I love Magpul gear and I have to say that Chris Costa is a bad dude! Their line of instructional videos are top notch too (The Art of the Tactical Carbine, for example).

Thanks for posting this, as I haven't seen this one yet.

That was one intense story! Now that was one tough guy!

Here is a question that I can never get anyone to answer.

WHAT in the hell is a survivalist?

And why is it time for a reality check for them?

Originally posted by Screwed
Here is a question that I can never get anyone to answer.

WHAT in the hell is a survivalist?

And why is it time for a reality check for them?

Good point. I think some people think being a survivalist means putting on camo, grabbing some MREs and an AR-15, and heading for the woods waiting for the perfect opportunity of shooting down a black helicopter that will surely be coming after them.

To me being a survivalist means storing some extra toilet paper and hanging out at home hoping for the best.

Is that camo you're wearing?

"I have been to war and there is nothing glorious about it"

Yeah to me it means a little bit of the third one in the post a few posts up that and a little of being dealt a s**** hand in life and actually having to fish at 2 am in the dark of night because you can't afford a permit or license and your children need to eat tomorrow, and that and being in training as well (Military) and also it's about how to prepare any damn thing to taste halfway decent because even those starving kids decide they wanna be picky oh and being able to grow things like not you having a green thumb but real knowledge about plants and knowing the best ones to fullfill your nutritional needs for the climate you're in. It doesn't hurt to have some weapons for defense, but I'd rather stay put in my home and not try to invite problems but if they come to me, at least have some defense, though I hate guns, so I have compound and crossbows, swords, maces, numchucks (but I'd go for the swords first, I'd probably brain myself with numchucks:lol That to me is what is meant by a "Survivalist". But there is alot more to it than that it just would be too long a post to cover everything.

The story in the OP sounds like typical military PsyOps. Want to know who did a better job at surviving that S hitting the fan better than Roy Benavidez and way better than any soldier that lost his life in 'nam? The guys who dodged the draft.

Sure you may have no respect for them and may feel sickened by what they did but the truth is that one of the most important rules in survival is to avoid confrontation. Probably even more true if it is on behalf of someone else. That is just what they did.

Actually the story in the OP has almost nothing to do with actual survival/bushcraft/boy scout readiness.

Common sense and the will to live in extreme conditions makes you a survivalist and when its all said and done you can call yourself a survivor

The single main reason why I abandoned Survivalism as an interest, was because I realised that I was attempting to use it as a means of psychologically compensating, for the inferiority complex that I have customarily had, due to being a civilian.

I would urge civilians to guard against this. The prevailing culture teaches males in particular that you are a second class citizen unless you are military; so for individuals like me who are permanently barred from service due to the inability to pass a physical, (I have one kidney, among other things) a strong interest in and knowledge of Survivalism can seem like the next best thing, and can allow us to feel paramilitary.

However, the reality is that we're not. If you are a civilian, you are a civilian, full stop; and nothing outside of active duty can change that. Playing COD won't; learning as much about Surv or exercising or reading special forces manuals on the Internet as much as you want, won't. We are the proverbial maggots, permanently and inherently, and there is nothing we can do to alter that fact.

If you want to get interested in Survivalism in order to give yourself a genuine chance to survive when SHTF, or just because you're legitimately interested in it and/or think it's cool, then that's fine. However, doing it because you're trying to convince yourself that you're hardcore is absolutely the wrong reason; especially because in most cases you won't be as committed as someone who is sincere, so you won't train as well, and will likely end up dead, in situations where a sincere person wouldn't.

I've never been that interested in the military.

Early on in life, I lived through a disaster. Later on I was the victim of a crime (mugging, robbery). I devote a small percentage of my life energy to avoiding being exploited or victimized by others or the natural environment.

Nobody but God is bulletproof.

on the other hand, twice as many people died last year from being struck by lightning, as were killed by rattlesnake bites. How many survivalists have given more thought to lightning safety?

And you are more than 500 times more likely to die by being crushed between two heavy objects. Remember that the next time you hook the boat trailer onto the pickup, heading for the lake. Seriously. That's real survivalism