By Riverwalker | From StealthSurvival.Blogspot.com | On Saturday, April 28th, 2012

Doomsday Preppers airs on The National Geographic Channel
Doomsday Preppers airs on the National Geographic Channel

While the show has some good points, it’s still TV and needs to be entertaining in order for NATGeo to get viewers and advertising dollars.  The program has created additional awareness about prepping and the need to be prepared but they have also sensationalized prepping to the point where they may have difficulty finding preppers to participate in their program.

After visiting several serious preppers and a couple of beginners in my area, many of my prepper friends seem to be making a decision to avoid the possibility of subjecting themselves to being viewed as extremists on the fringe of society. Many stated they wouldn’t mind talking about their own level of expertise in certain areas. They also stated they wouldn’t mind giving advice and sharing ideas about prepping. They were also pretty clear that they weren’t about to reveal any specific information about their level of preps.  No way! No how!

Even a pretty serious prepper like me has picked up a few tips from the show but there have also been some things that didn’t quite make sense to me from a practical standpoint. The show’s producers may also have realized that the “average” prepper isn’t going to have the “shock” value for their audience. They may have also used their editorial control to the point where the preppers involved may have been seriously misrepresented in their prepping efforts for the sake of higher TV ratings. Not a good thing in my estimation.

There are plenty of gardening and other types of programs that are a more accurate portrayal of the types of basic activities preppers are regularly involved in on TV already. After all, how much entertainment value can you get out of a kitty litter bucket used as a nesting box for your chickens? This might be interesting to people raising chickens but probably not everyone.

Personally there is no problem for me when it comes to sharing ideas and advice with other like-minded individuals, just don’t ask for specific details about my level of preps, my address or my bug out locations. That’s private information and known to only a trusted few.

Perhaps the program will make a turnaround and show more of the “common sense” approach to prepping and focus more on the practical aspects. Including a few more basic prepping tips and the various things that can be done to be better prepared would be a good start. The value of being more self-reliant and better prepared is an important aspect of prepping and should probably be given more attention and focus. They might also want to treat persons involved in prepping with a little more respect and consideration. There are a lot more preppers out there than they may realize and they may be missing an opportunity for an even bigger audience.

In recent months, there has been a significant increase in the number of prepper blogs and websites. The prepper movement is growing and will continue to grow. A more accurate portrayal of prepping may make a more interesting program than they realize.

Even one of the most recent episodes was just a montage of previous shows and may be a sign that they are having difficulty finding preppers to profile. While the need to get others more involved in the prepping community is an admirable goal, going on national TV may not be the best way to do it. It appears that there may be an increasingly negative reaction from the prepper community as result.

Is “Doomsday Preppers” going to survive?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

This article was originally posted at http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/04/is-doomsday-preppers-doomed.html

News Reporter
RSOP is the co-founder & Executive Editor of Radical Survivalism Webzine, as well as a Family Preparedness Consultant with over seven years of personal experience in the self-reliance game. RSOP's many preparedness roles within his own group include team mechanic, head of security, electrician, and project designer/engineer.