Go-bags and stay-bins

In which the New York Times and a Facebook prepper group converge. Also, 7 other things worth your time.

At the height of my pandemic anxiety last year, I apparently joined a prepper-style Facebook group in which members share tips on how to deal with the apocalypse.

Thus, between cute pics of my friends’ families, and the latest uproar over what the school board or town government did, I’m quite likely to see things like a debate over how long ammunition can be stored before it goes bad, or how to can your own vegetables, or tips on stockpiling necessary medications for “when the SHTF.”

Personally, I’m a stockpiler only by accident—like when I realized in March 2020 that I had stockpiled hand sanitizer over the years as a result of my habit of buying small bottles, using them once, throwing them in a drawer, and buying more bottles.

But I find these Facebook posts interesting, sometimes useful, and a window into how another part of humanity thinks. That’s why I was intrigued over the weekend when the New York Times—not exactly the home turf of the libertarian prepper community—ran an artic…