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Post by StepfordRenegade on Mar 17, 2015 15:55:25 GMT 10
I was at a gathering recently and a new-ish friend of mine (she's been friends with my friends for years) mentioned her 'prepper stuff' a fair bit. Once it was in the context of camping gear (which made my ears perk up), and once it was in relation to her stash of wrapping paper (which threw me a bit, though I 'spose a zombie apocalypse is no excuse for shabbily wrapped gifts  ). So, my question is: is it poor form to come straight out and ask someone if they are a prepper (because we are such a private lot), and if you were to ask, how would you do it? Also, at what point (if any) would you reveal that you are also into preparing? |
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Matilda
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Post by Matilda on Mar 17, 2015 16:23:35 GMT 10
I would never ask someone if they are preppers as not many people know or understand prepping and also you have to rely that the ones you identified with may 'drop you in it' when things go belly up. It's a lonely path unfortunately and if other family dropped the hint, I would have to be really certain that they are on the same pages as we are. We have a couple of scoundrels in the family that would sell their Mothers and it would be 'all over red rover' for us if they got wind of it.
So Never. If we are put in a SHTF situation, safety for my family comes first. Our adult children are the only ones that know and I have stressed on many occasions to them how important it is to say nothing as if anything happens it's their safety too that could be compromised.
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Post by SA Hunter on Mar 17, 2015 18:07:12 GMT 10
In short - NO!
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Post by graynomad on Mar 17, 2015 18:45:02 GMT 10
I think that you have ot be very careful, but as frostbite has shown a small risk can really work out. Like all things, follow your gut re the person and ease into it. Not that I've had the opportunity to even think about sussing someone out yet, unless you count the bunch of reprobates from this forum I camped with a few months ago. |
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Frank
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Post by Frank on Mar 17, 2015 22:21:05 GMT 10
I am not sure I would ask someone straight out, but it would ultimately depend on the person and the feel of the discussion at the time. You can get some pretty good hints that people are interested in it eg. gardens, camping, solar/wind power, any talk of bulk buying groceries etc. I am fairly private, don't think my friends know and most of family wouldn't, although they probably have an idea given our house and hobbies but wouldn't know the extent of it.
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Post by Peter on Mar 18, 2015 11:21:29 GMT 10
We've told one other couple plus one pastor at church that we're preppers. They're friends who we've known and trusted for many years. The couple shares our views (although they don't practice them) and the pastor told me it makes sense.
I wouldn't tell anyone in my family, as a couple of family members cannot be trusted to know about our supplies or keep their mouths shut.
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shinester
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China's white trash
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Post by shinester on Mar 24, 2015 8:45:08 GMT 10
I'm very good at understanding and reading people, well at least when they're in front of me. I can probe them without people knowing if I so choose and I can have related stories that will let me know. The right questions here and there will tell you much about people, particularly if the pieces are tied together. This is what I do for a living, I piece together people's emotional lives, there's no difference in the people I talk to. I once told a women, 'so you're a sex worker' without her having said anything like it. She said, 'how did I know'. I knew because I probed her on my suspicions, people have patterns and similarities and I'd seen her 'pattern' before.
2 of my friends i have joked with and told them to come to me if there's a zombie Apocalypse, both of them shoot with me. They also carry key skills that would be invaluable. One's already offered me military drill training. More importantly I also trust them both very well, having known them both for some time and through tough situations. Of course they don't know I have food and other gear, they would be worth more than worth the food. I have them in mind as I prep, some more of the basics to cover them if need be. The way I see it, even in a decade if I don't use this stuff, it's fertilizer.
A very smart [and good] friend of mine once asked me if I was a survivalist, based purely on the interest I had in getting a shotgun. I laughed and said, no, I like guns. [it's true in both senses] There's a chance he is, with his interest in HAMS, past excellent paintball player, firearms owner, semi-rural property, full workshop... I could trust him, very much so. The directness is of concern, though if I had a bit more evidence such as food storage, he'd be my next on the list, though a bit more directly.
My ears stay tuned to it, one woman, my wife's friend, who was very open about it. A little too open for my liking. She's moving overseas, so irrelevant. Nobody but my wife know that I store food. Nobody knows the full extent of what I do, people have been next to my food and never knew it was there lots of times. They won't know. If things got bad, only a few people know I have firearms and nobody is going to show up for food.
So, in the end, I never 'ask', rather I find out without alerting them based mostly on passive information and the occasional association.
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