Preppers

I first came across the term “prepper” when I read about the recent appalling loss of life at the Sandy Hook Primary School in Connecticut. Apparently the mother of the perpetrator was a “prepper” – meaning I believe, someone who is prepared for the worst case scenario or a disaster and there are no, or very few, survivors. So these “preppers” accumulate stocks of what they consider essential supplies – including weapons and the necessary ammunition.

Now I have no real quibble with the concept of storing food and while I have a philosophical aversion to having weapons in the home I recognise that there are certain situations when they are useful – mainly in a rural setting. I will admit to once owning a Beretta 9mm hand gun – this was about 40 years ago in Africa when things got a bit wild and woolly – but I never had occasion to use it and sold it after about five years. The problem was that I did not know where to keep it safe – particularly as we, at that time, employed servants.

My concern is about the psychological state of the “preppers”. What do they think will happen in a worst case scenario? Fighting off all comers to preserve your patch in a dire situation is not a good idea. No one can live in isolation and survive for long – we are gregarious creatures and need others of our kind for support, companionship and for our general well-being.

It is necessary to recognise that in extreme circumstances a community spirit is the only one that will ensure long term survival. A community spirit means sharing – both good things and bad; both times of plenty and times of hardship; both food, clothing and lack of food and clothing. If anyone has more than others - hoards and defends it against all comers others, who may have nothing, could possibly adopt the same attitude and attack to obtain the supplies they need for survival. If this happens then anarchy will prevail and anarchy means a complete breakdown of any semblance of order and is not good for the survival of anyone.

To adopt the presumed attitude of the “preppers” that, “I took the trouble to look after myself. It is your fault if you were stupid enough not to do the same. What’s mine is mine – you are not getting any of this. Go and look somewhere else”, is  not only very selfish but is a long term self defeatist attitude. There will be times when a “prepper” will need help of some kind. If a “prepper” is not prepared to accommodate the needs of others then why should others accommodate them?

We have to share and share alike; we need others around us to survive.

An alternative view of capitalism.

Having grown up and lived all my life within a Democratic, Capitalist System I know no other and am the beneficiary of the System in many respects but this does not mean that I am blind to its faults. Not at all! As my one loyal reader has pointed out there is much in a capitalist system that creates injustice – great disparities in income between the “rich” and “poor”, for instance. And greed. While greed is certainly not confined to the capitalist system it seems to offer greater opportunities – just recall the antics of Wall Street brokers and financiers in 2008. This was just pure greed – and look what happened! Millions of people forced out of work; millions of people forced out of their homes as (greedy) banks and mortgage providers foreclosed loans.

Then there is the globalisation of Capitalism. This is where my one loyal reader is greatly puzzled. Why, he asks, should Australians, as an example, be paying more for their bread just because there have been poor wheat harvests in Russia, Ukraine and the USA forcing world wheat prices to record levels? There is (currently) no shortage of wheat in Australia. There is (currently) no drought in Australia.

I agree. Our Australian (domestic) wheat price should not be set by financiers in Chicago or where-ever.

I know I will be told that the “free market” will set the price and that it will all balance out in the end. But the thing is that the market is not “free” and it never has been. Many American farmers receive subsidies; French farmers are paid not to plant crops; the Chinese Government keeps the value of the Yuan artificially low to encourage exports; God knows what the Russians and Ukrainians do but I am sure it is not strictly legal; dumping products (selling produce at below cost) happens world-wide; subsidies and other currency manipulations are common throughout the world and distort the “free” market. So the “free market” is not free at all.  

The same argument applies to the general price of any food product. It is never that there is an actual world-wide shortage of food. It is just that we waste so much and store so much that food is not available where it is needed most – mainly sub-Saharan Africa.

Food is often stored – removed from sale – by unscrupulous (greedy) “free-marketers” who will keep the food until the price has increased to a level that they feel is appropriate. This is wrong! To withhold food from starving people because the price is not high enough is immoral, appalling and plain wrong! Food is a basic human right and should never be withheld. To withhold food because some poor people cannot pay the price demanded is obscene.

This happens in a “free market”. This is “allowed” by the Capitalist system but still does not make it “right”.