Jimmy Lee Dykes: The Media’s New Poster Child for Those Crazy Preppers

Daisy Luther, Contributor

I’m genuinely curious about something.

Why is it socially unacceptable to generalize about certain groups of people, while it’s open season on others?

Why are some beliefs, religions and lifestyles protected by media watchdogs and special interest groups, while others are considered threatening and are openly vilified?

It’s estimated that there are over 3 million preppers (and growing) in the United States. Some are God-fearing Christians, some are political Libertarians, and others are peace-loving small farmers. We teach our children to think critically, we believe in preparing for events that could be detrimental to our survival and for the most part, we just want to be left alone to seek our happiness. We are resistant, by and large, to governmental intrusion and to the restriction of our natural rights - those rights bestowed upon all humanity that are not contingent upon the legal laws, customs, or beliefs of any culture or government – the rights that are universal and inalienable..

This reality is actually pretty boring, though. It doesn’t sell papers, get TV viewers, or more importantly, further the agenda of demonization by those who feel threatened by us.

So for those purposes, preppers are classified based on the errant behavior of people like Jimmy Lee Dykes, a mean, anti-social recluse whose neighbors feared him and who reportedly beat a dog to death with a lead pipe. After all, Dykes had a “bunker”, a supply of non-perishable food, guns and a dislike for the government. Therefore, Dykes is now being put forth by the media as the poster child for “survivalists”.