Fortune Magazine: “the preparedness crowd isn’t marginal at all”

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You know that prepping has gone mainstream when the popular financial magazine Fortune has a positive write-up about the wisdom of being ready for whatever may come.

Columnist David Z. Morris attended a preparedness expo called Life Changes, Be Ready! in Lakeland, Florida last week, where he discovered that our concerns are the same as those of the average American.  “LCBR gave an immediate sense of one big way that the preparedness crowd isn’t marginal at all — economically.”  He wrote:

More and more Americans are spending money to get ready for an uncertain future — gathering food, water, tools, and skills to help them weather anything from a hurricane to a pandemic. Contrary to images of deluded or gun-obsessed “lone wolves,” many preppers are average consumers reacting to concrete worries, and their way of thinking is spreading, fueling an emerging lifestyle trend. That lifestyle is generating demand for a broad spectrum of products offering survival — or even comfort — when large-scale systems go down…

…The diversity and type of products on offer was also remarkable. Egger’s seeds, for example, were prominently labelled “Organic” and “Non-GMO” — and so were all the other seeds on sale at the show. Those are distinctions you might not think were important to the same crowd in the market for a crossbow, but according to Egger, “you don’t have to explain to people anymore” why eating organic matters. That was just one element of the unique mix of gritty survivalism, back-to-the land self-sufficiency, and outright hippie dream-science on display at LCBR. There were earthworm farms and beehives for sale, and two different companies dealing in essential oils. In a back corner, Mike Mah, or “No Stress Mike,” offered $30 pain reduction sessions using his “Hoy Chi” energy healing techniques. Mah’s flyers proudly advertised that he attended every Tea Party event he could, and he manipulated the spines of dozens of willing customers with a pistol tucked discreetly in his waistband. (source)

Morris’s article pointed out that education was a large part of the expo, and that many of the mainstream stereotypes about preppers were not necessarily accurate.  He cited the non-threatening atmosphere and quote vendor Jim Egger. “If you go to the speaking engagements, you won’t hear any racist crap, you won’t hear any discriminatory talk. We don’t allow it.”

As preppers know, the end of the American way of life is upon us.  Less than half of the population is employed, and as incomes are dropping, expenses are increasing.  The divide between the rich and the poor in this country has never been greater, and the advent of Obamacare will widen the chasm even further.   More than half of the population is receiving some type of government benefit in order to feed their families.  The response is slow when natural disasters occur (think Katrina and Sandy), and when the EBT cards stop getting topped up, we can expect widespread civil unrest.  Never has the need been greater to stock up on beans, bullets and band-aids. (If you’re new to the idea of prepping, check out some sites like Ready Nutrition (especially the 52 Weeks to Preparedness Series), Survival BlogSurvival SherpaPrepper WebsiteLew Rockwell, and SHTFplan. Check out the Pantry Primer series on The Organic Prepper to learn how to build a one-year food supply in 3 short months. ) The clock is ticking, so buy as much as you can, while you can.  Despite what many veteran preppers may tell you, it’s NOT too late!)

Although most of the review was positive, the article concluded with the obligatory “doomsday crackpot” reference.

Still, it was impossible to completely ignore the presence of an element many would consider reactionary. Political and social initiatives represented at the show included the Polk County Libertarians and the admirable entrepreneurship mentoring program Patriot Mission, Inc. — but also the marginal, conspiracy-minded John Birch Society. After a relatively measured primer on the threats of inflation, featured economist Dr. Kirk Elliot encouraged me to look into how the Rothschild and Rockefeller families continue to own the Federal Reserve — a common canard among New World Order conspiracists of the Alex Jones stripe.

Finally, at the end of my conversation with John Egger about the rise of “suburban homesteading,” a man with a white shock of hair interjected himself into the conversation. “You know what chemtrails are?” he asked, referring to another conspiracist trope that sees chemical tampering in jetstream vapor trails. “They’re changing the weather, then selling drought tolerant seeds. George Soros and Bill Gates are behind it.” Egger nodded politely and smiled, tolerant of a potential customer’s eccentricities.

While normalcy and centrism may be the goal for businesspeople like Cindy and Jim Thompson, it seems the preparedness lifestyle hasn’t completely shaken loose its extremists and kooks. (source)

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Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on FacebookPinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

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  • lol…Nothing “kooky” about chemtrails when our own Air Force has a handbook on it, I would say…

    But then, MSM-zombie employees are completely out of touch with reality and the real world, believing in their own lies and scripted nonsense, only NOW wondering if there “just might be something to all this ‘prepping nonsense’, after all”.

    It’s funny; When MSM articles finally start to get a clue, there is still the obligatory “disclaimer” imbedded somewhere in the story.

  • When the MSM mentions it… it is a Warning…there is some weird universal law that stipulates we must be warned. They have now warned the general populace that still reads the MSM that prepping ‘might’ be a good idea. Go forth and take your permaculture design course. There is a free one I just found out about. I will email it to our beloved ‘Organic Prepper’ and she can decide herself if it’s worthy of a post. Cheers all!

  • Being prepared is just commonsense. I’m not sure why there is so much negativity associated with a ‘few’ people having a food storage.

    We have taken so much for granted and that includes food and energy.

    If everyone had some form of preparation, then that would make surviving a depression much easier.

    Our Day in USA is coming. We are going to have a tough time handling a ‘real’ economic problem along with food and energy shortages. Keep prepping….

  • The irony is “prepping” is the ONLY reason the corrupt, fiat ponzi scheme in Amerika is able to survive because that is the only “growth” industry in the corrupt marxist state of Amerika. Said another way, the net result is the corrupt Amerikan ponzi economy is surviving BECAUSE of preppers and the thugs at Fortune magazine who are cheerleaders for the most corrupt society in the history of mankind understands this and thus they want to lend their support—-it is helping to keep the lights on in this corrupt, evil country.

    There will be no depression BECAUSE of preppers—-preppers saved the criminal, corrupt fiat ponzi scheme and if they continue “prepping” and thus propping up the corrupt criminal fiat ponzi scheme eventually the crime syndicate that runs things will find a new “Scheme” to promote…preppers just need to keep spending and supporting the marxist criminal state of Amerika long enough for them to get their full police state in force, then they will move on to the next level of societal enslavement.

    Make no mistake, if it makes you feel better to prep, go for it, but it won’t make a difference in the end—the corrupt criminals that have seized our system are WAY AHEAD OF YOU and playing you all for puppets.

    Keep prepping—you are supporting the criminal fiat ponzi scheme and Amerika “needs you”!

      • Typical collectivist/communist/socialist/big government response—-you are an ignorant fool. Basically, what you are telling me is that I should be “grateful” to live in a nanny state where my labor is stolen and debased via a corrupt and unconstitutional money system? Are you serious? Really? So I should be grateful to live in a police state where a handful of corrupt people are allowed to destroy and debase the population at large on a daily basis simply because the masses are ignorant sheeple more interested in popular culture than a real education? I could go on and on but you are the delusional one—now go back to watching football and your other mindless pursuits while your masters complete their complete tyrannical takeover of the world—–you mindless sheeple “useful idiot”!

        • You are obviously mentally disturbed if you think I am a collectivist or socialist of any kind. Your usage of “Amerika” is a commy foreigner insult. Your description of Preppers is also an insult. It is also obvious that you have never lived in a real police state as I have. Have you ever been unexpectedly stopped at a road block in the middle of no where by a couple of 18 year old punks in military uniforms armed with assault rifles ( with no real military discipline training)? I have. The USA is getting there but we’re not there yet. I could analyze you all day long just by your angry sounding attitude which indicates that you are a very disappointed loser in the game of life. Take your tin foil hat off and come on out of the basement, no one is going to hurt you.

          • “Have you ever been unexpectedly stopped at a road block in the middle of no where by a couple of 18 year old punks in military uniforms armed with assault rifles”?

            Ya. They call it a D.U.I. and seatbelt check.

            It happens all the time in this unitedstate.

  • Hi all,
    Sort of off topic but not,
    After witnessing the destruction in the Philippines,
    Something to keep in mind is keeping your preps safe,,
    They wont do you any good if they are destroyed,
    That said, i get it that it may not be practical financially, but,,,,,
    At least think about possible solutions.

  • I got my ‘prepper gene’ from my grandparents who survived the Depression…nothing ‘wierd’ about that…we deal with weather related power outages all the time…yes, I am now preparing longer term, don’t get me wrong…This country overall has lost the lessons of the “Great Generation” including faith and preparedness…we need to preserve that knowledge and do what we can to protect and teach future generations

  • It seems a lot of people miss the point (as the writer being written about seems to have …) Prepping is about adding a lock to your door, putting passwords on internet access, blocking adult channels from kids eyes, saving money, buying insurance. The heart of prepping is future – it will come and by prepping we are saying “I don’t know the future, but I accept that it could be bad, so let’s act like it will be but pray it won’t.”

    Or maybe it’s taking your coat with you to work even if it’s fairly nice out because the weatherman says “rain is possible.” It’s not fear, it’s wisdom. Except for a few “prepper” purchases*, most of our ‘preps’ are about “what If I lose my job?” “What if my neighbor’s house is flattened by a tornado?” “How can I do better in the ice storm that always comes?”

    By those definitions, NOT prepping is beyond stupid. Not trying to protect your families future is just raw cowardice and selfishness.

    * A little cook stove that recharges USB devices. Several emergency reflector blankets. A couple of good ways to start fires (no fireplace or stove in town.)

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