Catch up TV

Episode 25 September 2018

Should we all be making plans for the end of the world? In America, a movement of people, called preppers, are doing all they can to make sure\n\nthey survive global disaster. Stacey spends time with three prepper communities who are gearing up for uncertain futures, with concerns ranging\n\nfrom civil unrest and nuclear war, to climate change and natural disasters. Some have bought bunkers to escape to, others have isolated\n\nthemselves from society. Stacey explores the reasons why they are going to such lengths to protect themselves. And she asks - should I be\n\nfollowing their lead?\n\n\n\nPrepping has a long history in America, but until recently was seen as a fringe movement. However on her trip Stacey discovers the movement is\n\nnow going mainstream. She says: “Five years ago i would have been more judgemental, but the state of the world at the minute, I can understand\n\nto a certain extent how they’ve got there.”\n\n\n\nIn the middle of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Stacey visits a family of 12, who for the past decade have isolated themselves. They believe cutting\n\nthemselves off from mainstream society is the only way to ensure their survival when disaster strikes. Grandparents Rodney and Kay are joined by\n\ntheir two daughters, grandchildren and other members of the extended family. They rear their own animals, jar all left over food and keep scores of\n\nweapons to protect themselves. Rodney and Kay feel threats come from an array of sources- from natural disasters to the actions of North Korea.\n\nStacey asks Rodney if she is crazy for not prepping and he says: “Everybody should be prepared for something. Rome fell. The US could fall too.”\n\nStacey spends time with grandchildren, Lacotta and Wyatt, who are 12 years old. And she questions the impact this lifestyle is having on them- are\n\nthey absorbing the adults worries? Although Stacey admires the family’s commitment to prepping, it’s too extreme for her. Can she find a way for\n\nher to be prepared for global disaster, without giving up her own way of life?

Source: BBC 1