Preppers become world-wide leaders

[camoBOB]

I work in non-profit and have travelled in some of the poorest places in the world. In these third-world countries everything is falling down, covered in trash, etc. It was odd to me that they don't constantly work to make their world a better place, but I discovered that it is because there is no real gain. No one is going to compensate them for their labor.

That leads me to a thought. In event of TEOTWAWKI the only people well stocked with the essential needs are going to be preppers. I have heard multiple people talking about how we will have to hide, fight, etc. to keep our supplies, but I would challenge that their perspective is wrong. We would suddenly have the power to lead in rebuilding. We would be able to hire people (paying them with food, water, ammo, and other supplies) to rebuild the community.

We would hit a point where we could hide our supplies and go underground, causing the community we live in to fall into a similar situation to what I described in third-world countries, OR we could lead the masses to rebuild by offering vital essentials as compensation. We could be the only thing keeping the world from completely falling apart.

Any thoughts?

[1Admin]

Where to begin?

Human nature maybe? Have to work I'll post more later.

[Cimarron]

Why should someone work for food when they can just take it from you?
If they have any weapons and/or friends it might be easier on them.

[ThePreparedMom]

Yeah, I just don't think I have that much faith in humans. People don't want to work now.....they certainly aren't going to want to do manual labor when they are hungry, tired, and dirty.

[Irish-Tech]

My way on thinking on this is that you would need a strict set of rules when it comes to food/water... you don't work you don't get feed. you get caught stealing you die. it is harsh but without strict rules dissent will show itself and you (whoever the leader is) will lose control when the whiners complain how its not fair. The leaders in most areas will tend to be the elected officials so get to know them now when something happens they will listen to you. This doesn't mean they need to know your preps just that you are good friends, and think about disaster recovery.

[1Admin]

Find a "community" where absolutely NO ONE is taking ANY form of gubmint money, yes that includes veterans benefits, SSI, disability, etc. Then after you found the impossible, get ALL OF THEM there, every single person to stock a year supply of food.

That would be the START of a real "community" that could make it.

[camoBOB]

Find a "community" where absolutely NO ONE is taking ANY form of gubmint money, yes that includes veterans benefits, SSI, disability, etc. Then after you found the impossible, get ALL OF THEM there, every single person to stock a year supply of food.

That would be the START of a real "community" that could make it.

You lose me with the government free society. If an event of such a magnitude that this situation is relevant actually happens, then it isn't going to matter how much assistance people have received in the past because there won't be any more coming. We will have to learn how to adjust to a new world (or rather the world most people worldwide currently live in) where we constantly work and pray for another days meals. People are more resilient than you all are giving us credit for.

[camoBOB]

Why should someone work for food when they can just take it from you?
If they have any weapons and/or friends it might be easier on them.

A valid point, but people in general will never be okay with other people killing and taking each others possessions. Think about the days of the Wild West. THere were people that went around killing and stealing, but over time society united to put an end to it. Laws were developed and lawmen stepped up to enforce them.

[610Alpha]

regulations in and of themselves do not solve problems, if they did then there wouldn't be any crime period. I think you underestimate hungry people, especially parents of hungry kids they will do anything to feed their children.

granted in the event there wouldn't be any more handouts from the gubmint but they have that mentality of "de owes me" and if you think they won't take from you think again. Besides most preppers won't have enough food/water etc to help a community out enough IMO.

[1Admin]

You lose me with the government free society. If an event of such a magnitude that this situation is relevant actually happens, then it isn't going to matter how much assistance people have received in the past because there won't be any more coming. We will have to learn how to adjust to a new world (or rather the world most people worldwide currently live in) where we constantly work and pray for another days meals. People are more resilient than you all are giving us credit for.

The point being is that you need to find people that truly making it ON THEIR OWN NOW, without gubmint assistance.

A good portion of the population is only making it because of gubmint assistance. They are all going to be resilent and work and pray together? If they are living off the gubmint now, the chances of them doing either- work or pray are pretty small.

So you see a prepper in some sort of power position IF he starts a soup kitchen for the starving pilgrims in his area? I know of very, very few survivalists in a logistical position where this would even be POSSIBLE.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

OR we could lead the masses to rebuild by offering vital essentials as compensation. We could be the only thing keeping the world from completely falling apart.Any thoughts?

Yes my thought is you peseants may call me "grandaddy head rabbit of great one!" for your cup of rice:)

[camoBOB]

Perhaps, but as I said, I have seen real hunger. In Haiti I held an 18 month old boy that weighed 10 pounds (my son was 18 months at the time and weighed nearly 30 lbs). If the other people in their community hadn't have pulled together to help that family the boy would have died. They live by a "I'll help you today fully expecting you to help me when I need it" because they don't have government assistance, insurance, or even savings to buy medicine, so if they couldn't depend on each other to help then every catastrophe would lead to death. I am simply saying that if we hit a point that we don't have the securities like we have today, we will also have to depend on each other.

I do hear what you are saying about crime though, and yes, it will always be a problem. But that is another advantage of community, because you protect each other from crime.

True that preppers don't stockpile enough to save everyone they know, but it seems at least, that the majority of preppers do more than stockpile. We learn skills and mentally prepare for the worst as well. That could be just as important.

[arcangel911]

CamoBOB- You are also dealing with a third world country mentality. They do what they must to survive and some still have some code of ethics and or behaviorism that are enforced by society.

In the US, when a person is told, "No, we don't have anymore chicken nuggets at this Mc Donalds," people go nuts, throw things, hit people or call 911 and say they have been robbed or some other silly story. A lot of people do not handle emergencies or a changing environment well. I look at this last government hicc-up as another sign of the coming times and the inability of being unable to compromise until the very last minute, as a future tell tale of what possible future events we have coming towards us. (Don't get me started on it, cause I don't understand it either...) ;)

I see what you are saying about becoming a leader in your community, which is not a bad thing. But, as others have said, many people are lazy and just might try to take it from you. If you are in a great community with like minded people, then I think your plan would work well for you. If you are in a ghetto, or suburbia with unprepared and less than hard working folk, it might not go as well as hoped.

[goatlady]

They live by a "I'll help you today fully expecting you to help me when I need it" because they don't have government assistance, insurance, or even savings to buy medicine, so if they couldn't depend on each other to help then every catastrophe would lead to death.

That statement right there makes all the difference, guy. It's my understanding that these folks NEVER had that assistance at all, ever. Quite a difference from how a juge majority of folks here in the US live - constantly getting assistance in 1 form or another from the government and when that assistance stops they will NOT band together and lend a hand in the majority of cases. Look at Katrina with all the senseless looting and robbery even IN the shelters. Those who have been raised on the government assistance programs will most always look for assistance. IF not from the government than from the neighbors who, in their minds, have more than them and "need" to share to be fair! I admire your optimistic outlook and I surely hope you are not disappointed, but I don't hold much hope for that outcome. I personally have no plans of being a "benovelent dictator" such as you envision. I have scraped and skimped and planned and stocked for years, developing my skill sets in order to help those others who are trying to help themselves daily in the here and now. Most in this area will not work for food now, what makes you think they will later. They WILL take the food, not work for it.

[Briar Wabbit]

Well, Dr. Dave Arnot (sp?), a Doctor/Journalist reported back, from Somalia, sometime before "Blackhawk Down" ...
... He said that he had brought a stash of clean Tee-Shirts with him, to distribute ... He reported that he tried to hand one to a 7 year old "skinny" and that he (the Doc) immediately had 3 AK-47s pushed into his face and the gang members confiscated the tee-shirt. ... He said this happenned 3 times before he realized "it was hopeless".
ALL aide is intercepted and confiscated for the benefit of armed gangs ... This is currently going on, right now, in famine-stricken Southern Somalia where refugees are (even) being blocked from fleeing gang-controlled territories, so that the GANGS will be able to intercept/control the aid shipments ... Starving refugees are (plainly) being held hostage, for the purpose of aid-extortion.

Haiti? ... I saw footage of a 20-something "bully-male" physically wrench a deck of playing cards that a very young boy was trying to sell, in the street ... THAT is what I am seeing. Anywhere that aid is air-dropped, there is a mad-dash, for the supplies, and the strongest and the swiftest end up with the booty ... Widows and children end up with nothing. ...
... and ... THIS is EXACTLY why it took SO long to get food and meds "on the ground", in our beloved Haiti ... The US military, and US aid agencies ALREADY learned, MANY times, in the past, that aid cannot effectively be air-dropped (for the stated reasons) ... DISTRIBUTION CENTERS (armed/secure perimeter LZs) had to be established, ON the ground, in order to ensure a more demographically democratic distribution of limited supplies.

BUT ... if you are bent on building a better community ?? As has been stated ... here and elsewhere ... SKILLS !!!

There is this cool handbook ... A technical manual ... I believe it is called something like :

THE POCKET ENGINEERING HANDBOOK, or something like that.

In that book are ALL/EVERY engineering formulas ... Concrete mixes, Chemical process formulas, Architectural material load-ratings/limits, Calculus for edifice design, ALL the formulas that are in common use, in industry and design, globally.

I have often said that ... "With THAT book ... AND a Solar-Scientific calculator, a small group of educated individuals COULD rebuild civilization!" ... We shall see (or, NOT).

SKILLS and Knowledge are the only things that cannot be taken from you (without killing you, anyway).
If you are a deft negotiator then, you just MIGHT be able to convince the ruling warlord that YOU are worth more (to HIM) alive, than dead ...

Rotza Ruck ! ...

I would HONESTLY LOVE to be more optimistic and positive in my assessment and recommendations ... REALLY ! ... but that would be "just plain wrong" (i.e. unrealistic and simply incorrect).

Sincere Cudos, tho ... For actually going to Haiti and holding starving children in your loving and compassionate embrace ! Frankly, I do not know how you secured transport ... I have military contacts and I tried, in the first hours ... Was not possible (for me).

Sorry ... Polly-Anna has no place in these situations ... (however much we may LOVE her spirit and attitude! ).

(I dint choose the moniker "Briar Wabbit" for nothin').

=Elmer= (Shhhh!)