Being a scholarly person, I love to start with what the Oxford Languages Dictionary has to offer:
prep·per /ˈprepər/ noun NORTH AMERICAN a person who believes a catastrophic disaster or emergency is likely to occur in the future and makes active preparations for it, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies. There's no agreement among preppers about what disaster is most imminent."
While this definition is not all encompassing it does give us a basis of a start and to expand a bit more on the concept. Being a "prepper" has been around a lot longer than common usage which started in the early to mid 70's with a larger resurgence leading up to and after 2000 and fears of the "Millennial Bug" taking out all computers. Born in the height of Cold War fears? Did your parents invest in a bomb shelter that was stocked with food and water? Yep, prepper. Our grandparents called it "being prepared for the lean times". If anyone had a granny that could have food pulled out for two or three and still feed twenty that showed up that is a prepper. Going back further there was a more practical side of the term when settlers knew they had to prep for winter months. Back then there was no true way of knowing if it would be a mild or severe winter.
The biggest fear in the Prepper Community is social and economical collapse as has been demonstrated a multiple of times since the start of 2020. People not familiar with prepper techniques, hoarded some of the craziest things that they felt they would need or be of value to others. They drove several hours to find what they felt they needed causing a larger need for rural communities as their stores were the last to see goods delivered. Texas saw an unprecedented snow fall and dangerously low temperatures for their normal climate early 2021. From disruptions to the power grid to further disruptions to the supply chain. For a while, the dynamics of household purchasing all around changed and we saw a temporary influx of people wanting to know how to prep for emergencies.
We were able to find an outdoor location to host a Fall Homesteaders and Preppers Bazaar in 2020 and had over 200 people at any given time where some had driven from the far East side of San Antonio to attend. While we didn't have any bazaars coordinated by Guilds of Requiem, Inc. for personal reasons in 2021, we were called upon by many communities out of our area on how to host their own. 2022 and start of 2023, attendance was beginning to thin out as people went back to living like they had prior to 2020.
Upcoming blog posts will highlight some of the reasons people count themselves as preppers along with knowledge that is shared with homesteading and what is specific to being a prepper. Subscribe to our website, or look at joining our website for more in-depth conversation in the Forums or Groups on this website. https://forms.gle/ahxrKU1pqpXetHfM9 We do this to maintain the integrity and safety of our members.
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