I am a big fan of shows about doomsday preppers, homesteaders, survivalists, generally people who live off the grid. They describe themselves as fully self-reliant, and criticize the rest of society as being dependent and lacking in this self-reliance. But put those material goods aside, and let’s accept that the consumer gains from a prosperous society don’t matter much to them. The first example that I think about when watching these shows is the safety net of modern medical treatment. Would they starve to death, or would they survive off of the social safety net our government provides, like food stamps?

Source: Forbes July 29, 2017 19:54 UTC