Feel you're an intense survivalist? Then chances are you haven't seen Discovery Channel's Doomsday Preppers. The show, now a ratings hit, follows the everyday life of American families preparing for the end of the world. Whether they may be expecting an economic catastrophe, the next world war, or possibly a pandemic, these survivalists have prepared in a way you have never seen before.
The viewer gets an inside look into how each family is preparing for the 'inevitable' and why they think it's important to be ready for anything. Some families cite examples of actual past incidents such as major earthquakes or the hyperinflation of the Great Depression. But does the show provide an accurate depiction of the prepper subculture or does it simply go to extremes just to make some good television?
The prepper families shown on Doomsday Preppers all have some thing unique in the way they approach survival. They're definitely not what you should call the standard survivalist. Some have fully-equipped bunkers for nuclear warfare, enough food to give their loved ones for months or firearms which could certainly overpower any local authorities. The show has given people remarkable quotes like 'you never have enough knives' and plenty of others. Whenever you watch the show, it's obvious that there is a huge difference between actuality and reality t . v ..
Unfortunately, the producers are simply giving the mainstream audience what it wants: extreme and over the top situations and characters. They are looking for a reaction from the viewer, whether it be disgust at the amount of guns some have or simply surprise and amusement at the measures taken by some of the individuals on the show. The result is a skewed reflection of the survivalist niche and perhaps the conclusion that those who prepare for emergencies are simply absolutely insane. This is definitely an unfair portrayal, as most survivalists are average Americans that enjoy the outdoors and want to be prepared for realistic emergencies such as earthquakes or floods. It does bring attention to the niche, but it's not necessarily positive.
Nevertheless, the show does have a few things going for it. We might say that the producers are playing the ratings game, but this actually does result in a show that is very addictive and fun to watch. If you can look past the obvious exaggerations and paranoia of some of the protagonists, you will actually find yourself learning a thing or two about survival that you didn't know before. For instance, one family has a fully self-sufficient energy system that runs fully on wind power. Considering what we now know about the environment and the negative effects we have on it, this is certainly food for thought. Another family has an advanced aquaponic greenhouse; certainly, this is a step up from simply buying non-perishable food items in case of a short-term emergency. All of these tips can be useful when it comes to self-sufficiency and green living.
Doomsday Preppers is worth checking out, just make sure you're prepared for the exaggerated scenarios and extreme survivalists that the Discovery Channel has chosen for the show!
The viewer gets an inside look into how each family is preparing for the 'inevitable' and why they think it's important to be ready for anything. Some families cite examples of actual past incidents such as major earthquakes or the hyperinflation of the Great Depression. But does the show provide an accurate depiction of the prepper subculture or does it simply go to extremes just to make some good television?
The prepper families shown on Doomsday Preppers all have some thing unique in the way they approach survival. They're definitely not what you should call the standard survivalist. Some have fully-equipped bunkers for nuclear warfare, enough food to give their loved ones for months or firearms which could certainly overpower any local authorities. The show has given people remarkable quotes like 'you never have enough knives' and plenty of others. Whenever you watch the show, it's obvious that there is a huge difference between actuality and reality t . v ..
Unfortunately, the producers are simply giving the mainstream audience what it wants: extreme and over the top situations and characters. They are looking for a reaction from the viewer, whether it be disgust at the amount of guns some have or simply surprise and amusement at the measures taken by some of the individuals on the show. The result is a skewed reflection of the survivalist niche and perhaps the conclusion that those who prepare for emergencies are simply absolutely insane. This is definitely an unfair portrayal, as most survivalists are average Americans that enjoy the outdoors and want to be prepared for realistic emergencies such as earthquakes or floods. It does bring attention to the niche, but it's not necessarily positive.
Nevertheless, the show does have a few things going for it. We might say that the producers are playing the ratings game, but this actually does result in a show that is very addictive and fun to watch. If you can look past the obvious exaggerations and paranoia of some of the protagonists, you will actually find yourself learning a thing or two about survival that you didn't know before. For instance, one family has a fully self-sufficient energy system that runs fully on wind power. Considering what we now know about the environment and the negative effects we have on it, this is certainly food for thought. Another family has an advanced aquaponic greenhouse; certainly, this is a step up from simply buying non-perishable food items in case of a short-term emergency. All of these tips can be useful when it comes to self-sufficiency and green living.
Doomsday Preppers is worth checking out, just make sure you're prepared for the exaggerated scenarios and extreme survivalists that the Discovery Channel has chosen for the show!
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