There have always been people, some of them preppers, who seem to look forward to an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it disaster. I’ve divided these people into the following types:
The Killers and Criminals
These are people who look forward to letting out their secret inner selves when they are no longer constrained by the rule of law. They harbor a twisted desire to do brutal, socially unacceptable stuff to their fellow man. They are smart enough to realize that doing so today gets them caught, so they bide their time until there is no law enforcement. Some are already criminals. Others are waiting for the SHTF so they can act like criminals.
This includes so-called werewolf preppers who look at a disaster scenario as an excuse to kill other preppers, take their wives and daughters as sex slaves, and live off their preps.
Some of those ready to take advantage of a collapse include gangs that are organized, well-armed, disciplined, and have a chain of command. Their numbers and organizational structure make them far more dangers than the lone-werewolf type. They are ready to quickly take advantage of a situation, whether that’s looting the gun store, robbing rich houses, or breaking into the ATM when the power is out and the police can’t respond.
If you are unfortunate enough to run into any of these types of preppers after the SHTF, my advice is to stay clear, and if that is not possible, then show them no quarter.
The Lazy Dreamer Prepper
Then there are those preppers who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. I mean that figuratively and literally; they are so out of shape they can’t walk three miles. Dreamers have grand ideas and elaborate plans about how they survive, but these are fantasies. They have never tested their plan, don’t have the gear they need to execute it, and are unsure of their objective. But in their dreams, it sure sounded good.
If you are a serious prepper, you want to avoid these armchair quarterbacks and never let them into your group. Don’t give them your address or they will show up empty-handed and leach off of you.
In a prepper group, they’ll be quick to tell you what you are doing wrong, but unwilling to contribute to fixing the problem. They’ll always have an excuse for their inability to meet minimum group standards and a dubious explanation for why they had to miss the last meeting. They are dead weight or worse.
The “Test Me” Preppers
Some who wish for the end of the world want to test their preps in the real world. They aren’t satisfied with going backpacking for a week, entering a three-gun shoot, or moving to a homestead to test their preps. These include those folks who sign up for those TV shows like Naked and Afraid, only to learn it isn’t that easy.
(As an aside, did you ever notice how almost everyone in that show ends up hungry, weak, and/or sick? That’s what will await you if your bug out into the wilderness and think you can build yourself a new life starting with only what you carry in your bugout bag. You need a place to bug out to that has shelter and infrastructure.)
I think a fair number of preppers harbor a secret desire to see how they do in a prepper situation. After years of prepping, with friends and family making fun of them, using their preps will be the vindication they seek.
These people would be valuable members in a prepping group. They would be in good spirts because this—whatever this is—is what they have been preparing for. Now they can meet the challenge head on and test their mettle. They will probably be well prepared and skilled to meet the challenges of life after the SHTF head on.
The Short-Sighted “If Only” Survivor
The last group are people are those who are sick of their current lot in life and want something different. Maybe they yearn for “a simpler time” and want to be transported 150 years back in time, not realizing how tough things were back then. Maybe they hate their jobs or are saddled with debt and think the end of the world will erase all that and let them start over.
It’s the wife who thinks, “If only Stan wouldn’t come home from work one day, all my problems would be over” without stopping to think how much they depend on his paycheck. Or the person caring for an elderly parent, secretly wishing they would die already.
Then there’s the person who can’t pay their mortgage and has $189,000 in college load debt despite making $125,000 a year. They are thinking, “if only an EMP wiped out all the banks records.”
Short sighted? Sure, but that’s because the problems in their life are so severe, anything different looks like an improvement. They are desperate for change and don’t stop to think that things could change for the worse.
Most Preppers
I think the vast majority of preppers are better grounded than these four types. They aren’t looking forward a disaster, but they can see it looming on the horizon. Here are some of the prepper types I’ve run across:
The Veteran or LEO
These folks have peeled back the veil that separates most wealthy Americans from the harsh realities of the world. These are the folks we pay to go into battle zones, both in cities, foreign and domestic. They have looked the hungry, the desperate, and the evil in the eye and come out. They have seen human nature at its worst and seek to protect themselves their loved ones from it here at home. Only this time, they will have their own rules of engagement.
They prep because know what is out there and how quickly it can manifest. Three days without food. A collapse of the grid. When the trucks stop running. The aftermath of a nuclear attack. They prepare for it all, and they know combat arms and logistics. They are good folks to have on your team.
The “Once Bitten” Prepper
These are the preppers who learned from bitter experience and decided they never wanted to be put in that position again. They have been there, suffered the consequences, consider themselves luck y to have survived, and have sworn never to be a victim again. This can be as simple as the flood victim who moved to higher ground, or it can be someone who had a life altering experience that opened their eyes to the many weaknesses of society.
These preppers never doubt they are doing the right thing and will change their lives to be safe. Like people who lived through the great depression and never trusted the banks again, they learned the hard way and as a result are true believers. I’d be happy to have these folks on my team.
Many Others
Of course, there are many other kinds of preppers, like the book prepper, who has read much but done little, and the half-hearted prepper, who goes along with their spouse but whose heart isn’t in it. Then there are people who prep because of God’s Word. There are also broke preppers who can’t afford much more than a backpack of supplies, and wealthy preppers who pay others to prepare for them and count on hired guns to keep them safe. The important thing is that you prep for the right reasons–to protect yourself and those you love–not to take advantage of others.
Prepping is a journey, and the kind of prepper you are will evolve as your life evolves. Life may force you to step away from prepping or miss your goals; that’s OK, that’s just life. Something may happen and you have to eat your prepper food. That’s OK, that’s what it’s there for. Not every disaster is a global disaster.
Prepping is a lifestyle. With any luck, you have plenty ahead of life ahead of you. You may never be fully prepared, but with any hope, in a few years, you’ll look back and see how far you have come. You can be proud of that, even if you haven’t had to put your preps to use.
But if you ever meet someone who can’t wait for the zombie apocalypse, smile, nod, and then try to avoid them.
