Gunman’s Aunt: Nancy Lanza Talked About Survivalism

“Prepping” for the collapse of civilization
Crime • Views: 27,943

According to the aunt of Adam Lanza, Adam’s mother Nancy was a “survivalist.”

“Last time we visited with her in person we talked about prepping and you know, are you ready for what can happen down the line when the economy collapses,” said the gunman’s aunt, Marsha Lanza.

The reporter asked, “Survivalist kind of thing?”

“Yeah,” said Marsha Lanza.

I Googled “prepping” and discovered that there’s a thriving right wing movement dedicated to this form of survivalism; first time I’d heard the term in this context.

Jump to bottom

122 comments
1 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:32:54pm

Militia mentality's making a comeback. How odd that these kinda folks only ever seem to start thinking the end times are near when a Democrat's in office.

2 Kragar  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:35:57pm

Apocalypse anxiety. Every god damn RWNJ talking head shockjock pimps that shit every day on their show.

Assholes.

3 Obdicut  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:36:05pm

If this is true, and she filled her head's kid with this bullshit-- the paranoid fucks who spread this kind of shit, this is the consequence. You push the middle, the edges move too.

4 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:36:36pm
5 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:37:05pm

And to think, if she had a gun, she'd be alive.

///

6 Charles Johnson  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:38:04pm

I Googled "prepping" and discovered that there's a whole right wing movement dedicated to this. First time I'd heard the term in this context.

7 Decatur Deb  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:38:52pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

I Googled "prepping" and discovered that there's a whole right wing movement dedicated to this. First time I'd heard the term in this context.

Warmer, friendlier "survivalists".

8 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:39:08pm

I'll keep repeating this because eventually some of the smart people will get it: You are in much greater danger having a gun in the house than if you don't. Wingnuts can bluster all they want but the statistics do not lie.

9 Iwouldprefernotto  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:39:38pm

You would think that people concerned about surviving would lock up their weapons.

10 Dr Lizardo  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:40:04pm

Ah, survivalists. Preparing for an apocalyptic event that never comes. But wait, wait they say. It will. Surely this time, the end is nigh.

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing bad about being prepared for some natural disaster or another. I grew up in Los Angeles, home of earthquakes, so that was drummed into my head from a young age.

But the nuttiness of survivalists takes it to a whole new level. I once went a gunshow up in Portland, OR, well over 20 years ago when the survivalist thing was really big up in the NW. With my black girlfriend. Oh yeah...........we got some truly evil stares. It creeped us both out, and some of the literature....yeesh. She bought a copy of 'The Turner Diaries' and after she'd been reading it for a few hours at home, she was like, "You gotta be f---ing kidding me! WTF is this s--t?!"

11 jaunte  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:40:46pm

re: #7 Decatur Deb

Galt's Gulchers

12 Pawn of the Oppressor  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:40:48pm

I think there are cable shows about "preppers".

I know of people who have a "bug-out bag" which is exactly what you'd think - food, camping gear, water, emergency medical supplies, etc. in a grab-and-go package, but they're all ex-military people who live in hurricane zones. :P

13 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:41:05pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

I Googled "prepping" and discovered that there's a whole right wing movement dedicated to this. First time I'd heard the term in this context.

You should start watching "Doomsday Preppers" on Nat geo . Last night featured a guy who built his own assault weapon taking the "best features" of the AK-47 and the AR-16. He calls it the "Joshua" after his favorite biblical general, and he says it's for shooting looters when the world crumbles.

14 Charles Johnson  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:41:45pm

re: #13 Randall Gross

You should start watching "Doomsday Preppers" on Nat geo . Last night featured a guy who built his own assault weapon taking the "best features" of the AK-47 and the AR-16. He calls it the "Joshua" after his favorite biblical general, and he says it's for shooting looters when the world crumbles.

I guess I must lead a sheltered life.

15 Decatur Deb  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:42:55pm

re: #14 Charles Johnson

I guess I must lead a sheltered life.

You're obviously not prepared for the preppers.

16 Obdicut  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:43:41pm

re: #14 Charles Johnson

I guess I must lead a sheltered life.

I know some survivalists, or knew-- kind of lost touch-- who were Vietnam vets. I think it was more a metaphysical, psychological response to what they'd been through than a reasoned one. They weren't fantasizing about it hopefully.

17 Pawn of the Oppressor  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:44:13pm

re: #13 Randall Gross

He calls it the "Joshua" after his favorite biblical general

Oh, that makes me feel so much better.

I just call mine "Saddam".

/

18 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:44:55pm

re: #13 Randall Gross

You should start watching "Doomsday Preppers" on Nat geo . Last night featured a guy who built his own assault weapon taking the "best features" of the AK-47 and the AR-16. He calls it the "Joshua" after his favorite biblical general, and he says it's for shooting looters when the world crumbles.

If you spend all that time taking in End Times theology while building a gun "for shooting looters", then you might be a wingnut.

/With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy.

19 Mich-again  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:45:10pm

The shooter had a history of mental illness and anger management and mom was an avid assault weapon collector. How the hell did she think it was all going to end?

20 TedStriker  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:45:22pm

re: #13 Randall Gross

You should start watching "Doomsday Preppers" on Nat geo . Last night featured a guy who built his own assault weapon taking the "best features" of the AK-47 and the AR-16. He calls it the "Joshua" after his favorite biblical general, and he says it's for shooting looters when the world crumbles.

Good grief...

I wish we had a way to teleport all of these nutjobs off this rock...

21 Dr Lizardo  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:45:36pm

re: #17 Pawn of the Oppressor

Oh, that makes me feel so much better.

I just call mine "Saddam".

/

I call mine "Suleiman the Magnificent"-

22 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:45:56pm

re: #17 Pawn of the Oppressor

Oh, that makes me feel so much better.

I just call mine "Saddam".

/

He's a Arab Socialist!!1 Blast him!

23 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:45:58pm

re: #14 Charles Johnson

I guess I must lead a sheltered life.

The show's in its second season, and by spotlighting this bs I wonder if NatGeo's not encouraging more of the same. See here for a synopsis of episodes aired so far.
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

Some of these people are harmless, but there's a few crazed militia survivalists mixed in.

They call themselves "preppers" because people understand the term survivalist.

24 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:46:22pm

re: #21 Dr Lizardo

I call mine "Suleiman the Magnificent"-

I call mine "Vera."

What's everyone looking at me like that for?

//

25 lawhawk  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:47:07pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

Doomsday preppers. Preppers. TV shows are being made about it. Big business.

And in the end, that's all that matters to the gun companies and other companies that cater to these folks.

26 Mich-again  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:47:08pm

The problem with assembling an armory of weapons and ammunition for the doomsday is that you will become a target for attack. And you will die protecting your piles of guns and ammo.

27 stabby  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:47:14pm

re: #10 Dr Lizardo

So is survivalist all about going George Zimmerman on every black boy in your neighborhood or what?

28 jaunte  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:47:50pm

re: #13 Randall Gross

He calls it the "Joshua" after his favorite biblical general, and he says it's for shooting looters when the world crumbles.

I'm not sure what the psychological issue is with guys who name their little appendages, but there's something going on there.

29 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:48:09pm

Ok . So I meant to say "Rifle" up there (this after I remembered that "this is my rifle this is my gun" scene from Platoon...)

30 William Barnett-Lewis  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:48:09pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

I Googled "prepping" and discovered that there's a whole right wing movement dedicated to this. First time I'd heard the term in this context.

All of which is descended from the Posse Commitatus/Survivalists of the 70s & 80s. It dovetails with the Militia movement ideologically but most of the prepper types don't think the militias will work so all civilized society will end. They will be prepared to be pioneers of a New America!!11ty!! There's been a streak of this in American culture since before the revolution.

31 Decatur Deb  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:48:31pm

re: #27 stabby

So is survivalist all about going George Zimmerman on very black boy in your neighborhood or what?

For the serious ones, it's about not having a neighborhood.

32 Dr Lizardo  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:48:34pm

re: #23 Randall Gross

The show's in its second season, and by spotlighting this bs I wonder if NatGeo's not encouraging more of the same. See here for a synopsis of episodes aired so far.
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

Some of these people are harmless, but there's a few crazed militia survivalists mixed in.

They call themselves "preppers" because people understand the term survivalist.

The term "survivalist" has extremely negative connotations. As in white supremacist deranged loony connotations.

33 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:49:11pm

re: #25 lawhawk

Doomsday preppers. Preppers. TV shows are being made about it. Big business.

And in the end, that's all that matters to the gun companies and other companies that cater to these folks.

Company's still building fallout shelters these days for homeowners. Saw a show about one company that builds them and the fact that the guy who ordered it saw it as a wise investment to protect his family just boggled my mind.

34 stabby  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:49:17pm

"every" not "very"

You know on Discus, when you edit an entry it automatically changes for everyone who has it on the screen. I wonder if LGF could do that.

35 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:49:18pm

re: #29 Randall Gross

Ok . So I meant to say "Rifle" up there (this after I remembered that "this is my rifle this is my gun" scene from Platoon...)

That scene is from "Full Metal Jacket", not "Platoon".

36 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:49:43pm

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

That scene is from "Full Metal Jacket", not "Platoon".

Ok

37 Four More Tears  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:49:47pm

Obama about to speak.

[Link: livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com...]

38 Four More Tears  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:51:26pm

re: #37 Four More Tears

Obama about to speak.

[Link: livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com...]

Well, at some point in the vigil.

39 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:52:48pm
40 Dr Lizardo  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:52:55pm

re: #33 Targetpractice

That's very true.

You know, if I live in Tornado Alley, I'd very likely invest in a tornado shelter in my backyard. It's not a bad idea. Stock it up with a week's worth of non-perishable foodstuffs.

But five years worth? And an arsenal big enough to launch a coup d'état in some countries? Yeah..........not so much.

41 lawhawk  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:53:07pm

re: #33 Targetpractice

Why buy a new one when you could get one at a fraction of the price (former DoD surplus missile silos).

42 TedStriker  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:53:30pm

re: #23 Randall Gross

The show's in its second season, and by spotlighting this bs I wonder if NatGeo's not encouraging more of the same. See here for a synopsis of episodes aired so far.
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

Some of these people are harmless, but there's a few crazed militia survivalists mixed in.

They call themselves "preppers" because people understand the term survivalist.

Because they know that "survivalist" has negative connotations.

Just like how the bigoted RWNJ shitheels love to pretend there's a difference between "racist" and their contrived word, "racialist".

Not a goddamned difference at all.

43 Kragar  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:54:51pm

Beck's Post-Election Recommendations: Buy Farmland and Guns!

Glenn Beck sought to make sense of the results of last night's election, beginning with a lengthy, tear-filled monologue about George Washington before getting down a business by rolling out hints about his plans to create an entire Blaze "ecosystem" that will be able to operate independently of the government and existing media structure because everything is about to go downhill ... so people need to start buying up farmland, pull their kids out of the public schools, and loading up on guns:

44 Pawn of the Oppressor  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:55:26pm

See, I get around this stuff by not having a family. My big plan for The End is to wander the Earth. You know, like Cain from Kung-Fu.

I went out walking, with a Bible and a gun...

45 calochortus  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:55:33pm

Sigh. Well, I'm off to dinner with the neighbors down the street. The people (along with everyone in between here and there) that I'd share my food, water and shelter with in case of the apocalypse. Shoot them? I don't think so.

Have a good evening all.

46 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:55:48pm

re: #41 lawhawk

Why buy a new one when you could get one at a fraction of the price (former DoD surplus missile silos).

If it weren't for the price, I wouldn't mind living in one. If nothing else, you wouldn't have to worry too much about privacy.

47 lawhawk  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:56:43pm

re: #40 Dr Lizardo

Tornado cellars/bunkers make tremendous sense - give yourself a couple of days worth of provisions, water, etc. And that gives you a fighting chance against something that happens every year - tornadoes - including the kinds that will rearrange your house pretty thoroughly.

48 Stanghazi  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:57:07pm
49 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:57:24pm
50 Stanghazi  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:57:48pm

Singing the Hebrew prayer. I'm not religious, but this is so true.

51 Stanghazi  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 4:59:12pm

so sorrowful

52 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:00:46pm

re: #48 Stanghazi

[Embedded content]

Not sure that'd be a good idea. Michelle might remind him too much his own daughters. My sister and I are both adults now, but the news of Sandy Hook still hit my parents a good bit harder than it hit me.

53 Killgore Trout  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:00:54pm

I usually have a couple months worth of food (beans, rices, squash, some canned stuff) in my basement root cellar. With my greenhouse I could almost be food independent. I've thought about a gun from time to time but I'm just not a gun person. Anyways, I'm in a semi urban environment and I'm surrounded by more people than I can reasonably shoot or feed if the shit hits the fan. I might by a compound bow in case of zombie apocalypse but as a home defense weapon it'd be pretty useless.

54 dragonath  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:01:31pm

re: #43 Kragar

Beck's Post-Election Recommendations: Buy Farmland and Guns!

I wonder if Beck's survivalism concepts are filtered down from some of the Mormon food hoarding practices.

It's going to be hard to find good farmland with seven billion people. And what are you gonna farm it with? Your hands?

55 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:02:05pm

Here's the profile on the guy I mentioned upthread:
[Link: channel.nationalgeographic.com...]

56 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:03:27pm

re: #55 Randall Gross

Here's the profile on the guy I mentioned upthread:
[Link: channel.nationalgeographic.com...]

The first two words that came to my mind: Walter Mitty.

57 Randall Gross  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:04:16pm

One of the season one preppers now thinks the government is infiltrating the Preppers. He's featured on the Alex Jones channel.

58 Stanghazi  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:05:33pm

Butterflies and a green ribbon. Anyone know significance?

59 Charles Johnson  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:05:53pm

re: #57 Randall Gross

One of the season one preppers now thinks the government is infiltrating the Preppers.

I hope he's right.

60 dragonath  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:05:59pm

I bet one of these days "preppers" are going to try to refine their own fuel. It'll make exploding meth labs look like child's play.

61 Destro  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:06:29pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

I Googled "prepping" and discovered that there's a whole right wing movement dedicated to this. First time I'd heard the term in this context.

I posted in November the following:

[Link: littlegreenfootballs.com...]

Doomsday Preppers has to be the saddest show on for profit TV since Honey Boo Boo: Really? On the National Geographic Channel?

I think what really sets me off about it is the exploitation of children. Right now on Doomsday Preppers they have a teenager (must be 15?) who is obsessed with the end of the world who is building improvised weapons (baseball bat with nails) and firing weapons and setting a fire in an abandoned building as practice for keeping warm while living on the run (and nearly kills himself and his 3 pals). Instead of getting this kid help and teaching him about socialization they are feeding his delusions.

62 Dr Lizardo  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:06:34pm

re: #57 Randall Gross

One of the season one preppers now thinks the government is infiltrating the Preppers. He's featured on the Alex Jones channel.

ITZ KONSPIRASEES ALL TEH WAY DOWN!!11!

63 Stanghazi  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:08:13pm

I respect religion. I understand this is what you need. Whatever my beliefs, this is still hitting my heart, these words you are saying.

64 jaunte  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:08:24pm
65 Interesting Times  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:08:32pm

re: #58 Stanghazi

Butterflies and a green ribbon. Anyone know significance?

Creeping sharia.

Hey, if wingnuts already said this, you know they'll say this too.

66 Shiplord Kirel  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:08:38pm

This is a very big movement/industry, one that shades from the wholly rational; indeed, mandatory (be ready for an emergency); to the completely batshit (arsenals and secret tunnels). I've given this kind of stuff some thought, and posted on it a while back, with a follow-up.

67 Dr Lizardo  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:09:56pm

re: #65 Interesting Times

Cue the wingnut howler monkeys if there's a reading from the Qur'an or an Imam reciting a prayer.

68 Stanghazi  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:10:30pm

re: #67 Dr Lizardo

Cue the wingnut howler monkeys if there's a reading from the Qur'an or an Imam reciting a prayer.

It is awesome. All religions need to be present for this horror.

69 Kragar  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:10:42pm

Rugged individuals don't survive. Communities survive.

70 jytdog  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:10:47pm

too bad the DSM 4 didn't include apocalyptic obsession as a mental disorder; could have barred her from having all those guns in the house

71 Mattand  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:11:02pm

re: #44 Pawn of the Oppressor

See, I get around this stuff by not having a family. My big plan for The End is to wander the Earth. You know, like Cain from Kung-Fu.

I went out walking, with a Bible and a gun...

You should definitely drift from town-to-town, solving crime and getting in wacky adventures.

72 Mich-again  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:11:50pm

So how far a leap is it from gun nut Survivalist to Anders Behring Breivik. I can think of a few websites that promote(d) both.

73 Shiplord Kirel  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:12:54pm

re: #69 Kragar

Rugged individuals don't survive. Communities survive.

My conclusion exactly, see #66.

74 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:13:22pm

re: #69 Kragar

Rugged individuals don't survive. Communities survive.

The "rugged individuals" know that, they just imagine themselves in the leadership role. "When it all goes to shit, everybody will look to me for guidance. Then we'll see who's laughing."

75 watching you tiny alien kittens are  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:14:09pm

The American Preppers Network has an article on this up...


Was suspected shooters mother a prepper?

As with any tragic story of this sort, first come the reports of the attack, followed by prayers for the victims, followed by background information on the attacker, and then comes the blame game. Who was the attacker and why did he do this? What weapon did he use? Guns? What kinds of guns? Where did he get those guns? Who taught him to shoot? Blame will often be thrust upon the parents, and then maybe bullies at school who may have contributed to who this attacker became. Maybe blame will be thrust upon his friends, or the community for not treating him right as he grew up. What about violent video games, movies and TV shows? Society and people around the attacker will often catch the blame. But how often is blame fully put on the murderous evil attackers themselves?

It is being reported in some stories that Nancy Lanza was a Prepper. According to Mail Online:
“Her former sister-in-law Marsha said she had turned her home ‘into a fortress’. She added: ‘Nancy had a survivalist philosophy which is why she was stockpiling guns. She had them for defense.

‘She was stockpiling food. She grew up on a farm in New Hampshire. She was skilled with guns. We talked about preppers and preparing for the economy collapsing.’”

Does being a prepper have anything to do with being a murderer? Not anymore than being a teacher, but being a teacher does not stop people from killing either.

I have no idea why he felt the need to link to a story about an Indian teacher (IN RAIPUR, INDIA) killing two students by bashing their heads together as proof that teachers kill people too, effing weird that.

76 Amory Blaine  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:14:23pm

re: #27 stabby

So is survivalist all about going George Zimmerman on every black boy in your neighborhood or what?

It's about the Red Dawn-Wolverines mentality infecting various sectors of our population.

77 Four More Tears  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:14:27pm

Uh oh. That sounds Arabic to me...

78 Kragar  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:14:32pm

Woohoo. You have a gun and can shoot looters. Time and time again, history has shown a well disciplined siege can break down almost any defense which doesn't receive outside support.

79 Dr Lizardo  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:15:30pm

re: #77 Four More Tears

It is.

From the Qur'an.

80 dragonath  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:15:31pm

I think it's pretty funny how many people are preparing for the end of the world without doing anything to, you know, preserve any natural resources we have now.

Yeah, real good plan there.

81 Destro  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:15:55pm

re: #76 Amory Blaine

It's about the Red Dawn-Wolverines mentality infecting various sectors of our population.

Right now on History 2 Channel is a show about the end times and they are pondering a zombie apocalypse as being real. Next up after the commercials, the pending space alien invasion....

82 Charles Johnson  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:16:41pm

There were reports that Adam Lanza was homeschooled - was that confirmed? Can't find much on the interwebs.

83 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:17:11pm

Most "preppers" I have met don't know diddly squat about the local edible/poisonous flora and fauna, how to collect safe drinking water without a filter, how to construct/find shelter, how to make fire from scratch, etc. What good is prepping for the end of society if you are going to be relying on the products of society to survive?

I suspect "prepping" is more about irrational paranoia that the continual liberalization of society is going to lead to its collapse combined with a fantasy where they can shoot people without repercussions and wallow in their "I got mine" stockpile.

84 Charles Johnson  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:18:14pm

Ah, here it is. Also from Marsha Lanza, Adam's aunt.

Adam Lanza's Mom Pulled Him Out of School: Relative

The aunt of Connecticut shooter Adam Lanza said the shooter's mother pulled him out of Newtown's public school system because she was unhappy with the school district's plans for her son.

Adam Lanza's mother Nancy, 52, was the first victim of his Friday shooting spree. Lanza shot Nancy in the face and then drove her car to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he killed 20 students and six adults before taking his own life.

Marsha Lanza, who is Adam's aunt and Nancy's ex-sister-in-law, called her former sister-in-law an "awesome ... giving person." She also told Evelyn Holmes of ABC-owned-and-operated station WLS in Chicago that Nancy had once been a classroom aide at the Sandy Hook school.

Marsha, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake, said that Nancy had home-schooled Adam after pulling him out of the Newtown public school system. "She mentioned she wound up home-schooling him because she battled with the school district," said Marsha.

85 Amory Blaine  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:18:16pm

re: #83 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter

^This.

86 Kragar  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:18:51pm

re: #83 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter

Most "preppers" I have met don't know diddly squat about the local edible/poisonous flora and fauna, how to collect safe drinking water without a filter, how to construct/find shelter, how to make fire from scratch, etc. What good is prepping for the end of society if you are going to be relying on the products of society to survive?

I suspect "prepping" is more about irrational paranoia that the continual liberalization of society is going to lead to its collapse combined with a fantasy where they can shoot people without repercussions and wallow in their "I got mine" stockpile.

I prep the old fashioned way.

Me and my buddies figure out whose prepping and we figure out how to best steal their shit when we need to.

87 Mich-again  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:20:24pm

re: #86 Kragar

I prep the old fashioned way.

Me and my buddies figure out whose prepping and we figure out how to best steal their shit when we need to.

The people who hoard guns and gold for the big doomsday street wars will just make themselves the first targets.

88 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:20:49pm

re: #66 Shiplord Kirel

This is a very big movement/industry, one that shades from the wholly rational; indeed, mandatory (be ready for an emergency); to the completely batshit (arsenals and secret tunnels). I've given this kind of stuff some thought, and posted on it a while back, with a follow-up.

I'd argue that the time for civilization to come to some level of "normal" depends on the level of disaster. Hell, even in the Fallout game series, one that admittedly is not the most realistic, still spotlighted civilization making a comback within a human lifetime, such that 84 years after the bombs fell, there existed established towns, communities, trading hubs, and so forth.

89 Killgore Trout  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:22:15pm

re: #83 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter

Most "preppers" I have met don't know diddly squat about the local edible/poisonous flora and fauna, how to collect safe drinking water without a filter, how to construct/find shelter, how to make fire from scratch, etc. What good is prepping for the end of society if you are going to be relying on the products of society to survive?

I suspect "prepping" is more about irrational paranoia that the continual liberalization of society is going to lead to its collapse combined with a fantasy where they can shoot people without repercussions and wallow in their "I got mine" stockpile.

Think of how many people would starve in houses surrounded by lawns infested with edible dandelions. They sell a handful of leaves at whole foods for about $6-7. If you live a few blocks away from the store you'd pass $1,000 dollars worth on your way there.
I live on a bike path and have mostly edible landscaping so I get to meet a lot of the local foragers. Some of them are very knowledgeable and interesting people.

90 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:22:38pm

re: #86 Kragar

LOL.

I prep by understanding the local flora/fauna, how to collect water, how to make a shelter or fire from scratch, etc. If for some reason things got bad I could head for the hills with little more than a knife, sleeping bag, and roll of plastic sheet (though I'd bring as much useful stuff as I could, I don't need it). Though my irrational paranoia probably stems from a fear of homelessness rather than from a fear of black people...

91 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:22:41pm

re: #87 Mich-again

The people who hoard guns and gold for the big doomsday street wars will just make themselves the first targets.

Hoarding gold has always seemed to me like the biggest joke possible. The value of gold in the absence of civilization is whatever the other party puts on it. If the guy you're trading with thinks a bottle of water is worth a bag of gold coins, then you're SOL.

92 lostlakehiker  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:22:44pm

re: #45 calochortus

Sigh. Well, I'm off to dinner with the neighbors down the street. The people (along with everyone in between here and there) that I'd share my food, water and shelter with in case of the apocalypse. Shoot them? I don't think so.

Have a good evening all.

Survival is a group deal, not an individual deal. Keeping good relations with the neighbors is a more effective way to prepare to survive a situation in which the government was offline, the electricity out, and so on, for a week, a month, or a lifetime, than amassing guns and food.

The food is moot in the first two of those scenarios, and the guns just about moot. One in every ten households is sufficient to deter looting, and a stack of guns is just an attractive target.

Knowing stuff other than the arcana of your own work is the other thing that could actually be useful in a survival situation. First aid skills, handyman skills, that sort of thing. All these are ways you might be able to make yourself useful to your neighbors if an economy had to be built back from near scratch, at least on a temporary basis.

93 watching you tiny alien kittens are  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:23:06pm

re: #86 Kragar

I prep the old fashioned way.

Me and my buddies figure out whose prepping and we figure out how to best steal their shit when we need to.

That is basically my plan, once the food in the pantry runs low your new best friend will be a good set of binoculars to scout out likely targets without getting too close until your ready...

/sorta

94 Killgore Trout  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:24:35pm

I'm on day 3 without a furnace. Temps in the 30's at night. I'm very thankful for my stockpile of firewood.

95 watching you tiny alien kittens are  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:26:01pm

re: #90 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter

Did you know that cattails are edible?
They are freaking everywhere around where I live, so at least I wont starve while getting other long term plans going if need be.

96 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:26:08pm

re: #92 lostlakehiker

Survival is a group deal, not an individual deal. Keeping good relations with the neighbors is a more effective way to prepare to survive a situation in which the government was offline, the electricity out, and so on, for a week, a month, or a lifetime, than amassing guns and food.

The food is moot in the first two of those scenarios, and the guns just about moot. One in every ten households is sufficient to deter looting, and a stack of guns is just an attractive target.

Knowing stuff other than the arcana of your own work is the other thing that could actually be useful in a survival situation. First aid skills, handyman skills, that sort of thing. All these are ways you might be able to make yourself useful to your neighbors if an economy had to be built back from near scratch, at least on a temporary basis.

In an end-of-civilization deal, the work you can do and the skill set you have will be the coin of the realm. The guy hoarding guns and food is not gonna last long when the latter is gone.

97 Decatur Deb  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:26:45pm

re: #92 lostlakehiker

Survival is a group deal, not an individual deal. Keeping good relations with the neighbors is a more effective way to prepare to survive a situation in which the government was offline, the electricity out, and so on, for a week, a month, or a lifetime, than amassing guns and food.

The food is moot in the first two of those scenarios, and the guns just about moot. One in every ten households is sufficient to deter looting, and a stack of guns is just an attractive target.

Knowing stuff other than the arcana of your own work is the other thing that could actually be useful in a survival situation. First aid skills, handyman skills, that sort of thing. All these are ways you might be able to make yourself useful to your neighbors if an economy had to be built back from near scratch, at least on a temporary basis.

Knew that Anthro 300 flint-knapping course was going to come in handy.

98 Killgore Trout  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:27:31pm

re: #86 Kragar

I prep the old fashioned way.

Me and my buddies figure out whose prepping and we figure out how to best steal their shit when we need to.

I'm already thinking of which of my neighbors will be most delicious. I suspect vegetarians might be a bit stringy.

99 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:27:37pm

re: #56 Dark_Falcon

The first two words that came to my mind: Walter Mitty.

OK, after viewing the whole profile I slightly revise my opinion of that 'prepper'. He does indeed understand the importance of having people with you and that survival is a group exercise. So he's not a lone wolf type, which does make him less dangerous, though still a wingnut.

100 lostlakehiker  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:28:44pm

re: #83 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter

Most "preppers" I have met don't know diddly squat about the local edible/poisonous flora and fauna, how to collect safe drinking water without a filter, how to construct/find shelter, how to make fire from scratch, etc. What good is prepping for the end of society if you are going to be relying on the products of society to survive?

I suspect "prepping" is more about irrational paranoia that the continual liberalization of society is going to lead to its collapse combined with a fantasy where they can shoot people without repercussions and wallow in their "I got mine" stockpile.

If they neglect the stuff you're talking about, then they're not remotely "preparing" for any sort of breakdown, large or small. Weapons are a very small part of the story of what would be needed.

Fire: any old magnifying glass will do. If you don't have that, then a plastic baggie or a sheet of clear flexible plastic can be filled with water and shaped and twisted into a lens.

Safe(r) drinking water: leave it lie out in direct sunlight for 3 hours.
Much safer: dose it up with a drop or two of bleach per liter. Then let it sit in direct sunlight etc.

Shelter? A car makes a pretty good shelter. Rip out the seat stuffing for personal insulation.

Fauna? Mostly edible. Road kill is generally edible, even if it smells and is kind of rotten. But that sort of stuff will run out almost immediately. You gotta get some sort of crop in the ground and hang on til harvest time.

If there was a nuclear war and it's cold and dark all the time, you're not going to survive.

101 Targetpractice  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:32:36pm

re: #98 Killgore Trout

I'm already thinking of which of my neighbors will be most delicious. I suspect vegetarians might be a bit stringy.

Be careful to limit your intake. Too much human meat gives ya the shakes.

/

102 TedStriker  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:35:05pm

re: #101 Targetpractice

Be careful to limit your intake. Too much human meat gives ya the shakes.

/

And drives your cholesterol through the roof.

///

103 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:35:08pm

re: #98 Killgore Trout

I'm already thinking of which of my neighbors will be most delicious. I suspect vegetarians might be a bit stringy.

Make sure to grow plenty of fava beans.

/

104 Shiplord Kirel  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:35:49pm

re: #98 Killgore Trout

I'm already thinking of which of my neighbors will be most delicious. I suspect vegetarians might be a bit stringy.

Know any tea partiers? They appear to be fattened up properly, good marbling. Stash some fava beans and a good chianti.

105 TedStriker  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:35:53pm

re: #103 Dark_Falcon

Make sure to grow plenty of fava beans.

/

And stockpile some Chianti.

///

106 Kragar  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:36:27pm

re: #101 Targetpractice

Be careful to limit your intake. Too much human meat gives ya the shakes.

/

Not if you use it to feed the hogs.

107 Killgore Trout  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:37:33pm

re: #103 Dark_Falcon

Make sure to grow plenty of fava beans.

/

I actually do. They're a cold hardy winter crop so they do well around here. Never had them with liver but I've thought about it.

108 Egregious Philbin  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:38:10pm

Preppers are bat-shiat crazy, they get their rocks off dreaming of a world where they have the guns and the food and the shelter, and no one else has it.

Weird folks, not the ones I'd want to re-populate the earth...

109 Decatur Deb  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:39:15pm

re: #108 Egregious Philbin

Preppers are bat-shiat crazy, they get their rocks off dreaming of a world where they have the guns and the food and the shelter, and no one else has it.

Weird folks, not the ones I'd want to re-populate the earth...

I'm going Amish. All they'll notice is the lack of contrails.

110 Killgore Trout  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:39:38pm

re: #104 Shiplord Kirel

Know any tea partiers? They appear to be fattened up properly, good marbling. Stash some fava beans and a good chianti.

No Tea Partiers here in Moscow on the Willamette. Various forms of free range hippies and a couple yuppies.

111 Tigger2005  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:40:02pm

I need to hoard hearing aid batteries, and get several pairs of glasses. Hard to survive if you can't hear anything or see two feet in front of your face! lol

112 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:40:52pm

re: #107 Killgore Trout

I actually do. They're a cold hardy winter crop so they do well around here. Never had them with liver but I've thought about it.

Killgore's "End of Civilization Cookbook", featuring "Liver of Looter with Fava Beans" and "Roast Heart of Hippie Kale Salad".

//

113 Major Tom  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:44:09pm

I've been reading a survivalist "prepper" site for about 3 1/2 years now. I can say that they are as much inspired by previous survivalist movements of the 80s and 90s but also are the result of the y2k craize, as much as from gun confiscation fears upon Obama's election (however irrational- or maybe not), and the post 9/11 environment when the gov't was briefly suggesting clear plastic, and duct tape as preventative measures. It didn't take long for people to realize that wouldn't be enough, and to look into what it would practically take... Everyone's definition of practical varies it would seem.

114 Major Tom  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:45:55pm

There are also the utopian homesteaders, and the anarchists...

115 A Man for all Seasons  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:46:43pm

Don't forget who is the original preppers in the US.. The Mormon church.
They can go for years while the rest of us drift off to sleep.
Plus they get to marry multiple wives again..Salt Lake City is going to be the place to be in the end times.
/

116 Egregious Philbin  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 5:47:29pm

My idea for a reality show: Get a bunch of preppers, drug them, and when they wake up, they are in a wasteland, and they have to actually live out their sick survivalist fantasy. Comedy gold.

117 Destro  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 6:30:42pm

re: #116 Egregious Philbin

My idea for a reality show: Get a bunch of preppers, drug them, and when they wake up, they are in a wasteland, and they have to actually live out their sick survivalist fantasy. Comedy gold.

It's called "Survivor" on CBS.

118 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 6:56:42pm

re: #95 watching you tiny alien kittens are

Did you know that cattails are edible?
They are freaking everywhere around where I live, so at least I wont starve while getting other long term plans going if need be.

Yep, cattails can be a staple if you have lots of boggy areas. Several parts are edible and have differing levels of nutritional value.

Around here I'm not so lucky. I'd probably have to peel prickly pears or something. :(

119 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 7:09:35pm

re: #100 lostlakehiker

If they neglect the stuff you're talking about, then they're not remotely "preparing" for any sort of breakdown, large or small. Weapons are a very small part of the story of what would be needed.

Fire: any old magnifying glass will do. If you don't have that, then a plastic baggie or a sheet of clear flexible plastic can be filled with water and shaped and twisted into a lens.

I'd prefer my fresnel lens if I have it around. But it's not always daytime and sunny so knowing how to do it with friction or flint is a good skill to have.

Safe(r) drinking water: leave it lie out in direct sunlight for 3 hours.
Much safer: dose it up with a drop or two of bleach per liter. Then let it sit in direct sunlight etc.

I don't think this would necessarily result in safe water. Except if you had bleach but that's not something I'd bother with.

Here is a hint, water that's collected as dew may as well be distilled. With some plastic sheet and some ingenuity you can usually collect morning dew even in the desert.

Shelter? A car makes a pretty good shelter. Rip out the seat stuffing for personal insulation.

Weak. A car is a sign of human habitation and not something I'd be around.

Fauna? Mostly edible. Road kill is generally edible, even if it smells and is kind of rotten. But that sort of stuff will run out almost immediately. You gotta get some sort of crop in the ground and hang on til harvest time.

It's possible to forage to survive in many areas through much of the season. Obviously being able to grow a crop would help immensely, if possible. Animals can be easily caught with traps. A simple covered pit being one of the easiest.

If there was a nuclear war and it's cold and dark all the time, you're not going to survive.

Most people wouldn't survive to the the post-war period so it's kind of a moot point.

120 Flavia  Sun, Dec 16, 2012 7:33:31pm

re: #111 Tigger2005

I need to hoard hearing aid batteries, and get several pairs of glasses. Hard to survive if you can't hear anything or see two feet in front of your face! lol

Now, I have seeing-eye children! THAT's thinking ahead!
OMG - am I a prepper???

121 Bulworth  Mon, Dec 17, 2012 6:50:46am
his (Beck's) plans to create an entire Blaze "ecosystem" that will be able to operate independently of the government and existing media structure

To start with, maybe he can quit his radio business.

122 KiTA  Mon, Dec 17, 2012 8:55:07am

re: #54 dragonath

It's going to be hard to find good farmland with seven billion people. And what are you gonna farm it with? Your hands?

That's why you get guns: To make sure the "illegals" continue to work after the monetary system collapses, and so "real 'Mericans" can keep eating.

I work with too many RWNJs, I'm starting to be able to simulate their deranged logic.


This article has been archived.
Comments are closed.

Jump to top

Create a PageThis is the LGF Pages posting bookmarklet. To use it, drag this button to your browser's bookmark bar, and title it 'LGF Pages' (or whatever you like). Then browse to a site you want to post, select some text on the page to use for a quote, click the bookmarklet, and the Pages posting window will appear with the title, text, and any embedded video or audio files already filled in, ready to go.
Or... you can just click this button to open the Pages posting window right away.
Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT
LGF User's Guide RSS Feeds

Help support Little Green Footballs!

Subscribe now for ad-free access!Register and sign in to a free LGF account before subscribing, and your ad-free access will be automatically enabled.

Donate with
PayPal
Cash.app
Recent PagesClick to refresh
Detroit Local Powers First EV Charging Road in North America The road, about a mile from Local 58's hall, uses rubber-coated copper inductive-charging coils buried under the asphalt that transfer power to a receiver pad attached to a car's underbelly, much like how a phone can be charged wirelessly. ...
Backwoods Sleuth
3 days ago
Views: 191 • Comments: 1 • Rating: 4