Samantha Biggers
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All too often prepping and politics are thrown into the same category. This is a bit bothersome and doesn’t help anyone.
The truth is that prepping is something everyone should be doing so that they and their family are taken care of during an emergency or survival situation.
We really are all in this together.
I don’t care what race, gender, religion, or other groups you identify with, we all have to satisfy the same basic needs for food, shelter, water, and some medical care.
There is a stereotype that preppers are all very conservative and don’t like those that are “different” I actually thought about how I would be perceived in the larger prepper community and the truth is that I have never had any prepper come at me for looking the way I do, age, gender, or any other demographic I could be put into.
This is a call to encourage those from all across the political spectrum to be truly open-minded. Don’t make judgments so quickly that someone has no chance to show who they are.
I know that I look probably a bit more like some people would think someone that is way left. Well, I also have some viewpoints that go from the left to the right. All too often everyone tries to put each other in one category or another and that is a mistake that creates discord. I think a lot of people are out there that have opinions and values that are all across the spectrum but there is such a tendency to “pigeonhole and stereotype” that it is hard for anyone to be seen for what they really are.
Even when I was younger I had someone try to put stereotypes on me about guns. I was in my mid-twenties in Ketchikan, Alaska and working in the office of a financial planner. The head of the NRA in the area was a client and he looked at me sitting there with bleached blonde hair and dressed up and said: ” I bet you are one of those that don’t like guns”. I smiled and said well actually I have a lot of them and have been handling them since I was tiny.” We proceeded to have a conversation about firearms.
This goes to show the judgment goes both ways. Don’t just judge based on appearance or other things that are small potatoes when it really comes down to it. You don’t have to agree with everything about a person to value them or help them. Variety is a good thing and if treated right, it can help anyone grow as a person.
The attitude of a lot of people now seems to be that if you do not 100% agree with basically everything one side or the other says there is something profoundly wrong with you and it justifies hateful remarks and dehumanizing of the other party.
Everyone loses when the mentality is that we cannot discuss differences without a yelling match.
I have people on Facebook that I know are not trolls, say ok now you can start screaming and yelling about_______. This happened to involve the gun debate but you can fill in with whatever viewpoint you want.
Well call me old school but I have always been able to discuss a topic without screaming and yelling. Apparently, that is what some want and when that is the case everyone loses an important matter and different perspectives are not shared. I don’t have to talk down to people I don’t agree with.
I don’t think there is something wrong with you having a totally different opinion than me on a given topic. I like living in a world with varying viewpoints. If we were all the same in every way that would not be a great thing. When someone challenges your opinion or makes you think you grow as a person and hopefully become a better one.
What happened to valuing the opinion of others even if it was different than yours?
All this left versus right stuff distracts people from learning and at worst it sets the basis for people to think all planning is nutty and for paranoid tin hat wearing conspiracy theorists.
I had one person say those preppers all dream of the day they can have civil unrest and overthrow the government. My response was that I have never heard a prepper express that was their desire. I have heard them concerned that government entities would come to them or that they were concerned about civil unrest.
Preppers and most other people just want the same basic thing and that is to live in peace I have never had a reader say they wanted SHTF to happen but they don’t want their families to suffer if it does.
Even the government recommends prepping so the argument of preppers all being anti-government doesn’t fly with me.
FEMA has a lengthy booklet advising everyone to prep for emergencies. One thing that some outside the prepping movement do not get is that prepping is not just about preparing for the apocalypse. Prepping is about making sure you have the necessities of life if any type of situation arises. Natural disasters like hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tornados, floods, tsunamis, etc affect everyone in a given area and beyond. A few years back a hurricane took out a refinery in Texas. Western NC is the end of the fuel line so we had a gas shortage. Nature doesn’t care about politics or moral differences.
Myth: Preppers don’t like certain types of people, especially those that are “different”.
WRONG!
Take it from a woman with weird hair, two facial piercings, and a bunch of tattoos, the prepping community is welcoming to anyone that wants to learn. I have never had anyone in the prepping or homesteading community make fun of me or try to discredit me based on appearance or gender.
You readers have been extremely kind to me and I feel that you have read my posts with an open mind. It makes me smile every time I get a thank you or comment. I think BDS readers are a great group of compassionate people that are real “thinkers”.
Sure there may be some groups or sites that have readers and members that are the exception but I think you will find it is quite rare. The worst thing anyone ever wrote to me, in all honesty, was a dirty story about turtles. I can live with that after writing this stuff as long as I have. Some folks just have too much time on their hands!
Why does Backdoor Survival never have political posts?
We want everyone to feel welcome at Backdoor Survival. While we value opinions and we all have our own, we do not take on major political issues or religious matters. There are plenty of sites that do this out there but it is also good to have some that are inclusive and stick to preparedness for everyone.
While some of our posts do take into account current events like school shootings and we sometimes express some of our personal opinions, we try to approach it from the viewpoint of how it affects everyone not just left versus right.
Comments Disclaimer
While we do not block comments that are critical, there is a limit to what we can allow on the site. While we will post comments with political opinions, if there is an extreme amount of 4 letter words or if someone chooses to use very hateful speech that is not contributing the conversation we may choose to take out the obscenity.
This is very rare. In fact, there is only one comment I can think of where I felt this was necessary and I have been at Backdoor Survival for more than a year. We want honest opinions but there are plenty of ways to do that and respect one another.
We really want everyone to feel welcome and learn together. The comments section is for learning and growing, not attacking each other no matter how different your opinion might be
Prepping is about taking care of you and yours. Here are some links to get started that everyone can benefit from! Please share this with all!
FEMA & The Red Cross “Preparing For Disaster”
Backdoor Survival Water Supply Start Page
Backdoor Survival Food Supply Start Page
Please browse through our many different posts and use the handy search to find just what you need on a lot of topics. We are always looking for ideas for informative posts related to preparedness and homesteading. Please feel free to email me any topics you would like to see at Backdoor Survival. While I am just a writer and not an owner at BDS I do like to hear back from readers so we can know how good we are doing and what can be improved to make this the best site it can be. I look forward to hearing from you.
I can be reached at [email protected]
Stay Safe Out There,
Samantha
24 Responses to “We Are All In This Together: Everyone needs to be prepared. It’s not about politics or religion.”
I have mentioned Ted Koppel’s book “Lights Out” to my relatives when recommending prepping for the future. It is a little dated but the scenario of the electric grid going down (and staying down for an extended period of time) is well researched and it is presented by a respected journalist. Both liberals and conservatives can see the possibility of the need to be somewhat prepared. It’s hard to argue with Ted Koppel!
Thanks or this season ticket article for so many others. Im a gay male 56+, Christian who attends weekly services, care for an aging family member, I am liberal, conservative and mostly Libertarian. I own and carry guns. When people learn all these tags for me they’d usually call me a unicorn. Because all these cannot exist in one person.
I don’t care if people have differing opinions, just don’t try to impose your opinion on me. I’m 73 years old and obviously very conservative. I do not agree with the current trend of the PC culture nor the restriction of free speech because it just may offend some group or person. This is life. It is about learning to cope with things you just may not like. It’s called growing up, becoming mature.
It’s summer here in Australia. NSW and Queensland have been devastated by fires already due to the drought. Gippsland in Victoria is getting a good kick up the bum right about now. South West Victoria, which is where I live is fine, but that won’t last.
Do you have any hints, tips and tricks for people with disabilities.
I ask because I have Aspergers syndrome, it’s on the Autism spectrum ladder. I am the only one in the family who is a prepper, and your advice would be most welcome, as I also live on a disability pension.
My personal opinion is: respect each others opinions, even though you may not agree with them.
Does anyone know the Story of Noahs Ark? If yes then he was the world’s first prepper.
I’m not of the warm n fuzzy feels and there are those I’m preparing to stand against. That being said I’m not looking for it instead rather wishing to be left alone and not have things forced on me.
Insofar as civil war or SHTF and wanting it well no not even close. I like my ice cream, recliner and playing with my grandkids.
As for civil war here’s my thoughts having been in a few places embroiled in civil war:
Change requires discomfort.
As long as The People can sit in their recliner, eat junk, drink beer, smoke marijuana, watch the game on the big screen HD TV while typing away about the hardships and grievances of everything all the while in a climate control house there will be no war nor change.
Folks that go into civil war didn’t get haircuts, their nails done, put their kids on a school bus, drive their super X3500 LDS whatever to the gas station that has never failed to have fuel, then go to the every 2 week paycheck job and picking up dinner from the plethora of places or BTW grab some this n that from whichever store is near cause they are all stocked. The list goes on and the civil war lip service is from folks that aren’t dangerous which is why they work in safe jobs to begin with.
It will require great discomfort before anything changes.
One point not mentioned…and hopefully, MOST preppers will agree.
Prepping is all about foresight. And one’s mental state of mind (usually based upon prior experiences).
Let’s say, for example, that you are from a family where one of your ‘family values’ your parents taught you was similar to that old Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared.” Let’s say you took it seriously and assimilated that value. That just might influence you to be a life-long prepper. On the opposite end of the spectrum, let’s just say you were raised to think that the government would take care of you. Of course, you could point to many many circumstances where you’d be absolutely correct…yes, the government DOES take care of a great many people for varying reasons: poverty, inability to care for oneself, etc., etc. THEN, you may be inclined to assimilate THAT value into your reasoning and come to an entirely different conclusion.
But wait! Didn’t people suffer needlessly when Katrina struck New Orleans? It was blabbed on the news for months afterwards. Who in New Orleans was ready for that??? Well, SOME folks took the warnings seriously and were ABLE to evacuate the area (maybe they had family elsewhere or sufficient resources saved). Others didn’t or couldn’t do that. They were the ones who sometimes had to be rescued from their rooftop.
That event, and others happening around the world SHOULD act as a wake-up call to EVERYONE. Yes, bad things can happen. Some people prepare for hurricane season by leaving, and some stay in their storm shelters at home, and still others rely on the government to meet their needs.
Like I said at the outset, it is all about one’s present state of mind AND how we were raised. If we’ve never been in a catastrophe, perhaps prepping for it doesn’t make too much sense. If our parents were raised during the Great Depression and instilled in us the need to be prepared for ‘bad things’ beyond our control, then prepping makes GREAT sense.
The government telling people that they need to prepare will likely fall on deaf ears.
Some people will rationalize: I can’t prepare because I don’t have the financial capability.
BUT, if everyone KNEW beforehand that some disaster (earthquake, tsunami, tornado, volcanic eruption, solar flare, or you-put-in-the-appropriate-disaster-for-your-particular-area) was POSITIVELY going to happen by a particular date, then EVERYONE would prepare just as we (the prepper community) does.
MOST likely, the non-prepper is someone lacking an appropriate ‘experience’ to ‘wake them up’. Unfortunately for them (and those who will have to care for them) it’s going to be painful IF something should happen in their area.
MAYBE, the disaster will be in a limited area and the government WILL be able to take care of their needs.
BUT, maybe the disaster will be massive and the after effects long-lasting…then what? The government could be overwhelmed with requests for aid (think Haiti). That’s why I prep.
Once again a great article. Unfortunately, there seems to have been a couple of people that either failed to completely read and/or comprehend the article. I’ll let the readers decide who I believe submitted those comments, as I have been wrong before and will be again. Perhaps the best thing about those contributions is they serve to prove the point of the article that we are “all in this together. ” If you think you can survive on your own, guided by just your ideas of how things should be, you’ll have to excuse me for stepping over your dead body on my way to see your neighbor(s) who you hated, because they were “Never Trumpers” or they bought a “Trumpy Bear.” We’ll be trading food and medical supplies that you wish you had access to when you stood your ground and refused to compromise your ideas, as you slowly withered away. Perhaps you will find some solace in the fact that we promise to salvage and share as much of your property as possible.
Amen. I’m mostly left-wing myself (with a few exceptions, like gun control – I’m a big believer in taking the Constitution literally). But I live in a rural area and understand that nukes, EMPs, solar flares, utility hackers, and the like don’t particularly care about your politics, race, or much of anything else.
Samantha:
Thanks for a timely and well-written post. I’m one of those people that doesn’t fit the “typical prepper” stereotype (which is an unfair stereotype to begin with, as all stereotypes are). It frustrates me to read good prepping information that is riddled with all sorts of political nonsense, name-calling, finger-pointing, and right-this/left-that. As another reader said, that’s when I delete my subscription, too.
We all *DO* need to work together to survive. I prep no matter WHO is in the White House. I prep no matter how my political or religious beliefs run. I prep even though I’m a woman (shock of all shocks!), and I’m the primary prepper in my predominantly male household on top of that.
I echo your call — let’s all work together and remember what prepping is about. Prepping itself is NOT a political activity, although it may be driven by political situations for some. Prepping is about surviving.