An American Phenomenon

I am from the United Kingdom and never really gave prepping much thought. But recently i read a thread on ATS which made me think that maybe i should start because i have been Unemployed for a couple of months after the company i worked for entered administration and after reading.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I though how much easier would the last couple of months been if i had stockpiles and such. I could have made my money last so much longer. So after much deliberation when i am employed again i will begin to Prep.

But this left me with a greater question. Why are there so many preppers in the USA but practically none in the United Kingdom ? So i decided to look into it.

All over America, there are millions of Americans that are quietly preparing for doomsday. They are turning spare rooms into long-term food storage pantries, they are planting survival gardens, they are converting their homes over to alternative sources of energy, they are taking self-defense courses and they are stocking up on just about anything you can imagine. They are called "preppers", and their numbers have absolutely exploded in recent years. In fact, you might be living next door to one and never even realize it. According to a recent Daily Mail article, there are approximately 3 million preppers in the United States today.

Others believe that the true number is significantly higher than that. This movement has become so popular that there are now even television shows being done about preppers. The most popular is probably "Doomsday Preppers" on the National Geographic Channel. This movement is still growing and is not going to go away any time soon. In fact, as the world continues to become even more unstable it is likely that a lot more Americans will find themselves becoming preppers in the years ahead.

Source

So i was able to establish that America has millions of preppers. So i looked into how many people prep in the UK and i was unable to find any national statistics ( If anyone can find any please do post ). So i looked into prepper groups and found out how many members one of the UKs biggest prepper groups have.

Well here at the P2S Network we have over 1750 members (and growing daily), that are preparing for all types of situation, from severe weather to loss of mains electricity due to solar flare. However, most are prepping for those events that we all experience. Hikes in the cost of food and utility prices, unemployment and zombie invasion (OK, maybe not the last example).

Source

Which to me looked like an incredibly small amount of people. Bearing in mind that's only from one site so there is probably thousands more. But still that's nothing.

I was even more shocked to find this article, because there is an large amount of American female preppers on this website. Where as in the UK female preppers are few and far between.

Annie Durbin, pictured here with her with survival equipment, is believed to be one of Britain's only female 'preppers' American ex-pat, Annie Durbin, who lives in east London, is a new recruit and believes she is one of the only woman preppers. She said: 'The specific point that I became interested in prepping was in the summer of 2011, just after the riots. I thought, wow, you know, this is really serious. If this handful of kids can shut down London, you know, what happens if something really major happens?' So she has stocked up on canned goods and grains which will last three months. She said: 'I think it should be sufficient, because if the s*** did hit the fan, I would probably not be able to stay here very long anyway. So I think that amount of food is probably about right.'

She then goes onto say something i didn't expect people would pack in a survival situation.

'Even if you’re out surviving, you still want to look nice, don’t you? Still a matter of self-preservation, taking care of yourself, I think that’s very important. Especially if everything around you is collapsing. 'Apparently I am unusual being a female prepper. There don’t seem to be many others around. But I probably do think of issues that men don’t think of. 'I’ve got lots of condoms, and various lubes and things, because even in times of hardship, people have sex.

Source< br />
Although after giving it more though it makes sense as you don't want to be spreading disease around in that way.

Now i am only going to be prepping for future monetary problems. But most people prepare for the end or big time disasters.

Which brings me to the end of my post and my final statement. Why are more people in the UK not preparing for unforeseen events because if SHTF in America it would undoubtedly affect us as well. Is it that we just feel like we are better prepared without having to do more. Or is it that we are ignorant and don't believe the end will come ?

reply to post by Snoopie


Probably has to do with the Government there tends to take better care of it's people than the US.We don't have socialized medicine like you do and our welfare is basically for mothers with infants.Social security takes care of disabled people but good luck qualifying for it.That we have so terribly many homeless people speaks volumes about how much our government cares for its people

.Back in the '80s they changed the laws on homes that took care of disabled people and those mentally ill.The solution? Turn them out in the streets.I'm not joking.Don't wonder why we have such violent crimes when you can't even hardly get a family member committed. They will do a 72 hour 'hold' on the person evaluate them,put them on meds then turn them back out.How you manage to 'cure' a mentally ill person in 72 hours beats me,but whatever.My sister was a nurse on a mental unit in a hospital and said 'yeah,72 hours and your out of there'

.The government here has never been very good at taking care of its people to be honest,plus a lot of people have a 'country' background.People in the country have never been very trustful of the government to begin with.

And they tend to be a hardy,handle it yourself type.Therefore in my mom's day it was not uncommon to keep a months supply of food stockpiled in case your
A. power went out
B.Food became scarce for what ever reason.
C.the weather got bad
D.the government did something dumb
E.etc. and so on.

We like our guns and won't give them up for the same reasons.

Maybe it has something to do with the "blitz" spirit, the stoicism and stiff upper lip, that we rely on to see us through times of crisis. That could be a totally romantised view of it, but I'm going with that for now.

British stoicism and determination in a difficult or dangerous situation, especially as displayed by a group of people

oxforddictionaries.com...

Don't forget to pack the lube
What a classic, she's thought of everything

Great thread it even sets me to thinking, but the next question will be what is the best prep list.

Kudos

I think it is a good idea to store some food (at least 72 hours) its better to store more
But I hate the word prepper I mean some of these people are such wankers.

That being said I don't think it matters where you are a bit of food and a lot of knowledge and forethought
Can save you a lot of money so good for you for wanting to be less dependent on the system and more dependent on yourself

Originally posted by Dimithae
reply to post by Snoopie

 

Probably has to do with the Government there tends to take better care of it's people than the US.We don't have socialized medicine like you do and our welfare is basically for mothers with infants.Social security takes care of disabled people but good luck qualifying for it.That we have so terribly many homeless people speaks volumes about how much our government cares for its people

.Back in the '80s they changed the laws on homes that took care of disabled people and those mentally ill.The solution? Turn them out in the streets.I'm not joking.Don't wonder why we have such violent crimes when you can't even hardly get a family member committed. They will do a 72 hour 'hold' on the person evaluate them,put them on meds then turn them back out.How you manage to 'cure' a mentally ill person in 72 hours beats me,but whatever.My sister was a nurse on a mental unit in a hospital and said 'yeah,72 hours and your out of there'

.The government here has never been very good at taking care of its people to be honest,plus a lot of people have a 'country' background.People in the country have never been very trustful of the government to begin with.

And they tend to be a hardy,handle it yourself type.Therefore in my mom's day it was not uncommon to keep a months supply of food stockpiled in case your
A. power went out
B.Food became scarce for what ever reason.
C.the weather got bad
D.the government did something dumb
E.etc. and so on.

We like our guns and won't give them up for the same reasons.

You know why the government isn't good at taking care of people? Because that's not, and never has been it's responsibility. The government is responsible for national defense, enacting treaties and ensuring the constitution is upheld.

The mere fact that you believe the federal government should be responsible for "taking care of people" is a sad commentary on where we stand as a nation today.

Color me disappointed.

reply to post by Dutcheagle

but the next question will be what is the best prep list.

Plenty of threads on that here of course...basically, food, water, protection, medical supplies, the ability to grow your own food, and a safe shelter are the basics. The best asset however, is always your mind...train that, and you're never without your greatest survival tool.

I think it is because if Americans are having to use their prepping stuff and SHTF, that means the UK has been wiped off the map for weeks.

Its different for different folks obviously, but most of us feel its our responsibility to care for our own and not rely on someone else. Anyone watching can see that in times of need and disaster, resources and real help is lacking. If we love our family, we don't plan on being "THAT" guy or girl who was too stupid not to prepare. FOr me, I ws raised as a "prepper" and Im getting close to 50. We survived hurricanes, disasters, financial issues, tornadoes, etc... we not only survived, but thrived and had the ability to assist others due to it. My parents were born and raised on the reservation and culturally, you simply live more of a prepper lifestyle in many areas. The link you posted from ATS concerning financial isues being eased by prepping is how MANY in the older generaton live their lives.. it just makes sense. Basically it's arrogant at best to think that you will skate through life without interference from man or Mother Nature.

If youre thinking of doing this, there are many threads here and there is the survival show. I saw you in chat last night.. when it comes on... come in chat. You an listen while discussing or asking questions to the rest of us in chat. Many here will give you practical good advise and give you a starting point. SOme.. well theyll give you crazy advise. LOL! Just use your common sense and much luck to you!

As a member of P2S it's one of the few prepper / survivalist sites out there where members actually do meet up and do field-exercises, wild-camping etc.

Overall though the UK media is basically very, very hostile to survivalists and has been since the end of the cold war in the late 80s.

The welfare state and people being typically servile to higher authority prevents self-sufficiency taking root like it has in the USA.