aka how not to be forced to kill and eat your neighbour PREPPERS Mgr. Michael Myklín, 23.4.2019 PREPPERS •People who are constantly preparing for the emergencies, natural disasters, impending societal collapse due to pandemics, a shortage of resources, economic downfall, or an unexplained apocalyptic event • •Origins in 1940s and 1950s with civil defense programs in USA promoting protection against nuclear weapons • •From avoiding inconvenience, through being prepared for emergencies or war to surviving zombie apocalypse §Universal set of skills and supplies for most situations • •Preppers are often viewed as insane, paranoid, conspiracy theorists or pessimists towards society/humanity • •Can be considered subculture Paranoia as a norm, as well as a pessimimsm toward society/humanity -Preppers aim to be as much selfreliable as possible and no relly on govenrment in the time of crisis PREPER DICTIONARY •BIB (Bug in Bag) •BOB (Bug out Bag) •BOL (Bug out Location) •Golden Horde •G.O.O.D (Get Out of Dodge) •TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World as We Know It) •WTSHTF (When the Shit Hits the Fan) • PREPPERS VS SURVIVALISTS •Prepping – learn how to effectively survive disasters and adapt to long-term change within a local area §Need of food, water and safety as a number one priority •Survivalism – usually understood as a more hardcore form of prepping, including white supremacism, antigovernment groups, apocalyptic cults and wide range of militias (Barlet 2004; Lamy 1992; Weeber and Rodeheaver 2003) §Often depicted as shaved-headed youths, marching about with swastikas, US flags or other symbols. Also depicted with weapons, carrying paramilitary training scenarios or preaching that the „End is coming“ (Lamy 1992) §Focus on dystopian scenarios following some cataclismating event (social/political/economic collapse) where they will need to defened themselves and their families from those that they perceive as a threat • • MEDIA DEPICTION OF PREPPERS Obsah obrázku text, fotka, podepsat, pózování Popis byl vytvořen automaticky Obsah obrázku muž, budova, osoba, interiér Popis byl vytvořen automaticky Obsah obrázku tráva, osoba, exteriér, uniforma Popis byl vytvořen automaticky Obsah obrázku osoba, muž, interiér, stůl Popis byl vytvořen automaticky REALITY •Normal people with emergency supplies vs. doomsday survivalists living in wilderness •Different countries = different threats = different prepper cultures • •TLDR: Most preppers are just regular people who plan ahead and prepare for short-term emergencies VS Obsah obrázku exteriér, osoba, tráva, muž Popis byl vytvořen automaticky Obsah obrázku zbraň, voda, hledání, vpředu Popis byl vytvořen automaticky Obsah obrázku vlna, jezdectví, voda, surfování Popis byl vytvořen automaticky Obsah obrázku interiér, láhev, jídlo, lednička Popis byl vytvořen automaticky Obsah obrázku tráva, exteriér, vlak, auto Popis byl vytvořen automaticky YOUR GOVERNMENT PROBABLY WANTS YOU TO PREPP! •Prepping is not limited to individuals or communities but it is recommended and endorsed by numerous governments around the world •The more people are prepared, the less people might die/require assistence •Manuals represent different issues, threats and recommendations specific to individual countries • •Governments themselves are also prepping - stockpiles of strategic resources and materials (oil, food, medical materials) – often classified §USA - National Strategic Stockpile §Czech Republic - The Administration of State Material Reserves §Finland - National Emergency Supply Agency •As COVID-19 showed - many countries were unprapered for the situation, most notably USA §Numerous budget cuts in emergency response – hurricane Maria, COVID-19 Finland - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/world/europe/coronavirus-finland-masks.html LINKS TO EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS MANUALS •Sweden •https://www.msb.se/upload/forebyggande/krisberedskap/krisberedskapsveckan/fakta%20om%20broschyren% 20om%20krisen%20eller%20kriget%20kommer/if%20crises%20or%20war%20comes.pdf •Latvia: •https://kam.lt/download/50720/ka%20turime%20zinoti%20praktiniai%20patarimai%20en--el.pdf •Lithuania: •https://kam.lt/download/55077/2016%20aktyviu%20veiksmu%20gaires%20internetui_.pdf •Canada •https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/yprprdnssgd/index-en.aspx •German: •https://www.bbk.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/BBK/DE/Publikationen/Broschueren_Flyer/Fremdsprach_Pu blikationen/disasters_alarm_en.pdf?__blob=publicationFile •USA – FEMA •https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1549-20490-4633/areyouready_full.pdf •USA – Michigan •https://www.michigan.gov/documents/familypreparedness_color_62898_7.pdf •USA – CDC •https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/ • • COVID-19 AND PREPPING • •Stigma of prepping – preppers as paranoid hoarders • The current situation showe us a limits of todays globalized society – canned food, pasta, rice or flour sometimes not available at the stores becouse people were buying it in the begining of the pandemy. On the top of that, there are many people with health conditions that should not go outside becouse the virus is death sentence for them. There are of course solutions like delivery service, but that might not be avalilable immidiately – when the emergency state begun, i ordered food from tesco online delivery service and the closes delivery date was in two weeks. Pandemy also showed us that we should not relly on governmant all the time – in Czech republic, there still is a very distinct and visible lack of long term or mid term plan – officials are changing their mind from day to day – how can be citizen sure the shops wont be next to be closed? Even for short period of time? If your own government doesnt knwo what it will do in next two days, hwo can you be sure it will také care of you? •https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-doomsday-preppers-new-zealand-2020-3; https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/apr/30/preppers-survivalists-disasters-lessons; https://time.com/5797950/coronavirus-preppers/ ; https://coloradosun.com/2020/04/03/coronavirus-preppers-fortitude-ranch/; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-28/coronavirus-fears-see-ameri; https://www.politico.eu/article/coronavirus-swedens-preppers-say-i-told-you-so/cans-stockpile-guns/ 12088298 COVID-19 AND PREPPING • •Stigma of prepping – preppers as paranoid hoarders • •Failure of governments to provide leadership and supplies • •More preppers in the future + more tolerant views on prepping in general population •Especially in Europe • • • PREPPING FOR ECONOMIC COLLAPSE: ARGENTINA 1998 •1998-2002 – Argentine great depression •Widespread unemployement, riots, fall of the government, default on the country´s foreign debt •Over 50 % of Argentinians loved below the official poverty and basic needs of 25 % of Argentinians were unmet, violent crime became a rampant problém •Rapid inflation = prices of some food and other articles doubled overnight • •How can prepping help to come and mitigate effects of financial crisis on individual? •Food stockpiles •Comes in handy when prices of food skyrocket •In case of riots and highed crime rates there is no need to go to the shop •Anyhting else is bonus – weapon, car, gas, wood, skills… • • So, we survived covid-19, but what about the post-covid world? The economy is gona také very heavy beating, people are and will be unemployed, prices will go up, salaries worn.. I think it is safe to say we are slowly but surely heading to economic recesion. One of the most serious cases of contemporary economic crisis and subsequent collapse of a country is Argentina in 1998. HOW TO PREPP REASONABLY? •Preparedness saves lives and self-sufficiency beats dependency oDo not count on emergency services (firefighters, ambulances, police) or emergency public services (tanks with water) to be available in time •Basic prepping for short-term emergencies (72 hours) is relatively cheap •How to be prepared? oEmergency supplies for short-term emergencies (food and water) for at least 72 hours o General emergency supplies (fire extinguisher, proper first aid kit, radio) o„Grab bag“ with basic necessities for sudden evacuation (food,water, blanket, radio, first aid kit, flashlight) oCar emergency kit (proper first aid kit, jumper cables, rope, water, food, extra clothing, blanket) •Prepping supplies can be very useful during individual financial difficulties (unemployment etc.) • • • Different states reccomend different amount of supplies – german government recommends 10 days Hard to plan for apocalypse scenario – solar flares – asteroid – supervulcano - supervirus EMERGENCY SUPPLIES •Survive 14 days in your home without services (shops, water, elektricity, heating)? •Preparation for short/mid term events (blackout, natural disaster, riots…) • • • •Food •Canned food with long shelflife (sauces, beans, legumes, tuna, vegetable, fruit) •Rice, pasta, potatoes •Flour •Oil •Snacks, alcohol, coffee,, tea (morale booster) •Spices (salt, pepper) •Water (drinking, cooking and hygiene) •Bottled water, water filter, purifying tablets • • •Light •Fleshlight, candles, oil lamp •Matches/lighter •Cooking •Outdoor cooker with spare propane fillings •Others •Can opener •Radio with spare bateries •Trash bags •CASH •Ducktape •Fire extinguisher • • •Hygiene •Toilet paper •Hand sanitiser •Wet wipes •Bleach •First aid kit •Disinfection (peroxide) •Basic meds (ibuprofen, paralen) •Gloves •Bandage • • • EMERGENCY EVACUATION BAG •Prepared backpack/bag in case of sudden crisis (flesh flood, fire) •Food/snacks (energy bars, dried meat, nuts, canned food, MRE) •Bottle of water •First aid kit •Flashlight •Raincoat •Emergency blanket •Matches/lighter •Pocket knife •Hand sanitiser •Paper tissues •Toiletries (tooth brush, tooth paste, soap) •Extra underwear •Copy of ID and other important documents •Cash • How To Pack A 'Go Bag' For Emergency Evacuations | Lifehacker ... WOULD YOU COMFORTABLY SURVIVE 72 HOURS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, WATER AND WITH CLOSED SHOPS? SOURCES •Barel, C. 2004. Militias in the frame. Contemporary Sociology 33(5): 514-521 •Lamy, P. 1992. Millenialism in the mass media: The case of „Soldier of Forture“ magazine. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 31(4):408-424 •Lamy, P. 1996. Millennium rage. New York: Plenum Press. •Weeber, S. and D. Rodeheaver. 2003. Militias at the millennium: A test of Smelesr¨s theory of collective behavior. The Sociological Quarterly 44(2):181-204 • • • •Questions? • • • •myklin.michael@gmail.com