This is the third half of the post on introductions.
A Short History of Emergency Preparedness
OK. Before I begin, I have to tell the truth. Emergency Preparedness is a polite way of saying you're a survivalist, a prepper, a retreater, a member of the Zombie Squad, or a ...
Yep, a wacko with an assault rifle running around in the woods just like Robin Williams in the 1983 movie "The Survivors."
So, this really should be called "A Short History of Survivalism."
According to one source, survivalism began during the United States' Great Depression of the 1930s. During World War 2, nonviolent survivalism took a back seat to winning a war for the survival of the non-fascist nations.
After the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan and the start of a cold war, survivalism took off. The competing nations spent billions trying to protect their leaders and some citizens from atomic war. This is when we start seeing the nuclear fallout shelters in people's backyard.
During the 1950s, survivalism is linked to the movement to fight the soviets/Russians when they invade the United States of America. During the '60s, this anti-commie message is perverted by some racist groups to promote arming for a coming race war.
During the late '70s, survivalist move to the hills to prepare for the collapse of civilization caused by a mix of economic collapse and social unrest. During the '70s, Kurt Saxon coins the term "survivalist" for the first time, according to Kurt Saxon of course!
The 1980s' survivalist is preparing for a variety of problems such as nuclear war, social/economic collapse, and famine. The '80s also see survivalism being covered by major media organizations (better known as the mainstream media, today). The '80s are also when being prepared begins to get a bad rap.
The '90s see a surge in the interest of the principles of survivalism because of the year 2000 bug (Y2K), remember that? The 1990s also see a boom in the availability of information because of the internet. People are able to write, share and learn about the many aspects of survivalism.
The '00s have shaped up to be another rip-roaring time for survivalist. Many new groups/types of survivalists have been created. The variety seems to be unending. There are even (gasp!) liberal survivalists.
Because of this history, many people have a different idea of what survivalism is about. Some people are seen as preppers; others are nuclear war survivalist. Others are a mix of back-to-earthers with an appreciation for natural disruptions, and others are racists that use survivalism for their own ends.
This viewpoint also determines, to a certain extent, how people are preparing for emergencies, how they will see their preparations, and how they will respond to their emergencies. A green survivalist might use back-to-earth techniques to answer/solve their situations. A military-type survivalist might use military-based tactics and techniques, and a wilderness survival-type might feel the need to only prepare for emergencies in the forests and grasslands.
This mental perspective will also determine what you will prepare for, how you will prepare, and how friends and family will perceive your preparations.
More about that in the following weeks. So I'll ...
See you next week!
Links:
Wikipedia - Survivalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivalism
Survivalist Boards - Survivalist types...which one are you?
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?s=f2ad4fba3147cb3dddce9426caa99122&t=78972
