Traditionally, survivalists have been people who have learned to become totally independent from commercially produced food, water, medication and fuel. Today, survivalists represent a broad cross-section of society that are preparing for any emergency situation, from layoffs to nuclear war.Star-Telegram: Dallas-Fort Worth's 'modern survivalists'... (April 4, 2009)
Modern Survivalists
A self-sufficient lifestyle had been a key component of survivalists, driven by the belief that society as we know it will undergo some type of collapse from various sources. However, the term is undergoing a change of sorts. Recently, modern "survivalists" have come to the forefront of media coverage as a result of the economic issues of 2008. These modern survivalists prepare for many localized events, to include hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes and earthquakes. While they prepare for longer term crisis as well, they continue to live in and among the rest of the population - rejecting the longstanding image of survivalists as wilderness isolationists.The Survival Podcast: Modern Survival Philosophy
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References
Fast Facts
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1950s
Civil defense encouraged people to build bomb shelters due to nuclear war
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2003
Department of Homeland Security encouraged citizens to stockpile plastic sheeting, duct tape in case of biological or chemical attack
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2000
Y2K caused many to stockpile
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Fact:
9-11 events lead some to survivalist mentality
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Fact:
Mormons teach survivalist ideas as part of doctrine
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Fact:
Food preparation usually includes months or years worth of stored food
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Fact:
Heirloom seeds are preferred for seed harvesting
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Fact:
Tactical and firearm training is encouraged by some groups
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Fact:
Foreseen national threats include EMP attack, nuclear attack and economic collapse
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Fact:
Localized threats include earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes or other regional events
