10 ms·

Yes, these people complaining should at a minimum point us to a post where they suggested that we stockpile coffee or shipping containers years ago.

nitrogen 6y ago
They don't post about it, they just do it. They are the people whose pantries were never empty.
- carbotaniuman 6y ago
  And yet we as a society look down on preppers. It's quite sad to see people complain about shortages and do nothing themselves. These aren't even shortages due to economic reasons or poverty, but rather due to simply to disruptions.
  - A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago
    I think part of it is that people in US have historically faced only several major disruptions ( 1939 depression being one of them ). Most people here have very limited idea how things work, when things are not conveniently available and don't seem all that comfortable with all the new ways they are being fleeced ( bots buying popular items, algorithms tricking them into paying more ).
  - vel0city 6y ago
    I am an Eagle Scout, and the Scout motto is "Be Prepared". I try and make sure I've got supplies to last me at least a couple of weeks if things get crazy, and plans for what to do when my home becomes unlivable. When the winter storm hit and knocked out power in my area, we were ready while many people I knew were scrambling to find food and shelter. I guess growing up in hurricane territory also instills the idea that things can go bad for a while and you need to do what you can to be ready. It always surprises friends of mine to see that the bottom shelf of my pantry contains a lot of shelf stable meals that only slowly get cycled through. They never understood why I'd bother keeping at least several days worth of food around, "just in case". Things today really aren't that crazy compared to what they could be like. Things will probably trend more towards normalcy in the next few months. But I know if things go bad, my immediate friends and family will be a bit more comfortable for a while longer than many of those around me.
  - lazyasciiart 6y ago
    My definition of "preppers" is a lot more specific than "people who stockpile some essential goods to see themselves through basic disasters or disruptions".
    - SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
      And mine used to be as well, but in retrospect I think it's clear that I wasn't being fair. Judging any movement by their extreme fringe is gonna make them look silly.
      - wccrawford 6y ago
        On the other hand, expanding a term to fit anything that somewhat resembles it really dilutes the meaning.
  - ElonMuskrat 6y ago
    That's quiet an extremist statement. There's quiet a few ticks on the continium from nuclear fallout bunker to a few months of food and water.
    - rlt 6y ago
      I would wager that the majority people, at least in liberal / urban centers, would look down even on “a few months of food and water” preppers, though that may have changed a bit in the past year.
      - menage 6y ago
        But "a few months of toilet paper" is basically one pack from Costco.
        wccrawford 6y ago
        Only if you bought it recently. Most people don't buy more until they've basically run out.
- robomartin 6y ago
  Part of it is being informed, paying attention and thinking critically. I recognized things were headed in the wrong direction back in early February of last year. That's when I went on an online shopping mission for a full week, buying provisions for at least a 90 day lockdown. I told friends, family and neighbors. I also told everyone to buy masks immediately, even if they were a bit more expensive than normal (you could buy real 3M N95 masks for $1 each, which was 5x normal price). A few people laughed at me for suggesting things could get really ugly. Others took the advise and acted on some of it. The first group had to endure long lines and very unpleasant conditions at local markets to get even the basics. The second group did OK. One of the things that was also not helping is that idiot politicians were going on TV to tell everyone everything was fine and were, quite literally, laughing at the Trump administration and calling them racist (and more) for travel bans, etc. The most horrific example of this was New York. Politicians in NY, from the Governor to the Mayor as well as health officials were telling everyone that this was nothing and that they should continue using the subway, going to restaurants, gathering, etc. They, quite literally, were responsible for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths (people from NY panicked when things got bad and exploded out of the state, taking the virus with them everywhere). You don't have to believe me, here they are in their own words (yes, I kept links because I though this would be important to remember): Some of these videos disappeared from YouTube, I had to find them again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKLx5MhTpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKLx5MhTpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcprNxC1fU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcprNxC1fU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbPPGrZH3VY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbPPGrZH3VY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmllqkU6j2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmllqkU6j2k Some of the highlights on this next one (note all the lies and misinformation): • Just like the normal flu • We should relax • We don't think it's going to be as bad as it is in other places • We have been ahead of this from day one • Go about your lives • Go about your business • There has to be prolonged exposure • Just wash your hands • No need to do anything special • We want New Yorkers to go about their daily lives • Ride the subway, ride the bus, go see your neighbors • We have the equipment • It's not like we are dealing with something we haven't dealt with before • We have the ability to address this • We have the capacity to keep this contained • Like the normal flu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhLOp7UGNM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhLOp7UGNM Here's another gem from Dr. Oxiris Barbot, NY Health Commissioner (once again, deadly lies): • The local risk is low • Our preparedness is high • Go about your lives • No indication to be using masks • We have measures • We have screening • No indication that going through the subway is a risk factor • No indications to be using masks • False sense of security • The risk is low https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkBW9ewPz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkBW9ewPz8 Of course, the mainstream media went with these stories, smugly laughing at the Trump administration and gladly characterizing their actions as racially motivated. For context, the travel ban from China was put into place on January 31, 2020. Had these politicians and the media taken this event seriously it is likely hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved. When I heard that I ignored what media and politicians were saying (all is well, not to worry, just like the flu) did my research and got ready early February. My hypothesis was very simple: Such action (the travel ban) would not be taken unless they learned of something very serious potentially coming to our shores. It was, pick a number, five standard deviations away from the mean in international politics. That caught my attention. We need to be honest about this. These politicians and officials were likely responsible for seeding the country with the virus and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Yet most people are uncomfortable with an honest evaluation of history, being biased is easier.
- habibur 6y ago
  And when scarcity hits, they don't spend from their stockpile, rather increase their stock fearing more scarcity ahead.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - lotsofpulp 6y ago
    If you can increase your stock and not have to spend from your stockpile, is there really scarcity?
refurb 6y ago
Indeed. And who is doing the work to manage the stockpile and pay for it? I did some work for a strategic US stockpile and it’s not trivial in the least.
- JamisonM 6y ago
  In the modern world it is much less costly to stockpile a moderate amount of excess cash flow. There have been no real serious shortfalls of goods in a once in a century pandemic and the cash would have served anyone well!

nitrogen 6y ago

They don't post about it, they just do it. They are the people whose pantries were never empty.

carbotaniuman 6y ago
And yet we as a society look down on preppers. It's quite sad to see people complain about shortages and do nothing themselves. These aren't even shortages due to economic reasons or poverty, but rather due to simply to disruptions.
- A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago
  I think part of it is that people in US have historically faced only several major disruptions ( 1939 depression being one of them ). Most people here have very limited idea how things work, when things are not conveniently available and don't seem all that comfortable with all the new ways they are being fleeced ( bots buying popular items, algorithms tricking them into paying more ).
- vel0city 6y ago
  I am an Eagle Scout, and the Scout motto is "Be Prepared". I try and make sure I've got supplies to last me at least a couple of weeks if things get crazy, and plans for what to do when my home becomes unlivable. When the winter storm hit and knocked out power in my area, we were ready while many people I knew were scrambling to find food and shelter. I guess growing up in hurricane territory also instills the idea that things can go bad for a while and you need to do what you can to be ready. It always surprises friends of mine to see that the bottom shelf of my pantry contains a lot of shelf stable meals that only slowly get cycled through. They never understood why I'd bother keeping at least several days worth of food around, "just in case". Things today really aren't that crazy compared to what they could be like. Things will probably trend more towards normalcy in the next few months. But I know if things go bad, my immediate friends and family will be a bit more comfortable for a while longer than many of those around me.
- lazyasciiart 6y ago
  My definition of "preppers" is a lot more specific than "people who stockpile some essential goods to see themselves through basic disasters or disruptions".
  - SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
    And mine used to be as well, but in retrospect I think it's clear that I wasn't being fair. Judging any movement by their extreme fringe is gonna make them look silly.
    - wccrawford 6y ago
      On the other hand, expanding a term to fit anything that somewhat resembles it really dilutes the meaning.
- ElonMuskrat 6y ago
  That's quiet an extremist statement. There's quiet a few ticks on the continium from nuclear fallout bunker to a few months of food and water.
  - rlt 6y ago
    I would wager that the majority people, at least in liberal / urban centers, would look down even on “a few months of food and water” preppers, though that may have changed a bit in the past year.
    - menage 6y ago
      But "a few months of toilet paper" is basically one pack from Costco.
      - wccrawford 6y ago
        Only if you bought it recently. Most people don't buy more until they've basically run out.
robomartin 6y ago
Part of it is being informed, paying attention and thinking critically. I recognized things were headed in the wrong direction back in early February of last year. That's when I went on an online shopping mission for a full week, buying provisions for at least a 90 day lockdown. I told friends, family and neighbors. I also told everyone to buy masks immediately, even if they were a bit more expensive than normal (you could buy real 3M N95 masks for $1 each, which was 5x normal price). A few people laughed at me for suggesting things could get really ugly. Others took the advise and acted on some of it. The first group had to endure long lines and very unpleasant conditions at local markets to get even the basics. The second group did OK. One of the things that was also not helping is that idiot politicians were going on TV to tell everyone everything was fine and were, quite literally, laughing at the Trump administration and calling them racist (and more) for travel bans, etc. The most horrific example of this was New York. Politicians in NY, from the Governor to the Mayor as well as health officials were telling everyone that this was nothing and that they should continue using the subway, going to restaurants, gathering, etc. They, quite literally, were responsible for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths (people from NY panicked when things got bad and exploded out of the state, taking the virus with them everywhere). You don't have to believe me, here they are in their own words (yes, I kept links because I though this would be important to remember): Some of these videos disappeared from YouTube, I had to find them again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKLx5MhTpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKLx5MhTpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcprNxC1fU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcprNxC1fU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbPPGrZH3VY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbPPGrZH3VY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmllqkU6j2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmllqkU6j2k Some of the highlights on this next one (note all the lies and misinformation): • Just like the normal flu • We should relax • We don't think it's going to be as bad as it is in other places • We have been ahead of this from day one • Go about your lives • Go about your business • There has to be prolonged exposure • Just wash your hands • No need to do anything special • We want New Yorkers to go about their daily lives • Ride the subway, ride the bus, go see your neighbors • We have the equipment • It's not like we are dealing with something we haven't dealt with before • We have the ability to address this • We have the capacity to keep this contained • Like the normal flu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhLOp7UGNM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhLOp7UGNM Here's another gem from Dr. Oxiris Barbot, NY Health Commissioner (once again, deadly lies): • The local risk is low • Our preparedness is high • Go about your lives • No indication to be using masks • We have measures • We have screening • No indication that going through the subway is a risk factor • No indications to be using masks • False sense of security • The risk is low https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkBW9ewPz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkBW9ewPz8 Of course, the mainstream media went with these stories, smugly laughing at the Trump administration and gladly characterizing their actions as racially motivated. For context, the travel ban from China was put into place on January 31, 2020. Had these politicians and the media taken this event seriously it is likely hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved. When I heard that I ignored what media and politicians were saying (all is well, not to worry, just like the flu) did my research and got ready early February. My hypothesis was very simple: Such action (the travel ban) would not be taken unless they learned of something very serious potentially coming to our shores. It was, pick a number, five standard deviations away from the mean in international politics. That caught my attention. We need to be honest about this. These politicians and officials were likely responsible for seeding the country with the virus and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Yet most people are uncomfortable with an honest evaluation of history, being biased is easier.
habibur 6y ago
And when scarcity hits, they don't spend from their stockpile, rather increase their stock fearing more scarcity ahead.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  If you can increase your stock and not have to spend from your stockpile, is there really scarcity?

refurb 6y ago

Indeed. And who is doing the work to manage the stockpile and pay for it? I did some work for a strategic US stockpile and it’s not trivial in the least.

JamisonM 6y ago
In the modern world it is much less costly to stockpile a moderate amount of excess cash flow. There have been no real serious shortfalls of goods in a once in a century pandemic and the cash would have served anyone well!