More than 3.7 million Americans have been branded as survivalists or preppers. These people believe that disasters such as terror attacks, financial collapse or natural catastrophes will destroy the world’s infrastructures and tear societies apart. Preppers prepare for these disasters.
At the very least, preppers plan to secure the basic necessities: food, clothing and shelter. Some prepare for a lot more than the basics with water filtration, bunkers, communications, power systems and self defense systems.
The more extreme preppers buy stashes of gold and silver with which they will barter when paper money will become worthless.
Preppers think that since gold and silver have been the standard for barter trade since ancient times, these metals would be a safe haven because they would not lose value in the wake of a financial disaster.
But critics argue that admonishing people to buy gold and silver in preparation for the end of paper money is sheer propaganda aimed at making the people buy these metals from whatever agency they are linked to so they can make their commission.
Further, in the event of a nationwide or worldwide collapse, all money, whether it is paper money or gold and silver, would not be worth a thing.
