Survivalists: An American subculture The presence of survivalists or preppers as an American subculture can be traced back as early as the 1930’s. During World War II, as new homes and buildings were constructed, builders were adding bomb shelters to their structures. Occupants would then keep these bomb shelters or bunkers stocked in case of impending Nazi attack. Advancing to the 1960’s and 1970’s, survivalist intentions changed due to differing circumstances. Preppers of this period were mainly hippies working to elude government entities that they felt were betraying them in support of the New World Order. Later, intentions shifted to prepping for Y2K, and what many thought to be a widespread catastrophe marking the beginning of the end. …show more content…
Once more, motives for survivalists or preppers have deviated, as they are now driven by fears of societal collapse, terrorist attacks or, natural disasters that will lead to a major environmental emergency. I find the survivalist subculture particularly interesting. Some may consider the concepts of preppers as considerably excessive, I conclude that most people would feel the need to prepare to provide for themselves as well as their families in case of a great emergency. Accordingly, I find an iota of survivalist practices in the day-to-day lives of most of the population. Keeping more than one day of supplies in stock is common practice for those who can afford to do so. Financial advisors commonly advise to keep a three-month emergency savings given a situation where income flow suddenly stalls. While most would not take these preparations to the extreme of survivalists, human instinct leads us to provide for ourselves when needed. By analyzing the various facets of this subculture, we can begin to comprehend the ideology and understand the reasoning behind this lifestyle that many choose to engage in. I will discuss the various norms of preppers, and, how their beliefs and values may vary from those of the majority of society. Finally, I will discuss how the actions of these survivalists would distinguish them from members who choose not to partake in this lifestyle. Many sources use the terms preppers and survivalists synonymously, while others claim that the two are vastly different though an individual can be both, a prepper and a survivalist. For the purpose of this paper, I will use the two terms reciprocally. Beliefs are the conceptions that people accept as true, concerning how the world operates and where the individual fits in relationship to the others. Survivalists staunchly believe in self-sufficiency. The people of this subculture have a strong desire to provide for themselves and their family without requiring the help from government agencies in the event of a major catastrophe. While preppers are often considered crazy by outsiders, they believe that the people who do not prepare for impending emergency situations are irresponsible. Preppers also strongly believe that everyone should be competent to provide for themselves. Americans generally like to be prepared for small emergencies, however, it is safe to say that most Americans would rely on governmental agencies such as FEMA should there be a situation causing mass devastation. Folkways are defined as the norms that apply to the mundane aspects or details of daily life.
Prepper use many terms and acronyms to maintain their identity and mark the insiders from the outsiders which is known as argot. The argot of preppers can apply to normal aspects of life as well as things commonly discussed in the survivalist community. Included are an assortment that I found notable. The most commonly used acronym is “TEOTWAWKI”, which is often pronounced “tee-ought-walk-ee”. “TEOTWAWKI” stands for the end of the world as we know it. This is what survivalists spend their days preparing for. Preppers refer to a person who is in denial that “TEOTWAWKI” could occur as a “Pollyanna”. Survivalists tend to have a plan in place to prepare for much of anything, which is where “alpha strategy” comes into play. “Alpha strategy” for survivalists, is storing extra logistics as a hedge against inflation, and for use in barter and charity after a catastrophe or, “WSHTF”. “WSHTF” is the next acronym I’d like to address; it represents “when the ‘stuff’ hits the fan” which is predicted to be concurrent with “TEOTWAWKI”. Moreover, survivalists know that “WSHTF”, there will be many people who are unprepared. “Zombie effect” describes the ones who are unprepared for disaster, who will become desperate to have their basic needs met. Finally, “WSHTF”, a survivalist may tell you that “YOYO WROL”, meaning that you are on your own without the rule of the law. Most of the general …show more content…
population would not know what was being referred to if these terms were overheard. Values are general, shared conceptions of what is good, right, appropriate, worthwhile and important with regard to conduct, appearance, and states of being. The predominant value of the survivalist is to be self-sufficient with a strong will to live. Likewise, preppers find strong importance rooted in family. Self-sufficiency and family values coincide in the life of a survivalist as they work daily towards their goal, which is to be enabled to care for their family thoroughly in the event of mass devastation. One particular website carries a philosophy on preparedness which is “It is simply to adapt your life to be more self-reliant so that you are able to sustain your family through any calamity and come out on the other side safely” (http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/what-is-a-prepper). Certainly, I conclude that the majority of society prefers to have a sense of self-sufficiency in any aspect of life including emergencies. Nevertheless, unless one considers themselves a survivalist, one cannot be prepared on such a scale as this subculture. Outward behaviors classifying a survivalist as a survivalist appear quite straightforward. A prepper will have stockpiles of nonperishable foods and first aid readily available to be consumed in the case of an emergency. They will also have weapons and ammunition accessible if needed to protect themselves and their family. Survivalists will also have plans in place to do what is necessary to survive catastrophe. This includes either “sheltering in place” or “bugging in” which simply means that they prepare to outlast any emergency while remaining in their home. When “sheltering in place” isn’t an option, they will also be prepared to “bug out” or, leave their home for a safer location to seek shelter. Survivalists may also have a vast knowledge of the outdoors so that they are prepared for any situation they may encounter while “bugging out”. This may include, but is not limited to: building fire, building shelters, navigating the wilderness safely as well as purifying water. The only requirement necessary to become a prepper is the desire to be prepared to be self-reliant in case of catastrophe. The survivalist subculture can be better analyzed using the symbolic interaction perspective.
To quote Ferrante “symbolic interactionists focus on social interaction, everyday encounters in which people communicate, interpret, and respond to one another’s words and actions. These theorists ask, when involved in interaction, how do people ‘take account of what each other is doing or is about to do’ and then direct their own conduct accordingly. The process depends on (1) self-awareness, (2) shared symbols, and (3) negotiated order” (31-32). Opening with self-awareness, the survivalist can determine that outsiders may view them as crazy or even as a hypochondriac however, the only adjustment they are willing to make is to admit to their behaviors and actions and accept them. A prepper does not feel the need to justify their actions to anyone who does not understand because they firmly believe that they are doing what is most beneficial to their safety and wellness. Furthermore, the subculture can be considered ethnocentric because they do believe that they are superior to those who do not prepare for disaster. In fact, survivalists often think that those who do not prepare will eventually be vagrants when disaster occurs and supplies eventually dwindle. To continue, shared symbols in the survivalist subculture both physical and abstract, are evident. Physical symbols are the objects that a prepper uses to carry their sense of self-reliance. These may include the food they
keep, the first aid they are in possession of, and the weapons and ammunition they stockpile. Finally, concerning negotiated order, a survivalist understands that the majority of the population will not be prepared at the level of themselves. However, since the sole burden of a prepper is to maintain safety of themselves and their family, they simply prepare to provide for their family with their stockpiles and keep that stockpile safe with methods of self-defense. By exploring the various concepts that classify survivalists as a subculture, it becomes more evident why these people live the lives that they do. Preppers share the common belief that a catastrophe is imminent and in order to survive safely, one must be prepared. They share common folkways that allow them to distinguish themselves as a member of their subculture as well as separate themselves from outsiders. Survivalists share common values which also allows them to focus on their main goal of self-sufficiency enabling a sense of comradery amongst themselves. By spending time researching and exploring the different characteristics of the survivalist subculture, I have learned that although their beliefs may appear eccentric at first glance, it takes many types of people to make this world go around. Often, though the views of a subculture may be extreme, they are based on subjects or items that are of interest of the general population on a much smaller scale. When people who live this lifestyle and seek out others that do as well, the subculture can eventually grow allowing for them to find others who share the same interests and beliefs that they do. Having that sense of belonging is something that is much desired globally, and typically something that every human desires.
A subculture can consist of any small group outside the central or key majority group. The groups can range from an organized crime group, to an Asian American group, to a religious group, to even a hippie commune. The main focus of this unit is the immigrant subcultures. The immigrant subculture that is becoming more commonplace every day in the United States is the Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans have many religious traditions, ceremonies, customs, as well as art and music forms. There are also various cultural traditions. Mexican Americans have their own identity on the contrary they still have distinct American characteristics.
The idea of an apocalypse can’t help but seem enticing to us. In fact, we seem to like dystopian stories in general, and admire the characters fighting to survive. You don’t have to look any further than the book The Hunger Games, where the protagonist Katniss lives in poverty and has to hunt her own food, later being forced to kill others to stay alive in a battle to the death. Likewise, the TV show The Walking Dead showcases how far its characters will go to survive in a zombie apocalypse, where the characters are constantly put into “them or us” type situations with other survivors, throwing morals to the wind in order to
During the sixties Americans saw the rise of the counterculture. The counterculture, which was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, was embraced by the decade’s young Americans. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and freer country.
Symbolic interaction theory analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviors. Subjective meanings are given primacy because it is believed that people behave based on what they believe and not just on what is objectively true. Thus, society is thought to be socially constructed through human interpretation. People interpret one another’s behavior and it is these interpretations that form the social bond. This theory states people use socially constructed meanings of race and gender to help us decide who to interact with, how to do so, and to help determine, sometimes inaccurately, the meaning of a person 's words or
The Hippie Movement changed the politics and the culture in America in the 1960s. When the nineteen fifties turned into the nineteen sixties, not much had changed, people were still extremely patriotic, the society of America seemed to work together, and the youth of America did not have much to worry about, except for how fast their car went or what kind of outfit they should wear to the Prom. After 1963, things started to slowly change in how America viewed its politics, culture, and social beliefs, and the group that was in charge of this change seemed to be the youth of America. The Civil Rights Movement, President Kennedy’s death, new music, the birth control pill, the growing illegal drug market, and the Vietnam War seemed to blend together to form a new counterculture in America, the hippie.
The government and the older generations could not understand their way of life. Hippies were often portrayed as criminals, subversive to the morals and best interest of the public. Although misunderstood, the hippie had a great impact throughout the country, still surviving today in American culture. The term “hippie” itself became a universal term in the late sixties. It originated in a 1967 article in Ramparts, entitled “The Social History of the Hippies.” Afterward, the name was captured by the mass media as a label for the people of the new movement. (Yablonsky 28) Even before this, the word “hip” described someone who was “in” and “down”, wise to what was going on around him. By the 1960s, some of America’s youth created a gap between themselves and their parents. They grew their hair long because it was natural and therefore considered beautiful.
The purpose of this report is to introduce emo subculture and the different aspects about it. It includes the history , fashion, lifestyle, values and attitude of this particular subculture. But before anything else, what does the word subculture mean? This word will be often use later on this report and therefore its important for us to know the meaning of it. Subculture is a group of people having the same/common interest which differentiates them from a larger culture to where they belong. Subcultures can be identified by age, ethnicity, class, location and gender of the members. Different subcultures have their own styles which differentiates them from the other.
On Tuesday morning my brother told me to take the dog out, and of course I said no because I am not going to do something my younger brother told me to do. However, ten minutes later my mom ask me to do the exact same thing, and at that point I did take the dog out. This an example of symbolic interactionism in my everyday life. I listen to my mom when she told me to take the dog out because I associate mom with someone I should respect and listen to. Even though they asked me the same thing their symbol is what made me act differently.
Minority ethnic communities are more vulnerable to public health disasters because of economic disadvantages, cultural differences and limited resources.The article being reviewed is titled, “Using the Precaution Adoption Process Model to Describe a Disaster Preparedness Intervention Among Low-income Latinos” (2014). The target population of the study is low-income Latino communities in Los Angeles County where 187 participants that were chosen by respondent- driven sampling. The participants were recruited by a sample of seven people called “seeds,” who were at least 18 years old and had emigrated from South or Central America and lived in Los Angeles to represent the types of people to be recruited in the study. These seeds came from a diverse set of countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. In addition, the purpose of the study was to create an intervention that explains disaster preparedness within low-income Latino communities. They wanted to provide health education and training to encourage household members to learn about disasters and disaster
The sixties was a decade of liberation and revolution, a time of great change and exciting exploration for the generations to come. It was a time of anti-war protests, free love, sit-ins, naked hippie chicks and mind-altering drugs. In big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris, there was a passionate exchange of ideas, fiery protests against the Vietnam War, and a time for love, peace and equality. The coming together of like-minded people from around the world was spontaneous and unstoppable. This group of people, which included writers, musicians, thinkers and tokers, came to be known as the popular counterculture, better known as hippies. The dawning of the Age of Aquarius in the late sixties was more than just a musical orgy. It was a time of spiritual missions to fight for change and everything they believed in. Freedom, love, justice, equality and peace were at the very forefront of this movement (West, 2008). Some wore beads. Some had long hair. Some wore tie-dye and others wore turtle-neck sweaters. The Hippie generation was a wild bunch, to say the least, that opened the cookie jar of possibilities politically, sexually, spiritually and socially to forever be known as one of the most memorable social movements of all time (Hippie Generation, 2003).
In a given society, the material and nonmaterial culture is not just only, “the objects or belongings of a group of people,” (Little & McGivern, 2013, p.81). Also certainly, the nonmaterial culture is not just bunch of, “ideas, attitudes, and beliefs of a society” (Little & McGivern, 2013, p.81). They are symbols of interaction, communication, and unity within just a community. This is the perspectives of sociologist Émile Durkheim, (1858–1917), the author of Pathologies of the Social Order. He emphasized that, “The rituals, the worship of icons, and the belief in supernatural beings “excite, maintain or recreate certain mental states” (Durkheim 1912) that bring people together, provide a ritual and symbolic focus, and unify them. (Little & McGivern, 2013, p.16).
2.1 The Existence and Importance Emos has been around for quite some time. Though their importance in our society is very negligible, they seem to be an up and coming icon for the youth of today. Or do they have a problem? Most youths immediately think ‘Emo’ when they see a person with long hair or fringe. Well, that’s not the case.
Every generation has its middle class, majority, and norm, which are decided by that era's standards of behavior and thought. Similarly, each generation has a group that rejects these standards and rebels against the norm. In the 1950's a group of American writers that exemplified this behavior formed. They were called the beat generation. The beat generation was particularly remarkable because although it was began by an exceptionally small group of people, its cultural influence was enormous. The beats rebelled against things like conformity and consumerism in the post World War II society. Their writing challenged both traditional American values and contemporary writing styles. Incorporating influences such as jazz, art, literature, philosophy and religion, the beat writers created a new vision of modern life and changed the way a generation of people sees the world. However, the beat generation was soon transformed from a youthful rebellion into an elaborate money making tool. The beat generation was a movement that started a cultural revolution in the United States.
...homes, their jobs and their sense of security. In 1943, Psychologist Abraham Maslow stated that “people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs” and I believe, if these basic needs are not met, or lost, we will have a generation of parents and children that lack motivation to reach their higher levels of self-actualization. I believe it is imperative that families have contingency plans in place to meet their own needs in these times of natural disasters and economic downturns. Families need to reach out to their communities and form “extended families”, that will be in place should the government fail to respond in a timely manner.
One of the most significant issues in the world is having to pay for what is necessary and when it should be free. People should be able to have what they need to survive for free. Rather than modernize everything others should think about slowing down unnecessary researches, and start thinking about upgrade a kind of survival plan that benefits everyone.