Just like being a prepper isn’t a bad thing being termed a redneck or hillbilly shouldn’t be either. Lets look at each of these and you tell me who is better off? The suburbanite cube dweller watching on demand real housewives while eating at Mcdonalds to keep the kids quiet. Or the true self sufficient country dweller working the farm, watching the sun go down, and telling to kids to play with dirt and a stick, and they are happy about it.
The Appalachian American, aka hillbilly, aka redneck are for the most part self-sufficient. Typically they will live out in the sticks away from cities and services cities provide (police, fire, medical), stores, grocery etc. You rely on your family and neighbors. If you need something you make it, fix it, grow it, harvest it, process it or do it yourself. If you don’t know how to do something you either ask family/neighbors for assistance who teach you to do it, because they sure as hell won’t do it for you, or you figure it out on your own. Redneck engineering? It may not be pretty, but it works, did the job it was intended to do, cost little to nothing, and did it on their own.
Most can hunt, fish, forage, or grow their own food.
Most live simple lives without the need of TV, electronic gadgets, or other means of entertainment, spending, or waste.
Most have knowledge passed down from generation to generation about healing, medicines, and cures for what ails them. They know what plants are good for what. They don’t have many of the issues a lot of us do because they don’t eat all the chemicals and crap that we do.
Almost none accept or want government handouts.
Security isn’t as much of an issue because 99% of the time they are armed, can shoot better than most trained individuals, and people generally know not to mess with them. Country justice is a pretty good deterrent. That and there isn’t much worth stealing to most modern criminals. Because they live in a close community, know their neighbors, and friends/family are all over where they live, chances are if something goes on, either you know who did it, or someone you know, and it will get back to you.
Your family, friends, and neighbors are there for you in your time of need, as you are there for them. If a storm knocks down a few trees across the road and takes out power, they will have it cleaned, power back on, and business as usually before the city dwellers can even coordinate because of the levels of government, permits, etc. who is doing what, who is responsible for what. It just gets done.
You use the barter system and there is a code/honor system. You trust and respect each other.
If the entire financial/economic system collapsed tomorrow would it affect them? Probably not, just no more taxes on their land. So they just may benefit from it.
Pandemic, many are so isolated may not even reach them.
No water, most drink from wells, ponds, creeks, streams or rivers anyway. They grew up on this water, and are immune to anything living or present in the water.
Terrorist attack, too far and few between targets in the country. Not an issue. Most would look sideways at someone not from the area, and if the individual was viewed as a treat, would be dealt with. No tribunals, no asylum, no apologies for offending their country. Come to my home to do me and mine harm, and well al-Qaida we got a gravel pit/mine shaft with your name on it.
Food sources wiped out? Usually stocked up, and if not, can hunt, gather grow their own. (Book title same name by Jason Akers, Hunt Gather Grow, not calling Jason a hillibilly in a derogatory way)
No power, no worries, most do with little to no power to start.
OMG the internet is down….Most don’t even use it today, and in some cases even know what it is.
Look at you own lives, and could you do all that they do? Do you have the community, the know how? I cannot, but I wish I could, and am trying to educate myself to have a simpler life, a more self-reliant life, a more prepared life. I even say a better life. Would I give up the city, cube, stressed out life to live out in the country with good neighbors, friends and family. You bet.
So maybe before so many use redneck, hillbilly or other term in a derogatory way or look down our noses at them, we should look up to them as how really knows how to survive adversity and disasters.
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