feel like a guru yet?

Interesting salon .com article: folks who used to receive eye roll,s and behind the back(sometimes not so quiet) whispers are seeing a reversal:

http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/11/12/survivalists/index.html
nov 2001 article





[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]From crackpots to gurus[/FONT]
<!-- Deck --> [FONT=times new roman, times, serif]Survivalists are getting some respect, and lots of new friends, as worst-case scenarios get serious attention.[/FONT] [FONT=times new roman, times, serif][SIZE=-1]- - - - - - - - - - - -[/SIZE][/FONT]
<!-- Byline --> [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Janelle Brown[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Nov. 12, 2001 | [/FONT] <!-- end default pre content --> [FONT=times new roman, times, serif]If terrorists strike again, Bill believes he is ready -- no matter what form the attacks might take. In his rural home he keeps biowarfare chemical agent detection paper, airline smoke hoods, P100 disposable protective face masks, a Geiger counter and radiation pills; plus a freezer full of beans, 19 containers of water with filters and an air cleaner and a roll of plastic and duct tape to fashion a "safe room" in case of chemical attack. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]Bill -- no last name, just "Bill," as he anonymously posts on misc.survivalism newsgroup -- says he's kept this protective arsenal around for years "just in case." He's an old-school survivalist, once the target of widespread eye rolling and derision, now a respected font of sought-after tips for staying alive in the wake of Sept. 11. [/FONT]
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[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]"My neighbor used to call me her 'psychotic neighbor,'" says Bill. "Now she is asking me questions about self-protection and stocking up on some things like food, getting protective masks, a battery-operated radio, etc." [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]Ever since a handful of terrorists managed to commit crimes that few Americans, other than Bill and his comrades, were able to imagine, the scramble to be prepared for something akin to the apocalypse has escalated mightily. There's been a nationwide run on gas masks; Cipro sales are through the roof, as are military rations and chemical protection suits. People who considered themselves prepared for the worst if they had fresh batteries in their flashlights and beer in the fridge have begun to ponder smallpox outbreaks, the destruction of major bridges and urban tunnels; poison drinking water and general chaos. [/FONT]
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[/FONT] <hr align="left" noshade="noshade" size="1" width="50"> </td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> [/FONT] [FONT=times new roman, times, serif]Americans, eternally smitten by Hollywood action figures, wild West pioneers, and lovable bootstrapping heroes, have always loved a worst-case scenario. Witness the runaway success of the "ironic" "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook," which has instructed hundreds of thousands of readers how to jump from a moving train, escape from a sinking car, survive adrift at sea and perform an emergency tracheotomy. The most popular television show of the last two years is called "Survivor." [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]But much comfort has come from the heavy influence of fantasy and irony in this romance. Suddenly, we have proof that awful things can, in fact, happen. We seriously contemplate the possibility that the worst is still to come. And people like Bill -- the crackpots, extremists, paranoiacs and alarmists of three months ago -- are the gurus of right now. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]The iconic survivalist hasn't had a very positive public image, due, in part, to the past behavior of survivalist-identified folks like the Freemen and Randy Weaver. Just a few weeks ago, authorities in Illinois seized 12,000 rounds of ammunition and bomb-making materials from a group calling itself the United Survivalists of America, adding more fuel to the idea that survivalists are violent anti-government alarmists whose preparations are likely to trigger the all-consuming disasters they predict. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]But many Americans who call themselves survivalists, some of whom have only recently adopted the label, argue that a very small percentage of all survivalists could be described as extreme. While the survivalist community has its share of radical isolationists, gun nuts and fundamentalist Christians, it also includes a somewhat benign corps of hunters, outdoorsmen, farmers, libertarians, environmentalists and reasonable grown-ups who simply believe in preparing for disasters. The divergent strains of survivalism, say its boosters, all intersect with the collective belief in self-reliance. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]The Live Free Survival movement, for example, has been around for several decades and boasts some 400 members according to its president. Ever flexible -- and plugged in enough to understand the publicity value of latching onto current events -- the group has seized the threat of terrorism as a big part of its motivation and promotion. The group originally taught essential outdoor survival skills and hazard analysis and offered instructions on how to prepare for nuclear war. It has broadened its advice menu since Sept. 11 to include shopping guides to the best silent weapons and nuclear fallout shelters, while recommending that in addition to the portable "survival pack" that every American should have -- packed with a minimum five days' of food and water, temporary shelter and medicine -- they should include Tyvex suits and gas masks, in case of biological attack. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]Coincidentally, the group's long-held motto is ostensibly patriotic -- survivalism, they say, is all about being a good American. "You can't be your brother's keeper until you are your own keeper," explains James Jones, the group's president. "Being prepared is a civic responsibility: Once you've done it, you can help other people. If not, you may be a burden on the system or endanger your neighbors. It's not being paranoid, it's good citizenship." [/FONT]