Have you noticed that it has become trendy to bash preppers? For a long time
the prepper movement was ignored, but now it has become so large that it is
getting very difficult for the mainstream media to pretend that it is not
there. In fact, it has been estimated that there are now approximately 3
million preppers in the United States alone. So now the mainstream media
has decided that mocking the movement is the best strategy, and lots of
“critics” and “skeptics” out there have picked up on this trend. Instead of
addressing the very real issues that have caused millions of Americans to
prepare for the worst, those criticizing the prepper movement attempt to put the
focus on individual personalities. They try to find the strangest nutjobs they
possibly can and then hold them up as “typical preppers”. The goal is to
portray preppers as tinfoil hat wearing freaks that need to be locked up in the
loony bin for their own personal safety and for the good of society. The
criticism of preppers has really ramped up in recent months, and it will likely
get even worse in 2013. The establishment does not like any movement that is
outside of their control, and the prepper movement is definitely not under their
control.
Often, hit pieces on the prepper movement are disguised as articles or shows
that are supposed to be “balanced” looks at the movement. This is especially
true of shows such as “Doomsday
Preppers“. That show is the highest rated show that the National Geographic
channel has ever had, and it can be a lot of fun to watch. But if you notice
carefully, they almost always try to feature people that they consider to be
“freaks” or that are “on the fringe of society”. Many other “reality shows”
follow the exact same recipe. The goal is to draw high ratings by running a
“freak show” that people can’t help but watch.
Even if you go on such a show and try to do your best to explain your
prepping in a rational and coherent manner, they will still edit the footage so
that it makes you look like a freak. It really is a no-win proposition. These
shows are trying to make it clear that preppers should be mocked. The
underlying implication is that these people are crazy and that what they are
doing is stupid.
And at the end of each segment, the producers of the show are careful to
include reasons why the prepper that was just featured is being irrational and
why the things they are preparing for are extremely unlikely to happen. Just in
case you missed the message they have been trying to communicate the entire
time, they come right out and tell you the conclusion that you are supposed to
come to.
And of course we see the same attitudes reflected in reviews of the show.
For example, the following is from a recent Los
Angeles Times review of the new season of Doomsday Preppers…
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