Leftists, Embrace Survivalism & Preparedness
Survivalism has a pretty bad reputation. And it’s no wonder. The vast majority are right wing nutjobs who hoard guns and can’t wait to shoot looters. They’re convinced the end of the world is coming yet are completely unconcerned about far more deadly issues like heart disease, smoking (which many of them do), pollution (a lot of them are “libertarians”), etc.
I’ve heard some crazy things. When swine flu started hitting the news, one board was full of wild, uneducated claims that martial law would be declared and that everyone was going to die. Yet most of them are too afraid to get the vaccine. That’s just one example. Conspiracy theories and partisan blinders abound. It’s not a fun place.
Still, the idea behind survivalism is a sound one. It’s too bad the idea has been embraced by conservatives, those whose very ideology depends on fear of change. Like it or not, shit happens, and when it does, those who are prepared will be most likely to make it out okay. What the survivalist community lacks, however, is a calm and considered approach. Actually, the survivalist community has a lot of flaws, even aside from the general lunacy. But they’ve got one thing right: prepare. While there’s a good chance they’ll give themselves heart attacks panicking over every little thing, if something bad does happen, chances are they’ll be the ones left standing. And that, to me, is a scary thought.
So why not embrace a more leftist, rational survivalist philosophy? It doesn’t need to be a lifestyle (I swear, these people flame each other for not being “hardcore” enough) or anything special. But stocking up food, becoming aware of local dangers, and getting involved with your community can’t hurt, can it?
Yes, partisan blinders abound, and your broad stereotypes and generalizations are a prime example. My relatives and their associates could certainly be described as gun-wielding right-wing nutjobs, but none of your other characterizations apply.
On survivalism, however, I completely agree. Most people, particularly urbanites, don’t realize how much we rely upon each other for basic survival. It’s human nature.
I live in earthquake country, so I keep emergency food, water, and fuel at home. The supplies wouldn’t last indefinitely, but I could survive for a few weeks in the event that civilization momentarily lapsed. That would give me the time and means to wait out the disaster or evacuate the area.
Thanks for the reply – whoo.
It’s easy to forget in an age of plenty (at least for those of us born white, middle class and American) that there’s actually a system behind what brings us our goods and that it can be disrupted so easily.
I talked about something similar with a friend recently. Classifying either of us a conservative would be absurd but because of America’s imperialist nature (and given my friend and I live in urban areas) and its ability to invite horrible terrorist responses – I think it’s reasonable to have a few ideas of how to survive should I need to get out of the city immediately. I don’t need a panic room or a Y2K survival shelter but a backpack I can grab and run if need be strikes me as a reasonable preparation.
Disasters, whether man made or by nature, don’t discriminate along political or philosophical lines. I agree that survivalists are generally nut-jobs preparing for 2012. Preparedness, on the other hand, is prudent given (as others have mentioned) how dependent we are upon systems that could break down in a disaster. I blogged about it in February 2010 on my site if you want to check it out. Also, I like your blog :)