Interesting discussion. It seems to me that common usage of the term now tags survivalists as extremists (left or right doesn't matter, not mainstream) and pictures of Ruby Ridge, Waco and guys in militia uniforms are what people think of when they hear the term -- right or wrong. The term has been taken to describe extremist nutjobs even though there are few (and possibly none of us) who fall into that category.
And another group of fearmongering extremists are the ones pushing the agenda.
In order to keep the money rolling in, they have to have these strawmen to prop up and point at. It's really that simple.
Until I start using my supplies to just get by I'm just a preparedness geek.
Are you going to wear clown shoes? How about "Prep Monkey?"
What about wilderness survival? Mostly what I see with the guys and their primitive shelters, and their friction or spark based firemaking is campers taking roughing it to a higher level. Then when they walk out after "surviving" in their primitive shelter and eating a rabbit they snared over a fire they made from scratch, they get into their Subaru Forester and drive home to get a hot shower and a good meal with the family -- not survivalists.
Now you are having a crack at defining survivalists, you have a high paying job waiting for you with a bunch of cubicle-dwelling extremist clowns typing up white papers on people that are statistically insignificant.
Maybe I don't live the right lifestyle. I live in a suburban house and get a paycheck every month which is used to pay bills and buy things. I live "on the grid" and don't raise livestock or grind my own wheat. If I lived on a farm that was off grid and did in fact raise and prepare my own food on a continual basis, then maybe I'd consider myself a survivalist. . . but I'd call myself a farmer, BTDT and I was only summer help. If I had a really big spread with solar and windmills, cattle and crops, I'd be a rancher.
If you are preparing to survive, you are, by definition, a survivalist. If you wish to use the definition of extremists talking about other extremists, go ahead! People should ignore what you have to say on those issues, however.
You guys can call yourselves anything you want, but I don't want to be tagged as anything but mainstream and until the media changes their presentation of survivalists (not survivors AKA victims as in Katrina), I'll do whatever I need to not be painted with that brush.
Meantime, I'll just keep preparing.
It's not even what I want to call myself. I'm talking about WORDS. I'm not telling you to put a yard sign out, I'm just telling you to defend the language instead of creating a cloud of BS that's not going to do any good.
You're waiting for the media to change? Don't hold your breath! YOU have to change them. You're NOT going to do so by calling yourself a Preparation H Monkey or whatever cutesy term you can come up with. There is a term for it, you don't have to get it printed on T-shirts, but when something comes up, don't run from it.
The best thing that could happen right now is that the 17 tinfoil helmet, turd smeared "extremists" spread out from Wyoming to the Pacific Coast would now embrace "Preparedness Geek" as media camouflage for their NEFARIOUS PLOTS!
