Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Country Folks will survive.

Recently there has been some attention given to those that the media has dubbed Preppers. These are people who are preparing for an uncertain future. They are storing food, medicines, and yes guns and ammunition. Living in the country as I do when I am home, this only makes sense to me. I was in Denver during the Christmas Blizzard of 1982. The town was paralyzed for three days, every grocery and convenience store were picked clean, and all the shelves were picked clean. One person I know was trapped in his apartment with no way to get his insulin refilled. One of the conversations I have seen online had to do with taking the supplies from the Preppers by violence if necessary and that violence spilling out into the countryside. While that scenario may make for a good Post Apocalypse scifi movie the reality has a few flaws. First of all is the fact that people who live in the country tend to be armed and proficient with those arms. They hunt and fish regularly and hit what they aim at rather than holding the pistol sideways because it looked cool on TV. Add to that an intimate knowledge of the terrain and being used to dealing with hardships, the Country Folk have the advantage over those who live in the city. Most of those who would become the roving gang types are not really comfortable outside the city. They may venture out on occasion but will be met with stern determination. A good example of how it would most likely happen can be found in the book Granny Boo by Phil Whitley. People who know the land and understand it will always be able to rise from what ever is thrown at them. It is in their DNA.

1 comment:

  1. Words to heed, my friend. I don't think of myself as a 'survivalist' but rather a survivor. In Granny Boo I tried to visualize life as it would be after an apocalyptic event. I tried to keep it real - like instead of people going back to a barter system I think it would become a 'You got bread and I've got a gun' scenario. Even at that I would like to see neighborhoods get together an pre-plan for an event, but I'm afraid the reality will be quite different. I have my 'bug-out' bag, my Boy Scout manual, field guide to herbs and a lifetime of experience in the woods. Will I be ready? I hope so.

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