CBC’s The Current features Preppers in Canada
Mar 25, 2012 Uncategorized
So I’m listening to The Current on CBC and their show on Preppers. Not even two minutes into it, and I find that they are sensationalizing the subject already.
Daryl Stratichuk, the first Canadian that they interview seems to be a pretty level headed guy, and first makes the assertion that they aren’t really living any differently than many of our parents or grandparents did. Mind you they jump to the bug-out-bag first off. Personally I don’t like the term bug-out. It’s a militaristic term and conjures up images of someone freaking out and running for the mountains.
We don’t stock a bug out bag, because, well, we are where we would bug out to.
Then they go to his stock in the basement, which sounds like a small convenience store, but still is mostly foods that are ready to eat. Freeze-dried foods, mylar pouched portions, water storage in a large bladder. In many ways they’ve bought their way to preparedness. Again nothing against that, they are definitely better off than their average neighbour and I suspect he would be helpful to his neighbours in tough times too. He just sounded like a gentleman.
Next up was James Wesley Rawles, from “somewhere west of the Rockies”. Really James? If any person with half a brain and Google wants to, they’ll find where you live. Don’t get me too wrong, he’s a wealth of information to be sure, and definitely someone who can weather just about anything, yet in my opinion he’s going to sound like a whack-job to the average CBC listener. The first risk that he lists as being a good reason to prepare is global economic failure and collapse. A possible event, but unfathomable to Joe CBC. What is more likely is that you could lose your job, there could be a serious illness in the family, maybe even just a simple car accident! Those are the things that most preppers are focused on in my opinion. Those are the reasons that Joe CBC should think about a preparedness lifestyle or philosophy.
CBC, preparedness is what you do when you get health or life insurance, it’s what you do when you just keep your pantry filled, it’s what you do when the government could pull your funding any day. Ring any bells CBC?
But should I be surprised by the CBC’s attempt to sensationalize preppers? I suppose not. After all, Canada’s top bankers just told the government that more Canadians are paying down debt and not taking as much credit and that’s BAD for Canada’s economy. Did you get that? Basically these bankers said that doing what is logical and smart is going to hurt us and that we should spend more than we have. Seriously? So our government broadcaster is keeping in character by suggesting that critical reasoning and planning is over the top.
All your average prepper does is what your parents or grandparents did. They grow some of their own food, so they’ll always have some food. They save some money for a rainy day. They keep some candles and maybe a lantern handy for when the power goes out. If you can do that, you are well on your way to being prepared.
The focus on what the disaster will be was disappointing to me. It’d be like teaching your kid to swim and constantly telling that they must learn to swim or they will certainly drown one day. You wouldn’t do that. No, you’d teach them to swim because swimming is fun, it can cool you on a hot summer day, it can be great exercise! Then maybe later you might mention something about not drowning. It all goes back to the principle, “If you know how to swim, it doesn’t matter how deep the water is.” If you are prepared for life’s little disasters you’ll be ready for big ones too. Oh, and it is fun, it can be great exercise, and it can give you peace of mind.
Well, here’s the show so you can listen for yourself.
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2012/03/23/preppers/
Tags: canada, cbc, Daryl Stratichuk, James Wesley Rawles, preppers, radio, the current