National Geographic is at it again. They did a good job making preppers look like fools in "Doomsday Preppers." Some were of course, but others had good plans. Now they have a family building a medieval style castle! I am not quite sure what to think... National Geographic used to be a reputable, even prestigious organization. Now it's a dog-and-pony show producer. Maybe it will get more people thinking about planning, but the way they present the subject has not been flattering or serious. It isn't a documentary, it's entertainment. Oh well, at least the patriarch has two great-looking daughters ::) The format is very much like "Doomsday Preppers." They probably found them casting for that show and decided that they were original enough for their own. Have you guys seen the previews? Are you going to watch it? What do you think?
Gil.
The family was actually in one of the Doomsday Preppers episodes. I haven't watched this show though. The guy has some good ideas, but also some kooky ideas. For example, he made the place to look sort off castle like, but it's obvious that he hasn't learned anything about castle design.
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Quoteit's obvious that he hasn't learned anything about castle design
Indeed it is difficult to defend a square building.. Here is something more interesting (attached):
Also see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9bastien_Le_Prestre_de_Vauban (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9bastien_Le_Prestre_de_Vauban)
In the attached example you will notice that every wall is visible from at least one other wall...
Gil.
Doomsday Preppers was pretty idiotic, the same as all the other so called reality shows, I have no reason to think this one will be any different.
Apparently people keep watching. ;D
Nobody ever lost money by UNDERestimating the intelligence of the American viewing public.
Quote from: RadioRay on August 25, 2013, 07:04:19 PM
Nobody ever lost money by UNDERestimating the intelligence of the American viewing public.
Truer words have never been spoken. LOL
You have to admit the folks portrayed are committed to being ready for whatever calamity they are preparing for. Unless you can see the future, who is to say they are wrong?
Quote from: Geek on August 26, 2013, 08:47:47 AM
You have to admit the folks portrayed are committed to being ready for whatever calamity they are preparing for. Unless you can see the future, who is to say they are wrong?
I don't necessarily have an issue with the folks portrayed (although a few of them I've seen have some
very unrealistic views on such matters) as I'm one of them. What I have an issue with is the
way they're portrayed by the the show itself and the idiotic drama that the producers add. But as Ray pointed out, they didn't produce the show for people like us.
I still remember being excited when the previews for the original so called "reality" show;
Survivor came out, I thought that was going to be a neat show.................... then I saw it ??? . I still say that would be an interesting show if they held it above the arctic circle instead of some cushy tropical island 8) .
Whether you talk about the folks on these shows, or folks like us, the preparations are for extremely low probability events. As a result the folks are preparing for "unrealistic". The fact that they come across as slightly kooky is no surprise. They'll continue to look kooky right up to the point one of them is correct.
For me, the name :National Geographic has roots in the scientific exploration of the planet and etc. To see this once great name reduced to making 'info-tainment' is a shame. To specifically choose some of the people involved in earlier episodes, which I saw only parts of, then synthesize the idea that ONLY kooks prepare, well, that's nothing more than propaganda. I'd love to see Joe & Josephine Prepper with 3 children talking about how their preps got them through a hurricane, or a period of extended unemployment (BT&DT recently) and etc. I am certain that it would take even less time to find mental cases who have insurance and driver's licenses, but that would not make for good info-tainment to propagandize the general public into not preparing so that THEY will not be though of as nuts, whacks, lunatics who drive around in up-armored pick-up trucks, or four wheelers, toting guns, wearing body armor in the barnyard.
I am a person who lived MUCH of his time in the mountain West & what is called 'prepping' is daily life, having supplies layed-in, water, blankets a wood pile large enough to be seen from outer-space... it's all common sense. To most urbanites who often eat out daily, live either at work, or in their cars on the looooong commute TO work, or 'out' after work & trying to forget about work and car payments OR for those who live on the fringes of rural areas, but are living day-to-day out of the local Piggly-Wiggly, it might make them UNcomfortable when someone on TV asks "What have you done to ensure that you can feed your family if you cannot drive to food and drink for even ONE week, 2 weeks - a month?" (as with hurricanes, blizzards and the increasing incidents of race riots). Most people 'FEEL' uncomfortable with the question because they've done nothing, so will react poorly. However, when preppers are made to look like kooks, and country people are seen as stupid rednecks (a racial slur) then it's OK, and makes for good TV, because the masses of viewers can point and laugh, while on the couch.
"They'll continue to look kooky right up to the point one of them is correct."
For a mini-example:
For most of the past month we have been largely house bound due to a virulent infection that spread through my wife's workplace. No need to mention how many are infected and etc. and how deadly it is - it will NEVER make the controlled news. We kept her home, bit the bullet with no income from her work, paying medical bills out of pocket, due to no insurance. For food we switched to grains, legumes from long term storage and spices in the house, a little bit of fish and meat as possible and LOTS of fresh vegetables from our garden and eggs from our hens. Once cleared to return to work, she did and we're thankful that we were able to have reserves and AWESOME home made breads, soups and etc. As far as I can tell, the stored grains were harvested 7 - 8 years ago before they went into the storage containers. Large amounts of cooking oils, ghee and spices are always in the house. We ordered more Vietnamese coffee via Amazon because THAT's almost like blood plasma for both of us and didn't require leaving the property.
I'd rather see some of the 'regular preppers' featured instead of the type casting that they seem to prefer (helmet, body armor, multiple ammunition magazines (not "clips") in every possible crevasse, for the entertainment value. Then again, there's a REASON why THEY call it "PROGRAMMING". ;^)
GTG - I think have to toss my tin foil hat into the drier.
(http://www.swprn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2012-03-28-a-Tin-Foil.png)
de RadioRay ..._ _
Right... Even in the numerous TV series portraying catastrophes, the characters were not prepared beforehand.. Well, maybe except Burt in Tremors:
Gil.
"You broke into the wrong god damned rec room didn't you ya bastard!" 8)
Quote from: gil on August 17, 2013, 02:39:16 PM
National Geographic is at it again. They did a good job making preppers look like fools in "Doomsday Preppers." Some were of course, but others had good plans. Now they have a family building a medieval style castle! I am not quite sure what to think... National Geographic used to be a reputable, even prestigious organization. Now it's a dog-and-pony show producer. Maybe it will get more people thinking about planning, but the way they present the subject has not been flattering or serious. It isn't a documentary, it's entertainment. Oh well, at least the patriarch has two great-looking daughters ::) The format is very much like "Doomsday Preppers." They probably found them casting for that show and decided that they were original enough for their own. Have you guys seen the previews? Are you going to watch it? What do you think?
Gil.
Anything on TV is designed to do 2 things, one is to entertain, and the second reason is to help sell advertising. Always take "EVERYTHING" you see on TV with a grain of salt ! Even the so called survival shows, as I've seen one of the "survival gurus" do things that could get you killed if you follow his advice ! For example: "I can't positively identify this mushroom as non poisonous, but I'm so hungry I'm going to eat it anyway" How stupid ! And then squeezing water out of animal dung and drinking it, can you spell parasites ?
"Tremors" May be the bestest gosh danged film ever made!
"I got me a plan"
I remember a few years back when they started putting out a casting call of sorts on several for the more popular prepper forums. People there were advised against participating but obviously some did. A certain amount of this stuff has to be scripted. Are some of these people that immature or foolish? I am curious what the incentive was.
I can't believe that so many people were allowing themselves to be put on public display and giving up so much of their opsec. I have to add, that some of them have been informative with some useful information.
The show a couple of nights ago about the blackout left out what I believe to be one very important point. If the whole grid were to be knocked down even by cyber attack, I find it hard to believe that it would be back up in a couple of weeks. I could be wrong.
An EMP or several, are more likely, from the information I have seen lately. That scares the crap out of me and is what we are trying to prepare for.
Quote from: mdmc on October 29, 2013, 03:34:29 AM
The show a couple of nights ago about the blackout left out what I believe to be one very important point. If the whole grid were to be knocked down even by cyber attack, I find it hard to believe that it would be back up in a couple of weeks. I could be wrong.
My thoughts also.
Quote from: KK0G on October 29, 2013, 08:35:32 AM
Quote from: mdmc on October 29, 2013, 03:34:29 AM
The show a couple of nights ago about the blackout left out what I believe to be one very important point. If the whole grid were to be knocked down even by cyber attack, I find it hard to believe that it would be back up in a couple of weeks. I could be wrong.
My thoughts also.
Same here...from a total, nationwide blackout, not likely. I think even a regional one (say, the entire east coast) would take longer than a couple weeks. Unless of course FEMA already has replacement parts and such pre-staged.
I'm just sayin'... ;)