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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Homesteading & Survivalists
  • Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:26:24 -0700


On Jan 18, 2009, at 3:37 PM, Lynda wrote:

Gene told a fib <g> You must remember the first round of survivalist. Ah,
bomb shelters and stocking up in the 50s?

Nah. In the early fifties my family did not even consider such stuff. Bomb, or fallout, shelters and ducking under one's desk was something city folk did. We Wisconsin farm boys were having way too much fun to take such nonsense seriously. We had more food than we could eat and who would want to bomb poor Wisconsin subsistence farms?

I enlisted in the Army in 1954 and spent most of the next three years defending the free world Monday thru Friday and defending the economy of Yokohama bars and brothels Saturday thru Sunday. When I emerged into the California world in 1957 my attention was on Beatniks, bohemianism and babes, which is to say, deep research on the differences between Japanese and American girls. Focus and persistence.

In 1974, Danville resident, Howard Ruff, scared hell out of people and made lots of money with the publication of his book, Famine and Survival, which occurred during high inflation and in the wake of a so- called oil crisis, which most affected me by having to push the Porsche through long gas lines and then later paying serious money to have the fuel injection system cleaned of the crap from the bottom of the gas station tanks. Ruff then really cleaned up by publishing a newsletter, Ruff Times. He gave us gist and grist for great conversation. My fellow Realtors and I drank beer and talked long about gold, guns and getting through to the other side. I bought a .45 and qualified for a concealed-carry permit.

The origin of the word "survivalist" is claimed by Kurt Saxon, another colorful fearleader who made money publishing newsletters--today the favored format is a blog, after first publishing a sensationalist book. Saxon was actually one of the first fearleaders to write about the homestead life as a way to be prepared for disaster. Yes, colorful; at one point he is said to have suggested to a Congressional committee that certain malcontents would best be handled with machine guns.

The history of the survivalist mindset from The Great Depression to today is the story of fearleaders who profit by responding to the strongest of all human characteristics--fear. I see it here, but never by those with the homesteader mindset.

Gene GeRue
www.RURALIZE.com








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