Doomsday 'Preppers' Poo-Pooing!!!

[GlennSprigg]

Wow!... i didn't know whether to laugh or cry! when i unfortunately 'witnessed' one of the 'Preppers' videos on TV the other night...   
Now OCCASIONALLY they have SOME points, but in THIS episode, they were talking about 'prepping' against 'EMP's. (Electro Magnetic Pulses).
Then, some Hillbilly Hick tried to demonstrate his protection methods to 'protect' his radios/cb's etc etc. He used a VERY technical term, 'Faraday-Cage',
to describe his technique... HOWEVER, his METHOD of demonstrating it's PRACTICAL dissemination/problem was to use a ubiquitous metal garbage
can, (road side bin), with electronic equip/radios etc inside, and actually hooked up 'Jumper-Leads' from a 12v Car Battery, which he applied across
the opposite Bin Handles, (after the LID was on, of course!!)....  And thus demonstrated how the equipment inside the bin was not affected!!!   

I'm sorry, but although the Human Race can at times need to be prepared against a lot of things in life, I TOTALLY fail to see how these certain Hillbillies
are EVER helping themselves/family??  SOME of these people spend 10's of thousands, if not more, on such often uneducated paraphernalia/systems,
to 'protect' themselves from some microscopic possibility/event, instead of spending all that money on things like where they choose to live, and their
kids real education, and on their HOME!!  I'm 'sorry' again, for daring to 'suggest' that 95% of such Families, (Wives & Kids), are just following the orders
or control of the 'Man' of the house... like sheep. Too scared to really speak up... 

If Scientists had some meaningful and imminent real threats for 'Today', in various countries/areas, then MAYBE 'one' could further educate 'one' self...
However, if it is just being left to these Hillbilly fuck-Tards' with metal trash-cans to make the 'decisions', and brainwash their susceptible neighbors/friends,
then I think it might actually be TIME to let this 'Planet' as we know it... Go... 

[joeqsmith]

I may have seen that same episode.  Some amateur radio guy sticking his radios in a garbage can.   We had show here called Doomsday Preppers.  They show a guy building a Faraday cage.   


 

[Stray Electron]

Wow!... i didn't know whether to laugh or cry! when i unfortunately 'witnessed' one of the 'Preppers' videos on TV the other night...

   Relax!  It's television! It's all about how much controversy and artificial DRAMA the producers can create and has nothing at all to do with the truth or reality. It's about as real of those "survivalist" shows where every week they try to vote each other off of the island.

[fourfathom]

Hillbilly Hick -- Hillbillies -- Hillbilly fuck-Tards

There are plenty of people who speak with a more genteel accent but are still woefully ignorant of basic science.  For thousands of examples just look at the Audiophools threads here.  And I've known some "Hillbillies" who were brilliant engineers.

(Just so you don't get the wrong impression from a TV show...)

[Cyberdragon]

They film idiots on reality TV? Wow...what a shocker!

"RATINGS!"

[PwrElectronics]

The one that made me do a  was December 1999 when Y2K was pending and some folks thought the world would turn into madmax...

The local TV news interviewed this family of preppers and they gave a tour of their basement bunker and all the stashes of food/water/fuel/etc...  The funny/stupidest part of all that was these people's address was either mentioned or the TV news camera showed enough of the outside of their house any of the neighbors would know.

If their fears had come to pass, you would think the last thing you would want to do is let the neighborhood know where they could raid for supplies!!!   

[BrokenYugo]

It's just buying into a fantasy. Same as the flat earthers and 9/11 truthers and whatnot, gives em something to to feel superior about.

Personally, I long ago accepted that no government is competent enough to hide anything big long term and that I'm a nobody who likely won't last in a mad max level civilization failure event.

[coppercone2]

The one I saw that was interesting is whole house ferrite beads. Its interesting because I wonder what the FCC thinks of a choke on the earth ground. Essentially you are cutting off your ground filter capacitors EMI behavior, possibly dangerous. They do sell them though.

I also think bunkers are not necessarily a bad thing because they discourage medium attacks and ensure full on MAD, they make small scale nuclear war not viable. (the option of leaving the invasion of a disabled country for later is not on the table because there is fierce resistance after land invasion on a distant continent, very expensive, and since there are people and radio networks left around, you cannot hide a staging force easily even with disabled satellites and such).

[james_s]

I think for some of them it's just a hobby, prepping gives them something to do. Others start out with a sensible idea and then just get caught up in it. Then a lot of them are just idiots, there has never been any shortage of those. Most people are woefully unprepared for any kind of disaster, as evidenced by the toilet paper shortages in the beginning of the Covid pandemic. If the shit really hits the fan though there's probably no amount of preparedness is going to let someone ride it out. Sooner or later you're gonna run out of food and ammo, or get overrun by one of the various tribes that would form if society crumbled into anarchy.

The guys I get a kick out of are the ones who actually think anarchy is a viable long term system. In the absence of a governing body people would quickly form into tribes, we are tribal animals and have a natural tendency to gather into groups with common needs or goals. The toughest most well armed individual around is no match for a gang of average people. Any tribe is going to have rules, and expel members who don't play by the rules, and that's starting to sound a lot like government.

[coppercone2]

its also generally not bad to have a food stockpile so long its good expenisve food that you actually eat so you go to the store less and shop faster when you go to the store and to avoid doing stupid shit like driving in the snow, rain, etc

some of the EMP protection is not bad because it protects you from the power company and lightning to some extent as well

[Domagoj T]

I was always amused by all the fire starting gizmos preppers have and use. Ferrocerium rod, charcloth, fire piston... yet no one packs a lighter, because "What if it gets wet?" Well, you shake it off and it's good to go. "But what if you break it?" Well, you pack a backup, or five. It weighs almost nothing, is dirt cheap, lasts for thousands of fire starts and requires no skill to quickly light a fire. You could have one permanently stored in each and every bag and jacket you own, so you're never more than one feet from the nearest lighter. They have basically infinite shelf life, require no maintenance and are almost indestructible. All the prepper methods require convoluted and fragile fire starting kits that you need to consciously pack and prepare for your unexpected survival situation.

[Ed.Kloonk]

I was always amused by all the fire starting gizmos preppers have and use. Ferrocerium rod, charcloth, fire piston... yet no one packs a lighter, because "What if it gets wet?" Well, you shake it off and it's good to go. "But what if you break it?" Well, you pack a backup, or five. It weighs almost nothing, is dirt cheap, lasts for thousands of fire starts and requires no skill to quickly light a fire. You could have one permanently stored in each and every bag and jacket you own, so you're never more than one feet from the nearest lighter. They have basically infinite shelf life, require no maintenance and are almost indestructible. All the prepper methods require convoluted and fragile fire starting kits that you need to consciously pack and prepare for your unexpected survival situation.

I have been around smokers all my life and in all the various situations I have never met one that couldn't manage to operate a lighter. It was often the least of their problems, in fact.

[MadScientist]

Prepping for more then a few hours or days of inconvenience is useless , in a severe shortage , you’re not going to be “ allowed “ to sit pretty stuffing yourself while those around you starve ( or whatever affliction is present ) , nobles , kings, queens , and rulers have discovered this truth usually by finding their own  head on a pole.

[Ed.Kloonk]

Prepping for more then a few hours or days of inconvenience is useless , in a severe shortage , you’re not going to be “ allowed “ to sit pretty stuffing yourself while those around you starve ( or whatever affliction is present ) , nobles , kings, queens , and rulers have discovered this truth usually by finding their own  head on a pole.

The preppers I talk to around here say that due to us not allowed to, um, defend ourselves let's say, that storing food is only storing it for other people.

[MikeK]

I was always amused by all the fire starting gizmos preppers have and use. Ferrocerium rod, charcloth, fire piston... yet no one packs a lighter, because "What if it gets wet?" Well, you shake it off and it's good to go. "But what if you break it?" Well, you pack a backup, or five. It weighs almost nothing, is dirt cheap, lasts for thousands of fire starts and requires no skill to quickly light a fire. You could have one permanently stored in each and every bag and jacket you own, so you're never more than one feet from the nearest lighter. They have basically infinite shelf life, require no maintenance and are almost indestructible. All the prepper methods require convoluted and fragile fire starting kits that you need to consciously pack and prepare for your unexpected survival situation.

They're attracted to a vision of an apocalyptic future.  They have the delusion that they're going to prevail above everyone else...when, in all likelihood, they would get killed for their chickens.

[Neganur]

Can't help but think that the bloke who is "preparing for an EMP that will disable the transportation system" meant a solar flare/storm.
(...watching 5 minutes more, yes that's what they are talking about. EMP was an improperly chosen expression)

[wizard69]

First off the goal here is to make money and for some Youtube is easy.    If a Hillbilly can spin a few nebulous concepts to the masses and earn dollars why stop him?    He is far less dangerous and ignorant than the "Organic Food Industry" which rakes in billions every year.

Wow!... i didn't know whether to laugh or cry! when i unfortunately 'witnessed' one of the 'Preppers' videos on TV the other night...   
Now OCCASIONALLY they have SOME points, but in THIS episode, they were talking about 'prepping' against 'EMP's. (Electro Magnetic Pulses).

I actually believe we are a lot closer to a full scale nuclear war than we ever have been.   China is the problem here and frankly they are seizing land in a way that puts japan to sham with their WW2 practices.

So a rational discussion about the technical merits of protecting from an EMP would be worthwhile.    It is highly likely that China would use an high altitude nuclear burst to wipe out much of the infrastructure in the USA.   Such an attack would give them a huge advantage for a few critical days.

Then, some Hillbilly Hick tried to demonstrate his protection methods to 'protect' his radios/cb's etc etc. He used a VERY technical term, 'Faraday-Cage',
to describe his technique... HOWEVER, his METHOD of demonstrating it's PRACTICAL dissemination/problem was to use a ubiquitous metal garbage
can, (road side bin), with electronic equip/radios etc inside, and actually hooked up 'Jumper-Leads' from a 12v Car Battery, which he applied across
the opposite Bin Handles, (after the LID was on, of course!!)....  And thus demonstrated how the equipment inside the bin was not affected!!!   

If he earns a $100 bucks a month from such non sense it is effort well spent from his point of view.   

I'm sorry, but although the Human Race can at times need to be prepared against a lot of things in life, I TOTALLY fail to see how these certain Hillbillies
are EVER helping themselves/family??  SOME of these people spend 10's of thousands, if not more, on such often uneducated paraphernalia/systems,
to 'protect' themselves from some microscopic possibility/event, instead of spending all that money on things like where they choose to live, and their
kids real education, and on their HOME!! 

First off the possibility of a crisis is real, we are actually living through one right now!   Being prepared is never a bad thing, as long as you don't go off the deep end.   I live in the great white north and every winter I load my truck up with a bit of survival gear that stays there until the end of winter.  That includes extra heavy winter clothing, tools flashlights (with new batteries), blankets and other items (snacks) that could help me last a day or two, if stranded someplace in a storm.   When I tell people, especially young woman, that they should do the same - they look at me as if I'm nuts.   However more than once I've been driving and have had to stop for white out conditions.   Those same conditions could have easily put me in a ditch or into a tree so yeah there is real risk.

Now I consider that minimalist preparation and as noted some think I'm nuts for doing something so simple.   So it is a matter of degrees.   What Covid has demonstrated though is that far too many don't prepare to any degree at all.   This is a problem.

I'm 'sorry' again, for daring to 'suggest' that 95% of such Families, (Wives & Kids), are just following the orders
or control of the 'Man' of the house... like sheep. Too scared to really speak up... 

Could be as there are lots of overbearing men out there.   On the other hand it is pretty natural for woman and a common mind set there, to be part of the prepping community.   I literally grew up out in the country where people actually grew their own food and canned or froze it for use during the winter.   Much of that was driven by woman, it wouldn't have been called prepping back then but rather was looked upon as normal prep for the coming winter.   In a way much of the nation has lost its ability to live independently.   

By the way, there is at least one religious sect which expects its members to be able to sustain themselves for a year.   If you get invited to such a family's house you may find a cellar that literally looks like a warehouse.   And no we are not talking a run down house a 100 miles from civilization.

If Scientists had some meaningful and imminent real threats for 'Today', in various countries/areas, then MAYBE 'one' could further educate 'one' self...

Huh?    What do scientist have to do with a good portion of the threats out there?   COVID came out of nowhere and there is rational reason to believe that the problem was created by Scientists.   On a less evil side right now we have an island in the Caribbean being evacuated because Scientists have identified a real threat, which is a volcano nearing eruption.   So for good or bad Scientists do have an impact on exposing threats that the community needs to be aware of.

However that is only a small portion of what a person should be prepared for.   The vast majority of disasters are not something that are predicted ahead of time and probably never will be.   California is a perfect example of people that should be preppers but sadly they are not.   It is a given that strong earthquakes will happen in California and as such real measures are need by INDIVIDUALS to be more prepared.   Otherwise we see how fast society can go down hill when there is no food to eat.   

There are lots of other examples, if you live in tornado alley you should have a storm shelter.    Most people living there look at that as common sense.   However it does involve a bit of prepping mentality to pull off well.

In the end often prepping is nothing more than returning to our roots and not being so dependent on systems that don't work well in an emergency.

However, if it is just being left to these Hillbilly fuck-Tards' with metal trash-cans to make the 'decisions', and brainwash their susceptible neighbors/friends,
then I think it might actually be TIME to let this 'Planet' as we know it... Go... 

Well face palm all you want but I see you as part of the problem if you are not prepared to navigate through and extended emergency.   If nothing else the current Covid Emergency (even if it highly over hyped) should highlight the problem the lack of preparedness creates when something does happen.   The average American had months to see what was happening in China and did nothing to get ready for quarantine.    Then our government did little to institute useful quarantines until it was way too late.

[wizard69]

I think for some of them it's just a hobby,

This is certainly true in many cases.   But we don't want to put everybody into the same category as there are varying reasons for the involvement.

prepping gives them something to do. Others start out with a sensible idea and then just get caught up in it. Then a lot of them are just idiots, there has never been any shortage of those.

There are a lot of idiots out there, some are even electrical engineers.    However for many what is prepping is simply a return to a lifestyle that was fairly common in this country less than a decade ago.   A little less than 60 years ago, when I was growing up, everyone locally grew food in a garden or in some cases small scale farms.   This food was canned of frozen for the winter.   In part the goal was to save money but there was also the security benefit.

The interesting thing to me is to see how the very same materials and tools to do this sort of preservation is marketed today vs 50 some odd years ago.   There is certainly a prepping bent to marketing what is effectively the very same product.   Frankly is see this with outdoor gear also, the very same exact product that was marketed to hikers and hunters 50 years ago is now offered up to the prepping community.

So often what you see is people being label preppers that are behaving in a way that would have been very normal 50 years ago.   It is kinda sad that being responsible for your own survival is now looked upon as deviant.

Most people are woefully unprepared for any kind of disaster, as evidenced by the toilet paper shortages in the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

Exactly!!!!!!!!   What is even worse is that we had plenty of warning with respect to Covid and for the most part other disasters will not give you any warning at all.

If the shit really hits the fan though there's probably no amount of preparedness is going to let someone ride it out. Sooner or later you're gonna run out of food and ammo, or get overrun by one of the various tribes that would form if society crumbled into anarchy.

There is lies one big problem, people look at the extremes and forget about all of the short term problems that crop up.   It might take 2 weeks to a month for a full recovery from a major earthquake or other natural disaster so being able to ride out these short term problems would make life easier for everybody.   It would mean people would not go hungry a day after and it would mean that government could concentrate on what is important in getting a community up and running again.   In the end feeding people that are too lazy to have prepared at all is not something the government can do.   It is no wonder that the government has sites lie this: https://www.ready.gov/ which I'm sure many would hope that Americans would actually read.   Frankly their idea of a kit is a little thin in my mind, three days of food simply isn't enough.   However this is prepping fully supported by our government.

The guys I get a kick out of are the ones who actually think anarchy is a viable long term system. In the absence of a governing body people would quickly form into tribes, we are tribal animals and have a natural tendency to gather into groups with common needs or goals.

I like to think of them as neighborhoods.   But yeah the loner is going to have problems.    However having a place that the family can return to and shelter can get you past the hard stuff.

The toughest most well armed individual around is no match for a gang of average people. Any tribe is going to have rules, and expel members who don't play by the rules, and that's starting to sound a lot like government.

Unfortunately the color of that government can vary a lot from one community to another.   You will have a lot off dictatorships forming for sure so being a member of a tribe might not be a good thing for your survival either.

In any event people need to do better than we currently are.   It doesn't need to be called prepping but it would be wonderful if we could get people to avoid panic mode the day after disaster strikes.   Simply having more than a weeks worth of food on hand would go a long ways there and if you are int the great white north supplemental heating wouldn't hurt.   Simple things really.

[wizard69]

I was always amused by all the fire starting gizmos preppers have and use. Ferrocerium rod, charcloth, fire piston... yet no one packs a lighter, because "What if it gets wet?" Well, you shake it off and it's good to go. "But what if you break it?" Well, you pack a backup, or five. It weighs almost nothing, is dirt cheap, lasts for thousands of fire starts and requires no skill to quickly light a fire. You could have one permanently stored in each and every bag and jacket you own, so you're never more than one feet from the nearest lighter. They have basically infinite shelf life, require no maintenance and are almost indestructible. All the prepper methods require convoluted and fragile fire starting kits that you need to consciously pack and prepare for your unexpected survival situation.

They're attracted to a vision of an apocalyptic future. 

Some are.   Some are also mentally off their rockers so that is a real issue.    However I believe our future is pretty bleak, this mostly due to China which will almost certainly lead the world to nuclear war within 10 years.

They have the delusion that they're going to prevail above everyone else...

Those off the deep end think that way.   However many simply want to live in a community that is survivable, at least as they imagine it.

I think one of the big problems with a lot of these people is that they think it is easy to survive in the wilderness without interaction with others.    Even the mountain men of the 1700's & 1800's would return to civilization because no matter how talented you are surviving off the land is not easy.

when, in all likelihood, they would get killed for their chickens.

While that can be taken as funny it highlights a problem if whatever disaster leaves a lot of people living.   You literally become a target for the hungry.   On the other hand lets imagine that Covid left us with a 100% infection rate and a death rate of 50%.   All  of a sudden there would actually be a surplus of food.   It might not be easy to get it to the people that need it but if the population is cut in half we would actually have an excess in food.

[GlennSprigg]

I was always amused by all the fire starting gizmos preppers have and use. Ferrocerium rod, charcloth, fire piston... yet no one packs a lighter, because "What if it gets wet?" Well, you shake it off and it's good to go. "But what if you break it?" Well, you pack a backup, or five. It weighs almost nothing, is dirt cheap, lasts for thousands of fire starts and requires no skill to quickly light a fire. You could have one permanently stored in each and every bag and jacket you own, so you're never more than one feet from the nearest lighter. They have basically infinite shelf life, require no maintenance and are almost indestructible. All the prepper methods require convoluted and fragile fire starting kits that you need to consciously pack and prepare for your unexpected survival situation.

(OP here...)   Thank you to all who commented. Virtually everything you people said is quite valid, and worth considering !! 
However, please don't confuse what I said as being 'anti' being prepared!...  Especially in areas of troubled Tornadoes or Earthquakes, etc etc.
My main 'gripe' was with the individual who was trying to 'prove' the effectiveness of a valid Faraday-Cage via a metal dust-bin with 12v jumper-leads
attached to the handles... I know it's just 'TV', but I can't help wonder if this neanderthal 'actually' thought this was a valid TEST!   
Unfortunately, SO MANY of such U.S. 'Real-Life' shows can't seem to help themselves from HAVING to add Fake scenes, to 'make it interesting' ?   
Like the shows about 'River Loggers' (always falling-in/pushed/fighting), etc etc. They just need to keep it REAL, and people will/(may) respect it!!

To 'Domagoj' above, yes all that is true too!!  I remember an Aussie 'Outback' survival show here on TV by 'Jack Absolom'. A talented painter/artist
who would also video various 'bush' tips... He would say/show how to always carry Steel-Wool in your car Glove-Box, and short it out with Jumper-Leads
to get red hot, to start a fire.... But why not carry 1/2 dozen lighters, or match-boxes?? etc... That always made me laugh!!   

[james_s]

While that can be taken as funny it highlights a problem if whatever disaster leaves a lot of people living.   You literally become a target for the hungry.   On the other hand lets imagine that Covid left us with a 100% infection rate and a death rate of 50%.   All  of a sudden there would actually be a surplus of food.   It might not be easy to get it to the people that need it but if the population is cut in half we would actually have an excess in food.

That's already a problem, we (in the USA and probably most developed nations) already have a surplus of food but vast amounts of it get thrown away because of the logistics of getting it to people who need it. Some friend of my mom belongs to some program where they collect the stuff that's getting close to the expiration date from grocery stores and then distribute it to food banks and stuff. There ends up being a lot of excess that ends up going home with members of that group otherwise it gets thrown away. Seems like every week my mom is calling me about some pile of food her friend dropped off and asking if I want any of it. If I were not picky about what I eat I could probably live almost completely just off of that free stuff but it tends to be pretty random, and I usually don't want it because I'll just be tempted to eat food when I'm not even hungry just because I don't want it to go to waste and that isn't a good habit.

[MadScientist]

Prepping isn’t holding a few days food anyway.

Covid actually showed us , communities and governments working together can be very successful, there were no food shortages ,  communities shared and supported the elderly , the frail or the sick. People willingly sacrificed certain personal freedoms and trusted reliable government information sources and medical experts. Huge public buy in , leading to a 98% vaccination take up.

In a  catastrophe, working together , sharing and helping gets everyone back on their feet faster.   

[Brumby]

Except when it comes to toilet paper.

[Halcyon]

The only thing I "prep" for is redundant power and comms (internet).

Even during the height of COVID in Australia, supply chains were still working and food was available in abundance in supermarkets, grocery stores etc... That being said, I'm fortunate enough to *not* live in the Sydney metropolitan area so others might have had a very different experience and panicked when their supplies of ready-meals ran out and they had no idea how to cook.

I also keep spares of daily consumables on-hand, whether it be dish washing powder, baking paper, toilet paper, coffee beans etc... All that stuff I use all the time, I keep spares on-hand. If I dip into the spare stash, I replenish it with my normal shopping run. To me this isn't prepping, rather, common sense.

[SmallCog]

I also keep spares of daily consumables on-hand, whether it be dish washing powder, baking paper, toilet paper, coffee beans etc... All that stuff I use all the time, I keep spares on-hand. If I dip into the spare stash, I replenish it with my normal shopping run. To me this isn't prepping, rather, common sense.

I’ll fess up that I’m slightly prepared. I don’t consider myself a doomsday prepped however.

We aren’t exactly swimming in cash, but don’t live week to week either. This led to us keeping an eye out for decent specials / good deals and buying in bulk. There’s no point doing this with items that will be wasted but if dish washing liquid is half price I’ll grab a few bottles. Same applies to tinned/dry/frozen food. It’s a habit we’ve had for a long time not new since Covid. You just need to know what’s a good price, how much you’ll use before it expires, and be careful to put longer dated stuff at the back of the shelf in the pantry.

My daughter unfortunately brought Covid home from school recently and under our local laws as soon as she tested positive she and the rest of us were confined to our home for a week with mandatory tests to see if we’d caught it before being released. Since then my wife and I have gone positive, by the time we get out we won’t have left the house for 2 weeks. Having a well stocked pantry and freezer has meant that we haven’t had to ask anyone to bring us groceries. Having an orchard and veggie garden certainly helped too.