News: Released this Afternoon
A five year old boy, abducted from a school bus and held hostage in an underground bunker, is now free. The abductor, a sixty-five year old man with seemingly no connection to the child or family, is dead.
One newspaper described the kidnapper as a survivalist. I'm not certain what that means—save for the stereotype of either someone who has stockpiled enough food and gear to outlast the devastation of catastrophic occurrences or a gun toting anti-government individual who lives on the fringes of society. Both stereotypes.
There's even a group referred to as "armchair survivalists". I expect that it's similar to armchair travelers.
When does being prepared for unexpected happenings morph into a survivalist mentality?
I checked into several sites that suggest what equipment is needed for the survivalist. The amount of equipment and cost can be prohibitive for many people. One suggestion : Guns. One site encouraged big guns. Survivalists were told that they needed a semi-automatic rifle —maybe an AK rifle.
I find all this rather frightening."Preppers" stock-up for an apocalyptic event.
Survivalist blogs have proliferated over the past few years and some "preppers" are now concerned about their image as eccentrics with guns or as disgruntled individuals who view the government through smudged lenses.
I don't know enough about the movement and I'm leery of stereotypes,but I'm also uncomfortable when I look at blogs that suggest military style weapons as essential gear.
Because the kidnapper is dead we'll never know why a five year old child was abducted or what the story was behind the act.
One newspaper described the kidnapper as a survivalist. I'm not certain what that means—save for the stereotype of either someone who has stockpiled enough food and gear to outlast the devastation of catastrophic occurrences or a gun toting anti-government individual who lives on the fringes of society. Both stereotypes.
There's even a group referred to as "armchair survivalists". I expect that it's similar to armchair travelers.
When does being prepared for unexpected happenings morph into a survivalist mentality?
I checked into several sites that suggest what equipment is needed for the survivalist. The amount of equipment and cost can be prohibitive for many people. One suggestion : Guns. One site encouraged big guns. Survivalists were told that they needed a semi-automatic rifle —maybe an AK rifle.
I find all this rather frightening."Preppers" stock-up for an apocalyptic event.
Survivalist blogs have proliferated over the past few years and some "preppers" are now concerned about their image as eccentrics with guns or as disgruntled individuals who view the government through smudged lenses.
I don't know enough about the movement and I'm leery of stereotypes,but I'm also uncomfortable when I look at blogs that suggest military style weapons as essential gear.
Because the kidnapper is dead we'll never know why a five year old child was abducted or what the story was behind the act.
1 Comments:
I've always considered myself a survivalist, a prepper. I don't know how to shoot a gun. Husband does. Be prepared - whose motto is that? That's how my ancestors got thru the Great Famine and the Depression.
There is no logical explanation for what goes thru the minds of people who would harm children in any way. But I do stereotype them all as nutballs and don't even try to get into their minds. I don't want to understand them for fear I will become a nutball.
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