The meaning of Solidarity Prepping

I'm changing the name of the "Preparedness Support Group" to the "Solidarity Prepping Group," because we finally have a crystal-clear definition of what that means.

Tadzio Müller, the visionary activist and founder (with Cindy Peter) of Kollapscamp has delivered a thorough explanation and justification of "solidarity prepping" in his post of 8 January on his blog Peaceful Sabotage ("Friedliche Sabotage"). (The post is in German. Translate it.)

The first part of the post is about an act of sabotage that cut off electric power in Berlin for several days in the dead of winter. Here's CNN on the event. Tadzio discusses the validity of sabotage that can harm people, when we are faced with climate collapse and fascism, but that's not what I'm pointing to here.

The final third of Tadzio's post draws lessons from the Berlin event, about human beings' impulse to help each other in a disaster, and foretells an "emerging collapse movement: [where] people help each other in a catastrophe instead of wanting to smash each other's heads in." This is solidarity prepping.

He goes on to explain in detail. I am going to quote him at length, because every sentence is worth highlighting:

[During the power outage,] Berliners have offered complete strangers the chance to sleep in their apartments. Volunteers from all over Germany have traveled to Berlin to make coffee, prepare sandwiches, and help in all sorts of other ways.

What's so compelling about this kind of societal disaster relief is that it not only strengthens horizontal social relationships and concretely reduces human suffering, but it also gives helpers a sense of self-efficacy, of practically effective solidarity—a stark contrast to the feelings that currently seem to dominate society: powerlessness, fear, and isolation. Those who help others in a disaster experience that we don't have to be incapable of action in a catastrophe, but that, with the right preparation, we are capable of being self-efficacious and supportive individuals. And those who receive solidarity in a disaster experience that catastrophes are not the end of humanity, but rather moments that can bring out the best in people.

This is precisely the direction the emerging "collapse movement" points in: We, as a movement, accept that there will be more and more "disasters," of whatever kind and whatever their cause. We know that people will suffer in such disasters, and we want to reduce this suffering, while simultaneously offering paths to hope and the ability to act despite the catastrophe. The strategy we propose here is what we call "solidarity prepping." This doesn't mean stockpiling supplies in private bunkers, but first and foremost strengthening social relationships and networks. It means actively getting to know neighbors and members of one's own "community" (in my case, this would include Berlin's queer/gay community), finding out who has which (special) needs, and who brings which skills and resources. It means establishing meeting places and methods of communication in case telecommunications fail. Solidarity prepping means strengthening communities and thus making solidarity action practically possible in the face of disaster.

And the better we prepare for disasters in a spirit of solidarity, the more resilient we become as a society – whether it's a power outage or flooding, despite collapse and fascism. Solidarity-based disaster preparedness is the way forward.

We concur. We are grateful to Tadzio for his vision and clarity. We are joining the movement.

Next meeting of the Solidarity Prepping Group

• Date: Saturday 17 January
• Time: 11am Pacific time, 2pm Eastern, 7pm London, 8pm Paris. Check the time in your zone.
• Zoom info:
  • Meeting ID: 828 6523 3927
  • Passcode: 052977
  • Zoom link

We will discuss the meaning of Solidarity Prepping and how it can become real in our communities. We will take a look at one or more of the "mutual aid toolkits" that I've recently discovered (links). Feel free to join the Signal group.

See you soon!

❤️ David B.
david@collapseclub.com
My Signal link