A rose by any other name…

One of the points I’ve made before as regards preparedness, especially for those who wish to teach others, is the importance of not being weird. People simply do not like weird. So, don’t be weird. “Weird” might reasonably include at least the following to those who don’t practice preparedness:

• Talking about what you see as the current greatest threat on the horizon
• Discussing your preps in detail (also bad OpSec, but for now we’re talking about what people perceive as weird)
  • Talking about the importance of OpSec itself
• Talking about your “prepping” or “survival” or “SHTF”/”TEOTWAWKI” group
• Using language associated with preppers

Instead, if your purpose is to educate (as opposed to indoctrinate or persuade…or show off), consider taking a slightly different approach. Bug out or go bags serve as a case in point. Both of those terms are associated with preppers and can be perceived as weird. Emergency bag or kit seems better to me. In California, you might refer to it as “that bag you grab when your town is hit by a major quake.” On the North Carolina coast it might be a “hurricane bag.” The point is, people aren’t too likely to see those as weird.

Another example might be this: You aren’t part of a prepper or survivalist group. Instead, it’s a “mutual support group for emergencies.”

The above examples have the advantages of being both true* and not being weird. On the other hand, if your preparedness efforts ooze out of every word you say, regardless of the topic, trust me, you are being weird and you’re unlikely to teach anyone anything good.

Don’t be weird, okay?

*None of the above should be taken as meaning it’s a good idea to ignore OpSec. Interestingly, you can practice good operational security by avoiding, you know, being weird.