I'm old, so I remember the days when people thought it was wise to be prepared, even if disaster never strikes. After all, you only need things to go wrong once, not even on a country-wide level, and it could make the difference of you and your family surviving or not.
Those are not odds I would like to bet against - I just wish I had a way to protect myself and my loved ones, but the problem where I live is more drastic.
As they say, he who laughs last, laughs the best.
RE: Preparedness and "Prepper-phobia"