Comments on: The self-defeating Prepper’s Wager versus the heroic Entrepreneur’s Wager

By: Steve D.

Steve D. — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:44:33 +0000

My friends are all running around buying guns and freeze dried food. I ask them “why? who are you going to shoot?”. If whatever “event” you were prepping for happens, you won’t die from marauders. You’ll cut yourself on a nail trying to make a windmill, you’ll get an infection, and you’ll die because you didn’t have a Walgreen’s to get some Camphor-Pheniq and a bandaid to stop an infection!

Then your neighbor will see this and say..hmm if I could stop this from happening again by making band aids, I wouldn’t have to eat my cats and dogs anymore because now I could trade for band-aids and Camphor-Pheniq with that one guys wife that just died because she makes bread! She’s also single now, so perhaps we could date?

So in that moment, my prepper buddy sees that he’ll be dead, a new economy starts, and population growth expands. Only without him this time because he didn’t have Camphor-Pheniq and a band-aid.

Now add to this element! Ok someone already saw this happening and realized that Johnson and Johnson already makes this stuff right now! So perhaps they would have real value even in apocalypse mode! Hmm, I need to buy more Johnson & Johnson stock! Now multiply this story by a few million.

Dear fellow hard working Americans, can we get out of cry baby chicken little mode and just BOSS UP! If we don’t like some stuff, then let’s change it. Sitting around blogging about it, sure won’t get anything done.

If you don’t have a dang job….then make one! Nobody would hire my sorry self, and so I’ve made 3 companies so far and if I had enough time, I’d make more! If I hear another doom story, or another aliens in underground tunnels, Conspiracy, population control, crap theory, I’ll vomit! This crap has turned into a multi -million dollar business itself! Fear Sells T-Shirts and books and radio shows! I can only preach this, because brother I’m Chief of Conspiracy Theory, and I resigned that job last Tuesday. Because it’s time to GET BACK TO WORK!

By: David M. Schmidt

David M. Schmidt — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 06:22:40 +0000

Hello, Tim…

I enjoyed your article. You raise some valid points about the potentially paralyzing effects of uncontrolled pessimism.

However, I don’t see why an entrepreneurial spirit and being preparing for potential disaster are mutually exclusive. Most of the “preppers” I know are successful, productive individuals. And as an example of the value of preparedness, my own modest preparations made my experience of Hurricane Floyd more of a 2-week vacation/retreat than the very real disaster it was for many people.

Nor does “prepping” have to be an all consuming obsession. Where I grew up (it snowed a lot in winter, and in summer severe storms often knocked out the power) what is now called “prepping”–having a basement full of canned food, storing supplies for emergencies–was just something that people did as part of running the household. Nobody gave it much thought beyond that.

It is true that some people take prepping to a self-defeating and even self-destructive extent. However, I still believe being prepared for untoward eventualities makes sense and doesn’t mean you can’t also be an optimisitic, productive, liberty-minded entrepreneur.

Again, I enjoy your writing and I’m glad I found your site. I look forward to seeing more of your articles in the future.

Best Regards,

David M. Schmidt

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:17:09 +0000

Tim,
I’ve been tuned into the collapsers/revolutionaries/apocolypsers for quite a few years. I rarely took their advice, but share their concerns and basic libertarian ideology. Back when Bill Clinton was going to declare martial law and install himself as president for life, according to the conspiracy crowd, I was very worried. 15 years later, Bill is doing quite well making speeches at $50,000+ each, probably payback for helping his campaign donors achieve their financial goals. Now the conspiracy theorists are suggesting Obama will declare martial law and be president for life. Why would he want to do that? His hair is gray enough already, he is anxious to get out on the golf course and make a couple of speeches each month to make ends meet.
I have come to the same conclusion you have, there will be no total collapse of civilization, and the best thing we can do is keep moving forward. Create wealth and enjoy life.
Glad I found your web site.