No, this is not another guide to surviving the excesses of the Las Vegas strip, conventions, or bachelor parties with “hookers and blow.” For that, I recommend watching “The Hangover.” Instead, this is about the conundrum of being a person with a survivalist mentality while living in a crowded city built on tourism and vice. While everyone is subject to the concept of survival, it should be pointed out that most people consider a classic survivalist to be anyone who seems like they’re from the country.
Today on Rob Raskins’ Millionaire Survivalist, we’ll consider how Vegas sells survivalism as part of a vacation package, while the act of actually being here would pose a tactical disadvantage to a “true believer.”
What Does a Survivalist Look Like?
Ask this to most people under 30 or in major cities, and they’ll tell you that a survivalist is someone with a camouflage cap and gung-ho about guns. So, what differentiates a survivalist from your everyday red-blooded American who enjoys the thrill of target shooting, hunting, camping, and the clothing accessories thereof?
Analysis
While there is some overlap in the cultures, a survivalist is anyone who chooses to live in an underground bunker, off the radar, doesn’t use money, catches their own food, and doesn’t pay taxes or send their kids to school. What unifies these people is their mutual distrust of authority and unwillingness to subject themselves to it. As a result, many don’t travel, and those who do prefer to drive.
So, how does any of this tie into Vegas? Simple. Those of us who live here see the different people from different walks of life, all Siamese twins joined by the tourist dollar. While most seem to agree on the Strip or the Fremont area, it’s not until you go south of the Strip that you see a different picture. The Silverton has Bass Pro Shops, an indoor gun range, archery range, and they sell guns, knives, bows and arrows, camping gear, boats, you name it.
Sure, these tourists are more likely to pay to shoot machine guns than to pay to see musicals like Jersey Boys, but many are not within driving distance and thus fly here. Considering the difficulty of traveling with a gun in your below deck luggage, even if taken apart and locked in place, most will not risk losing their flight and being detained by security to bring a sidearm on vacation.
So, even if they own 100 guns, chew tobacco, eat BBQ, and ride horses when they enter that airport and fly here, they’re as vulnerable as the rest of us. So, unless you’re flying from your deluxe compound in a private jet loaded with guns and booze, chances are they’re as much of a tourist as all the rest.