Choosing other preppers to form a community

[hashbrown]

About the only people I would truly trust are close family.

 

[bkt]

I worked with someone for more than 20 years and thought she was a good friend. One night several of us went out to dinner, and another former colleague and I realized just how wrong we were about her. You can know someone for a long, long time, and not really know them. Stress and hard times will bring out the worst in people, and sometimes, people keep their true nature under wraps.

I hear that, and it's something to bear in mind. My group is in touch daily and we meet up pretty often. One thing we all share is a very deep disdain for betrayal. It's not likely anyone would turn, but you never know 'til it gets bad.

Another thing I've done is far less formal and that's reach out to a few neighbors who are are libertarian/conservative. They're the folks who are going to be near me in any particular immediate event. The better we can coordinate, the better off we'll all be. I've got radio comms for all those folks, of course.

 

[Weedygarden]

Someone left Paul Wheaton group, because they said, Paul did not want them talking to towns people. It was a big thing for a minute, then nothing. The site has good information & stuff I find to be silly, anything
that good has to be dug out of the stuff it is buried in.
This is an example of people worship & that we need to watch out for, all men have feet of clay.

Paul Wheaton is known in the homesteading community for his gardening skills, and probably more. I read something about him several years ago that scared me about him. He had people in his group that left in a very unhappy way and from my memory of what I read, it is best to stay far away from him. I wish I remembered what it was about him. I just filed him under someone to stay away from.

I think of people like Charles Manson who must have been somewhat charismatic to have drawn in the people he did. Maybe the people who followed him were lacking something in their life. These are the kind of people that help us to know to be very careful about people.

 

[Weedygarden]

Someone left Paul Wheaton group, because they said, Paul did not want them talking to towns people. It was a big thing for a minute, then nothing. The site has good information & stuff I find to be silly, anything
that good has to be dug out of the stuff it is buried in.
This is an example of people worship & that we need to watch out for, all men have feet of clay.

 

[Frodo]

Linked groups can cause one small groups to be over ran by larger, more needy groups. Every watched the walking dead.
I trust no one, even less out side my group & I question everything.

I see and understand your concern.it is a very valid point.
At some time or another you are going to need to step out of your comfort zone to trade
little things like flint or obsidian or salt. or medicine

Trusting people is a crap shoot, You may know a person for 20 years like Weedygarden and think they have your back. truth is. No one knows how another is going to act when put in a [ I call it a fox hole condition] situation that is life threatening and out of your control. Big ole tough men cry and pee their pants begging for mom and little nerdy dudes jump up and take control, it is a crap shoot.
Last year i went under cover and joined a liberal gun forum, lol gotta keep an eye on the enemy, I read a lot of their prepping posts. it was a riot, One guy said that he had an ar, never mentioned shooting it, and he new a ''prepper'' down the street . If SHTF he was going to take the preppers stuff. LOL
These idiots think going to a field and blasting targets 50 FEET away that they are marksmen. SMDH. He got mad when I asked him if maybe the prepper might take offense and shoot him. but but but I have an ARRRRRR whine whine

 

[Neb]

On a now defunct prepping site there was a map that let you see members in your area. I reached out did not get responses. Why? Your guess is good as mine.

I have done some probing and maybe one neighbor could be a prepper but I never pressed him.

My mother was a prepper and as result my brother and sister as well my wife and I. The extended family know we are preppers and if SHTF will end up here. At last count there are enough adults to have 3 people standing security 24x7.

Internally to our tribe I am leaning toward a council of elders with democratic consent of the adults.

That is far as I think I can go while life is fairly normal. Hard times and empty bellies change attitudes. I am happy trusting God to work out the details if and when the SHTF.

Ben

 

[Magus]

I been hung out to dry a few times by "friends".

Some more by "family".

Only true friend I've had was in a fox hole wearing same color clothes as me.

Thanks , but no thanks, me and my bride gonna build a 3' thick , 100 ft tall , wall around our whole place with a gate that only we can open.

I don't trust anybody , and don't want to be around anybody. Especially in shtf teotwawki.

Y'all all on your own.

Jim

Absolutely!
Remember when you build that wall to smear the top with concrete and dust it in broken glass!

 

[Neb]

Absolutely!
Remember when you build that wall to smear the top with concrete and dust it in broken glass!

It is hard to see but...

The Hammond Castle Museum has broken glass in concrete on top of the walls.

If it was good enough for the guy that the most number of patents prior the Edison it is worth considering.

Ben

 

[Frodo]

When I was over seas playing the rice paddies, coke and beer bottles on a wall was the norm
I found this picture, I thought it was lost.
This is the ''store'' i bought my bolo collection at.

 

[Tootsie]

It is hard to see but...

View attachment 84886

The Hammond Castle Museum has broken glass in concrete on top of the walls.

If it was good enough for the guy that the most number of patents prior the Edison it is worth considering.

Ben

I noticed that in Monterrey Mexico years ago. That, and the citizens took turns patrolling at night. No crime that I heard of.

 

[SheepDog]

The kind of relationship that preppers want and will need comes from the trust and respect learned while defending each others lives.
The kind of brothers that Jim describes - two guys in foxholes or in the mud or climbing the rocks. And there will be some like that - on both sides of the walls.
I have just 2 persons that share that trust and respect with me. I hope you all have more.

 

[Cascadian]

We are very rural and have like minded neighbors that seem to be reliable. That is as good as it gets for us after only moving here 6 years ago.

 

[Cascadian]

To solve this, the first thing required is to, "Tell the Truth". Preppers can't look at truth, it is simply to repulsive and ugly.

So just like this thread subject, preppers start with, "What they CHOOSE to believe". What they "WISH" for their future.

If a man in the woods is right and no one is there to here him does it matter.

 

[Sourdough]

If a man in the woods is right and no one is there to here him does it matter.

SADLY..........NO...!!!

 

[SheepDog]

A man who knows the truth doesn't feel the need to convince anyone.
He may share it but that is as far as it goes.

 

[Weedygarden]

I have had a interest in communes and intentional communities for many years. I am well aware of the intricacy's of working with others.

I have been interested in intentional communities as well. I don't know if what I lived in during my senior year as a commune, but it was 5 or 6 of us living in a large house, taking turns cooking, bread making and other. We didn't have close relationships with each other and I have no connection with any of them now and haven't since I graduated from college. We did try to have dinner together on Sunday evenings, and other evening meals were hit and miss.
There is an organization that is just for intentional communities. I have looked at this website and looked at intentional communities in my area, just out of curiosity. I think that there is potential for good and not so good in any of these communities.

Foundation for Intentional Community

 

[SheepDog]

I would ask my first question: Can I bring my guns? Anything but a simple and definite "YES" I would walk.

 

[montanabill]

I would ask my first question: Can I bring my guns? Anything but a simple and definite "YES" I would walk.

I can supply the guns and ammo if you don't have enough.

 

[backlash]

I have no one I would trust my family with except other family and some of them I don't trust.
I have acquaintances but no friends.
As for forming a group I don't see it working long term.

Eventually the worst will come out in some people.

 

[Frodo]

We are very rural and have like minded neighbors that seem to be reliable. That is as good as it gets for us after only moving here 6 years ago.

I am also, Sunshine is piped in from far away places

During katrina We were without food for weeks. My neighbor who had no stores stashed was hungry. So we fed them and talked with them
He finally saw the light and that SOB now has more food stashed away than i do. LOL we created a monster.. All is good I am glad we were at a place where we could help and most importantly we educated

 

[SheepDog]

YES! There is more than a few miles between us so logistics would be a thought. With a 300 mile range on a tank of fuel that puts me in central Idaho. Spare gas will take me as far as the Montana state line. I might be better off staying where my stores are and where my wife will be the happiest. I have a neighbor who can use my help and he is ready too. His wife and mother make it hard for him to travel. He has a couple of guns too and the support for them. His Mom is close to 90. We haul wood together he keeps a few chords in the back yard.

 

[Weedygarden]

What about people who might have backgrounds that they are not forth coming about?

In the past year, I became aware of two creeps that I know on a first name basis. I found out that one was stalking me. Others got creeped out by him and told me about it. Another man I recently found out was on national news as a rapist when he was young. There were several reports about him, but somehow, he was never convicted. I see the charm he has, trying to emotionally seduce others.

Do leopards change their spots? We all want others to think the best of us, especially if we are in tough situations and need help and support. How many people would just be open about their criminal backgrounds?

 

[SheepDog]

Leopards can't change their spots but people, with a lot of work and soul searching, can change their actions.

 

[VThillman]

Ahem. Re "friends"; IMO: The term "friend" is so loosely defined that it is essentially meaningless without a modifier. In the context of this thread a "casual friend" is no friend at all. So, what defines a "close friend"?

What defines "trusted associate"?

An exmple:

Several hundred years ago, in the Highlands of Scotland, there existed clans, with kith and kin within them and well established expectations for trust and commitment among them. Somehow trust became shrunken and gnarly, the system failed, and then came the Clearances to . . . clear the detritus; make room for sheep. It's fairly easy to see what happened from our distance in time; for the Scots farmers not so much.

There's a lot of history out there, folks; know it or repeat it.

Maybe you have to 'start small', say household by household, like Jim. Maybe your 'extended family' is tight enough. Maybe . . . hell, maybe the urban anthill socialists have nailed it.

Maybe not.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I read this talk of clans and trust and groups for protection. They are all reasonable if you are young and strong.

But I am at a point in my life where I know the time will come when I am a lone wolf. That is a very scary proposition for me, I think it is unreasonable to expect to build the kind of trust that is developed over 40 years of working through hard times but what options does one have? I have some family in UT and WY, but I don't think I could live in the same house with them.

From time to time we all need a little help and having a group of close friends would be better than being totally isolated, but the logistics are difficult for me to visualize at this point in time.

 

[Magus]

Anyone I would have considered hooking with is dead and gone.
most of my "friends" are friends just because they haven't screwed me over yet.
Lone wolf, gray man, night walker here.

 

[backlash]

I would be a liability to most groups due to my age.
I know there are things I can do and skills I could bring to a group but the cons outweigh the pros.
I have came to the realization I will be one of the first to perish and that's just a fact. I will fight to the end but eventually I will lose.

 

[Weedygarden]

Leopards can't change their spots but people, with a lot of work and soul searching, can change their actions.

People have to realize that what they are doing is hurtful or wrong in order to want to change. Often, it is a run in with the law and maybe some time behind bars before some get it. One pedophile that I worked with had 25 + victims, and only stopped because he finally was reported and arrested. Lost his job, his marriage, family relationships, his reputation, many "friends" and so much more. He was also required to participate in group therapy for a high financial price. He was 40 + years old and would probably still be at it had he not been arrested. He was diagnosed as a narcissist, as many sex offenders are. As far as I know, he is no longer offending, but I don't really know. Being a registered sex offender may or may not have made a difference in his life. I don't think it does for everyone.

 

[JustMe]

I used to think our little neighborhood was set with some 'good, reliable people' should trouble come our way, but some events in the last few years has changed my thinking. There are still a select few that maybe more trustworthy than the rest, but ultimately it's not perfect. I don't know if any of them are preppers, but I do have some suspicions based on what I've seen in 2020 shortages & lockdowns......who went shopping and who didn't need too, what they have stored in their yards, etc......just little signs to the observant. Though admittedly not perfect either. I would love to know for sure of who's in & who's not and be able to build on that sense of community, but none of us are willing to talk in that direction. I just happen to be somewhat obvious because of my garden and chickens, and if anyone is paying attention to the amount of groceries I bring into the house.

Ultimately I only trust family, but since they all think I'm a conspiracy nut it makes it difficult. I feel I'm pulling this horse by myself

 

[Sourdough]

I would love to know for sure of who's in & who's not and be able to build on that sense of community, but none of us are willing to talk in that direction.

Those who will kill you are part of your "Community". and those who will kill and "EAT" those who survived off your preparations, are also part of your community. Normalcy bias is we who prep will survive. Everything points to the "most" ruthless will out survive the preppers.
I hate "Reality and Truth" equally.