rates would be dramatically reduced. Of course the opposite has been the effect, armed crime has risen year on year but the public no longer has the means to protect itsself.

The other evil side effect of tolerance and understanding is that the criminals get off leniently or Scot free to re-offend at will, and the public get prosecuted to the fullest effect of the law if they try to protect themselves or their property. From 1996 to 2002 crimes of violence involving firearms have risen over 51% in the UK according to the international crime survey.

( Since 1997 to 2004 Gun Crime and Violent crime in the UK have risen by over 100% while detection and arrest rates have fallen to an all time low, this has led directly to an increase in the migration of decent families from the cities to more rural pastures)



[edit on 1-10-2008 by Northern Raider]

I enjoyed reading your thoughts!

I however, have nothing to add because I am unable to understand justifying myself to the rest of the world that finds me different.

S&F

Cause you cant starve us out and you cant make us run, good ol boys raised on shot guns...we can skin a buck, we can run a trot line, and a country boy can survive!

Where the hell do you live?

If you ask me this view of "The Public Vs. Survivalists" is extremely exaggerated, although slightly more on the Public side than the Survivalists side.

As I see it I only see 2 people here.
Mr. & Mrs. Screw-up that screw everything up, from birth control to alcohol consumption.

Mr. & Mrs. Perfect that apparently mastered a form of combat, find it necessary to repay the attempt of theft with a broken nose and fractured elbow for the thief. And apparently live perfectly healthy lives with only non-processed ''natural'' foods.

If you ask me, it's just not as simple as that.

[edit on 1/10/08 by -0mega-]

Originally posted by -0mega-
Where the hell do you live?

If you ask me this view of "The Public Vs. Survivalists" is extremely exaggerated, although slightly more on the Public side than the Survivalists side.

As I see it I only see 2 people here.
Mr. & Mrs. Screw-up that screw everything up, from birth control to alcohol consumption.

Mr. & Mrs. Perfect that apparently mastered a form of combat, find it necessary to repay the attempt of theft with a broken nose and fractured elbow for the thief. And apparently live perfectly healthy lives with only non-processed ''natural'' foods.

If you ask me, it's just not as simple as that.

[edit on 1/10/08 by -0mega-]

If you ask me, it is.

You fck with someone by trying steal and give violence. You get violence thrown back at you. Thats just the way it goes. From the times of Adam to now.

You got to ANY city or major town and the Mr and Mrs Public types are everywhere.

The chavs and their kin are rampant and a scourge on the nation.

reply to post by -0mega-


It may be exagerated to a point, however, what I got from this post and what I see everyday is certainly an example of this. Survivalists and those who enjoy working towards self sufficency tend to enjoy taking care of themselves and being left alone for the most part. People of society tend to get lazier every year and more dependant on others to take care of them so they dont need to worry about anything except having fun.

On a different thread awhile back a poster made a point regarding hurricane Katrina. He was well stocked, had a generator and was able to get along rather well in the aftermath. He had planned and it paid off. Meanwhile, his neighbor did nothing to get ready, threw his money away on instant gratification and was in dire straights. When TSHTF in New Orleans, this guy was completely helpless. The poster ran an extension cord for him, which was briefly used to power an AC unit before the poster took it back. Who runs an AC unit off of a small generator?

Thats the difference between survivalists and John Public. We want to be ready when disaster hits, not because we think we are better than others or so we can hold it over the underprepareds head, but so we can help ourselves and others until the madness ends. Prepare, do not be a victim.

I got a shot gun rifle and a 4 wheel drive...and a country boy can survive....

Actually, I know i'm a little farcicle on this but I really do believe in getting your gear and knowledge in line. I have a camper with solar plates on the top, I can build fire from sticks, (and often do to keep in practice). I have cast iron skillets, dutch ovens, and the like. I can trap and store meat without refrigeration. All valuable skills in a survivalist scenario. There is a lot however that I dont know, and I think i'll start a thread about it. I would like to see us pool our knowledge, because thats our most valuable asset. What you all think?

Sounds like the paranoid survivalists assume they're better than everyone else. While mr & mrs Smith mentalist survivalists are busy polishing their knives and making sure their phone lines aren't bugged, collecting rainwater to drink because the gov't are putting stuff in the tapwater, Mr & Mrs Joe Public are getting on with their lives.

Superb caricature Northern Raider. That pretty much sums it up!

I think there is a moral extrapolation based on your account and the theory of evolution. Only those who take life seriously and prepare are worthy of survival. Those who fritter life when it is easy, those who fail to save for a rainy day do not deserve to be saved by others who did invest their time into preparation.

reply to post by Northern Raider


Excellent post.

I live in the Western USA . . . the mentality you write about is akin to the Western Farmer/Cowboy can-do attitude of live and let live in large measure but also--take care of one's own and help out one's neighbors.

Government has typically been intrusive, obnoxious, super controlling and usually wholesale wrong in it's handling of Western lands and sensibilities.

We in the West have seen big city and big government interests erode our way of life and our Constitution to virtually oblivion.

Apart from God, it would be terminally depressing.

Thankfully, there's still a lot of survival grit left in a lot of us. By God's Grace, we shall overcome.

Originally posted by -0mega-
Where the hell do you live?

If you ask me this view of "The Public Vs. Survivalists" is extremely exaggerated, although slightly more on the Public side than the Survivalists side.

As I see it I only see 2 people here.
Mr. & Mrs. Screw-up that screw everything up, from birth control to alcohol consumption.

Mr. & Mrs. Perfect that apparently mastered a form of combat, find it necessary to repay the attempt of theft with a broken nose and fractured elbow for the thief. And apparently live perfectly healthy lives with only non-processed ''natural'' foods.

If you ask me, it's just not as simple as that.

[edit on 1/10/08 by -0mega-]

Actually the depiction from the OP is almost spot on, although it may be slightly exaggerated the things he speaks about are an everyday occurance here in the UK.

I particulary liked the part regarding the the family and teenagers, believe me this is 100% the case, well it is where I live anyways. To backup some of the points made in the OP, a quick glance at my local news website has the following top storys:

1.) Police hunt sex attacker
2.) Thieves steal crane
3.) Jail for pervert priest
4.) Schoolboy commited suicide

etc, etc

Anyways excellent post Northern Raider

I haven't got time now but iv flagged your post and will come back later to add my thoughts.

Okay, now I can add something...

Living in the south, everyone is bound to know someone that hunts. The men in my whole family are die-hard hunters. Some people use thier vacations to go spiffy places...these guys usually take off for vacation for a week or two just for hunting. However, that line stopped with me. I don't hunt...it's a personal choice because I do not like to kill things. I would if I had to, and know how, just prefer not to do it. So while all the guys are talking about hunting and which deer urine bottle works better, I am usually programming on my computer.

But I do eat meat...especially the deer my step-father kills and is kind enough to sometimes kill one for me. But not being a hunter kinda limits what to do with it when he gives me one. So I had him show me how to cut it up properly...having it processed can cost up to (around here anyways) $100. Often times hunters will go hunting just for the "hunt" and not really care about the deer...while some think this is wrong, which I do, I can somewhat understand because it is a sport to most. But usually the ones that do go just to hunt will often give thier deer to a needy family, or one that can simply use the meat more than most.

I bet it has been over 5 years since I have had to buy meat at the store...occasionally we have bought some chicken, but if you know what you're doing with a deer, you can make hamburger, sausage, tenderloin, deer-chops, jerky, just to name a few. If you're really skilled you can store meat without the need to refridgerate it.

So to all that want to learn something for survival, find a hunter that knows how to process his own meat. It would be a very useful skill , and is something you can currently use to help your family out if the hunter you find is nice enough to just give you the deer.

reply to post by Thebudweiserstuntman


Those that practice preparedness are a different type of people. Not better just independent. We would rather do something ourselves than rely on others to do for us. We look for better faster more efficient ways of life. We like to grow our own food and hunt or fish. We for the most part enjoy the outdoors. We are also general a more helpful people. we don't mind helping out others we just want to be left alone to do our thing. We also strongly disagree with more governmental intrusion into our daily lives and generally prefer that the the government should mind their own business and do what they are told not the other way around.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

The Conformist and the Nonconformist

The conformist complains about every thing.
There the one that don't like there neighbors unless they conform to there ideas.
There ideas of camping is to load up there $50,000 motor home to go camping.
Then complain about there neighbor parking his old pickup with a camper on it in his own driveway.
They are the people that call the cops when someone leaves there car in There own drive way more then three days without moving it,
They are the ones that complain if someone does not rake up the leaves in There yard in the fall. but they use a leaf blower to blow all there leaves into the street for the city to clean up.
These people like TERMS OF COVENANTS on property so they can complain.
They try to start homeowner associations even if not wanted.
When they move to a rural area where you live they send letters to you stating that all the other neighbors are complaining about something you are doing.
At the same-time all your neighbors are calling you to warn you about these nutcases going around trying to get signatures on a petition it take to the county to stop you. (this happen to me and none of my neighbor would sign the nutcases petition because they were not bothered by me and nutcases like these were the reason they moved to this rural area in the first place. this area was zoned agricultural/light industrial and i was in complete compliance and 6 of my neighbors had small hobby or work shops in there back yards and most of the others had horses or other animals)
These people think the government should do everything for them.

The nonconformist like to live with other nonconformist.
They do not complain about there neighbor (unless they are drug dealers or other criminals)
If they have a problem with there neighbors they go over and have a friendly talk and come to a agreement.
They volunteer to help there neighbors.
They are vol firefighter/EMTs in the area.
If they see you broke-down on the road they are the first to stop to help you.
If there is a problem like a fire or flood everyone works as a group to protect there homes.
You can count on your neighbors.
these people are survivors.

Where would you live.

In a couple of years when i no longer have to care for my father and i can retire (i am disabled now ) i plan to spend my summers in a small Nonconformist town in northern cailf where i was a mine superintendent and local vol fireman/EMT.
I can park my little motor-home in town and pickup a fire dept radio and do other vol work around town and stay all summer and no one will complain.
This is a town of loggers and miners.
This town has a community garden.
This town has weekly potluck dinners where everyone gets together.
The men in this town get together and do fire clearance around the homes of the seniors citizens in town.
This is a town people like to live in.

according to the future maps (google that) the british isles are soon going to be under the water...do anyone knows where exactly the "uk survival team" plans to go?

i would also appreciate the advice on how to change the password here.

reply by U2U svp, or directly to [email protected] , as i occasionally have troubles with navigating various web sites.

Originally posted by -0mega-
Where the hell do you live?

If you ask me this view of "The Public Vs. Survivalists" is extremely exaggerated, although slightly more on the Public side than the Survivalists side.

As I see it I only see 2 people here.
Mr. & Mrs. Screw-up that screw everything up, from birth control to alcohol consumption.

Mr. & Mrs. Perfect that apparently mastered a form of combat, find it necessary to repay the attempt of theft with a broken nose and fractured elbow for the thief. And apparently live perfectly healthy lives with only non-processed ''natural'' foods.

If you ask me, it's just not as simple as that.

[edit on 1/10/08 by -0mega-]

I agree. OP, your outlook on John Q Public is so condescending. Everyone who isn't a survivalist is a drunk, a leech, has children that steal cars etc. I don't know where you get that from. Also, just because someone is a survivalist doesn't mean they are good people. You seem to be under the belief that survivalists will welcome all their neighbors with open arms and bring them hot drinks during an emergency. Survivalists are just people too with a lot of the same faults as everyday people.

I stock up on what I can and I like being prepared in case SHTF. But you know what? I also like to go to the bar with my friends and throw back some beers and laugh and have a good time. I also don't steal nor do I have substance abuses issues or criminal children. I guess I don't fit into either mold then.

Originally posted by reluctantpawn
reply to post by Thebudweiserstuntman

 

Those that practice preparedness are a different type of people. Not better just independent. We would rather do something ourselves than rely on others to do for us. We look for better faster more efficient ways of life. We like to grow our own food and hunt or fish. We for the most part enjoy the outdoors. We are also general a more helpful people. we don't mind helping out others we just want to be left alone to do our thing. We also strongly disagree with more governmental intrusion into our daily lives and generally prefer that the the government should mind their own business and do what they are told not the other way around.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

EXACTLY!!!

WE..the survivalists, not only KNOW how to survive when others will be running around causing chaos, but WE also like to show those others who are willing to learn, to know how to survive, be self sufficient, and be a part of the solution.

All you other folks who dont have a friggin clue as to what to do when the store shelves go bare, can do one of two things.

Either learn right now how to survive in a crisis...or learn real fast how quickly us survivalists will keep you at bay when you decide to do something stupid and try to take what is ours...and end up dead.

Here is a test for those non-survivalists.

See how long you last in a desert in the middle of nowhere with only the following:

1. Yourself.


Now if you can figure it out...GREAT!!! You will survive.

If your sitting there scratching your head and arse wondering how the f**k does one survive out in the middle of nowhere in the desert with nothing but yourself...well then you got ALOT to learn real fast.

When the time comes for these skills to be put into practice..then will you non-survivalists who call us crazy stop and remember what you all said to the rest of us and realize "oh they were right".

You non-survivalists should realize that your ancestors were able to survive out in the open without wal-mart and cell phones and ipods and pc's and suv's. Perhaps keeping that in mind might help you to understand the concept of being a survivalist.

Cheers!!!!

Hey I like my ipod. I use it to keep a lot of by books on!

respectfully

reluctantpawn