# A Lesson From a Vagrant



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

It's the weekend, which means reloading on fresh veggies and fruit for the next work week. Denton doesn't go into the stores. Denton's impatience with shopping and with the rude behavior of other shoppers makes it annoying for Wifey. This being the case, Denton stays in the truck.

Here is what I noticed during last week's shopping.

I drive through the parking lot of the store before picking my spot. I like to see what is going on. Then I park the truck where I can watch the front of the store as well as keep an eye on the parking lot. Sure. You think I am paranoid. Whatever.

Anyway, there is a mentally disturbed vagrant who hangs out in the Publix parking area and store front. At first, I was very observant of him, but after watching him for several months, I decided he is no threat. He walks around, doing nothing more than talking to himself. Moreover, I noticed another thing - nobody, I mean nobody, pays the first bit of attention to him. Sure, people are quick to look at the pretty girls who are going in and out of Publix, but nobody pays the mumbler the first bit of attention. He is grubby, walks around, smokes tossed butts and talks to only himself. He has nothing to offer and nothing to take.

That got me to thinking. That guy will last a lot longer than any of the dolled-up girls.


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## Arizona Infidel (Oct 5, 2013)

So your saying he is camo flouted for the urban environment? I have to ask. Is he wearing digital camo gear?


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## retired guard (Mar 7, 2013)

I don't know there are many people who are violent for violence sake. The pretty girls may have a protector/provider. He would not and could easily be some degenerates idea of "sport."


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

Denton said:


> It's the weekend, which means reloading on fresh veggies and fruit for the next work week. Denton doesn't go into the stores. Denton's impatience with shopping and with the rude behavior of other shoppers makes it annoying for Wifey. This being the case, Denton stays in the truck.
> 
> Here is what I noticed during last week's shopping.
> 
> ...


I'm in Aiken, SC visiting my uncle and I am literally headed out the door to go to Publix. Never been. Hopefully no crazy vagrants.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I work in a warehouse area of a very large city, near the inner-city/ghetto/"bad" district. The part of the city where the bad guys dump bodies.
The vagrants/homeless/drug addicts/mental cases who live on the street in this area have to be very resourceful just to survive.
I am sure, as Denton said, that these people will last a lot longer than 3/4 of the rest of society during a widespread catastrophy.


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## Arizona Infidel (Oct 5, 2013)

They are already living the life many are prepping for.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

rice paddy daddy said:


> I work in a warehouse area of a very large city, near the inner-city/ghetto/"bad" district. The part of the city where the bad guys dump bodies.
> The vagrants/homeless/drug addicts/mental cases who live on the street in this area have to be very resourceful just to survive.
> I am sure, as Denton said, that these people will last a lot longer than 3/4 of the rest of society during a widespread catastrophy.


Bingo. He id already a survivor of sorts. He is around but not noticed. When he wanders off, he simply vanishes. 
True, he might be be taken out for sport, but that is assuming his cunning would allow that.
True, the pretty yuppy girls might have protectors now, but of what stock are the protectors?
I'm at Kohls, now. What shiny, never been offroad 4x4s I see.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Denton said:


> It's the weekend, which means reloading on fresh veggies and fruit for the next work week. Denton doesn't go into the stores. Denton's impatience with shopping and with the rude behavior of other shoppers makes it annoying for Wifey. This being the case, Denton stays in the truck.
> 
> Here is what I noticed during last week's shopping.
> 
> ...


More than likely those girls and the other people were very aware he was there. It is natural instinct to try to not make eye contact because very likely if you do he will come up and start talking. It was the public trying to be invisible around him.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

rickkyw1720pf said:


> More than likely those girls and the other people were very aware he was there. It is natural instinct to try to not make eye contact because very likely if you do he will come up and start talking. It was the public trying to be invisible around him.


I'm pretty good at watching people.

*edited to add:* No in a peeper way, mind you.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Denton said:


> *I'm pretty good at watching people.*
> 
> *edited to add:* No in a peeper way, mind you.


:shock:


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Crap.

_NOT_ in a peeper way.


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## Mish (Nov 5, 2013)

Denton said:


> Crap.
> 
> _NOT_ in a peeper way.


Pervert.


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## Ronin2013 (Dec 18, 2013)

I have personally thought of leaving a set of clothes out to get sun worn as well as a backpack so I could appear to be a vagrant.(use as a get home bag) Wonder if that was along the lines of what Denton was thinking? Was just a thought knew I was with like minded people.


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

I would bet that most of the people there were well aware that the guy was there, they made it a point to ignore him. I know when I see people like him although I am well aware of their presence, I make a point of not having direct eye contact because I don't want to talk to them nor do I want them hitting me up for money. As for him surviving when the good looking women won't, those women have something to offer, besides their looks, that could influence others to help them survive. The vagrant doesn't. As a matter of fact the vagrant could well be perceived as a threat. One final point, the vagrant is barely surviving during a time of plenty. I don't see how he would do better then others during a time of hardship. A loser is a loser.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Denton said:


> It's the weekend, which means reloading on fresh veggies and fruit for the next work week. Denton doesn't go into the stores. Denton's impatience with shopping and with the rude behavior of other shoppers makes it annoying for Wifey. This being the case, Denton stays in the truck.
> 
> Here is what I noticed during last week's shopping.
> 
> ...


In a world where we have terms that shift and change to make them more acceptable for the political agenda:
Income Inequality becomes Ladders to Opportunity
Illegal Alien becomes Undocumented Citizen
Etc, Etc, Etc...

I'm now going to refer to all vagrants as "Tactically Affluent." It is unfair that they have this advantage over me. I am now an at risk citizen in need of a government check because someone has by nature of their upbringing bested me in an area of life. We need to take back the tactical advantage that these vagrants have stolen from us through years of oppressing us with their signs of needing money and pissing on our dumpsters.

I'm starting my "Occupy a Box" movement to regain our tactical advantage from these Tactically Affluent individuals who have already bugged out 30 years too soon.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

I spent a couple years as a street kid starting when I was 14... my parents and I didn't see eye to eye. They wanted good things for me, but thanks to an excellent education and past experiences I knew far more than their feeble lifetime had taught them. So after getting in trouble with various things, I booked it. Went under an alias and exchanged a roof for a sleeping bag.

If you've never seen society from the other side, it's one hell of an eye opening experience. It's a whole different world, within this one. What was truly amazing was how everybody in regular society looked down on us like we were animals (and hey, not entirely wrong), but at the same time it was one of the biggest families I've ever seen. Everybody took care of everybody else, the way people used to at all levels. If you didn't know where to stay, somebody showed you. If you were cold, somebody gave you their jacket. You learned to repay the favors in kind.

You also see an amazing amount of things that happen in plain sight, that "normal" people have developed blind spots for. Interactions between people, and natural events that nobody else saw because they were too busy sipping on a coffee.

There's a lot of crazy whacked out folks who live on the streets, but they're not all as dumb as some may think. I made the decision to leave that life behind, but it opened my eyes to things nobody else will get to see. I think if ever an event prepared me more for what may be coming, that was it. It's been a couple decades, but I know if I ever lost all my preps, and all my ammo I think I would still get along just fine, at least for a little bit.

Sorry, just reminiscing. Vagrants. Pshaw.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Psychologically the dude is probably prepared for adverse situations, school of hard knocks makes hard knocks light; however here is the problem. Vagrants often depend on others - no dole, no food scraps means it is going to get serious fast and the guy will die of starvation unless there is support. The vagrant may be mentally prepared but they are likely not material prepared. Those garbaged beef patties and plate scrapings ain't going to be there when the food deliveries stop to the people who pay to eat. 
The vagrant is quickly forced to 'steal' like other non preppers for their own food in some scenarios.

So while true living rough on the street will prepare you for destitution, you can prepare without materially preparing. While true a survivalist can live off the land, a farmer can grow plants, unless they are actively doing so, and creating caches you know storing up mcdonalds fries and stuff for Armageddon they will be in the unpreppared group because they will be forced to break the law to survive.

(using mcdonalds as a prepping food source could be a point of discussion in another thread perhaps...)

You could say prepper are like mcdonalds fries where as non prepers are like regular fries











(bear in mind fat, oil is a natural preservative)


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## Fuzzee (Nov 20, 2012)

It may be cold to say, but the reality is pretty girls will have a worth to someone post shtf and the mumbler will be a target for a bullet. People may choose to ignore him now, but people won't be ignoring anyone post shtf. If he becomes a threat to someone, they'll put him down.



At least I will with many others.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

The vagrant isn't perceived as a threat. He is invisible - he has nothing and unless he is asking for something he will be by-passed for the most part. I agree that anyone could become "sport" for someone else but if you are looking for food then he is that last person anyone would look at for food. Those nice homes in the gated communities would be a much better target and no matter what kind of "security" (aside from armed personnel) without the police to respond what is the obstacle?


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## Fuzzee (Nov 20, 2012)

When shtf hard there won't be any garbage for anyone to pick through. We live on a fragile edge. This country for the most part survives because of electrical power and fossil fuels. You all know this. And when that's gone because there are various ways it could be taken from us, there will be a huge number of people hungry and fighting for scraps. This guy who's living off peoples generosity now, what he can find in the trash and soup kitchens will be just as hungry because all that will be gone. And like all the other homeless out wandering, begging for food and turning to whatever way they can get it, and a large majority of them mentally ill, will be a threat to someone and go where they weren't invited and find a death sandwich.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

GTGallop said:


> ...I'm starting my "Occupy a Box" movement to regain our tactical advantage from these Tactically Affluent individuals who have already bugged out 30 years too soon.


If I understood Obummer, he seems to support the OCCUPY movement. What would happen if a group tried to occupy the area in front of the WH?


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

paraquack said:


> If I understood Obummer, he seems to support the OCCUPY movement. What would happen if a group tried to occupy the area in front of the WH?


Actually, a group did. A bunch of WWII vets and supporters carried some barrycades from the WWII monument to the White House and piled them up against the fence during our Great Leaders temper tantrum that shut down the war memorials in DC.
The cops did not interfere. They either (a) were veterans themselves, or (b)those that weren't had enough class to know better.


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## Vagabond (Jan 14, 2014)

dannydefense said:


> I spent a couple years as a street kid starting when I was 14... my parents and I didn't see eye to eye. They wanted good things for me, but thanks to an excellent education and past experiences I knew far more than their feeble lifetime had taught them. So after getting in trouble with various things, I booked it. Went under an alias and exchanged a roof for a sleeping bag.
> 
> If you've never seen society from the other side, it's one hell of an eye opening experience. It's a whole different world, within this one. What was truly amazing was how everybody in regular society looked down on us like we were animals (and hey, not entirely wrong), but at the same time it was one of the biggest families I've ever seen. Everybody took care of everybody else, the way people used to at all levels. If you didn't know where to stay, somebody showed you. If you were cold, somebody gave you their jacket. You learned to repay the favors in kind.
> 
> ...


I also spent time out doors in different cities around the country as a kid. Yeah it does open you up to seeing things in a different light, doesn't it? Knowing where to be at any given point or how to step away from a situation unscathed. Knowing what to look for and what is around you can use as a tool or weapon if need be. Being able to collect water from virtually nothing, even without anything "proper" to use. Catching small game when those around you are starving, but too squeamish to even think of pigeons, squirrels, etc as a source of food. Yep, old crazy dude will make it through what others can't, he already has.

As for another part of this thread. True, the hotties with bodies may have something to offer if/when the grid goes down, but seriously, aside from youth and genes, what is that really? Lots of folks might be thinking they're theirs, so you may need to fight for them unnecessarily, whereas the old tramp/hobo/urchin just keeps on truckin' and you get what, some pop tart that can't cook, clean, split wood, hunt, fish.... you'll get plenty tired of carrying the weight of him/her/them. And you're now the target of less than favorable individuals that want them for their own purposes. way to keep a low profile huh? Looking back on what was written, it sounds a bit harsh, sorry for that, its not my intention to ruffle anyones feathers.


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