I saw another commercial for some generator that absolutely killed me. I only saw it once, which is probably because they realized how absurd it was. Like the Generac commercial pictured here, it showed the lights going out during a storm, but kicking back in as the generator fired up.
The lucky family was able to cook dinner, and it showed them happily sitting around the table eating a meal, while the rest of the darkened, stormy neighborhood was visible through a large plate-glass window. There's a knock at the door and when they answer, there's ten people standing on their front porch, with phones needing to be charged, empty cups and bowls, forlorn kids and such.
They're all smiling, and tilting their heads as if to say "May we come in?" Uh-huh. In real life the people who'd show up at their door would be carrying baseball bats and they wouldn't be smiling. They wouldn't knock either. And sadly there's a trait among many people where if they see someone with something they don't have, if they can't steal it or whatever, they'll destroy it just so the people who have it don't anymore. Ain't gonna be no "Can I charge my phone?" They might take yours though.
There was a guy in our old neighborhood who owned a pawn shop and had become very wealthy. He built a huge house that was more like a compound, and he had a generator. Whenever the power went out his diesel generator came on, much to the chagrin of the surrounding two blocks at least. That thing was loud as Hell, day and night, to the point of keeping people awake.
He could've afforded to bury it or at least put a berm or some shrubbery around it but he didn't. He probably got off on it, knowing he had power and nobody else did, and I'd bet dollars to donuts he soundproofed the wall by the generator. He had to put up a brick structure around his mailbox because people in the neighborhood kept blowing it up with M-80s, and I kinda didn't blame them.
The thing is, if things had gone bad, people would've known exactly whom to target. You can't be very discrete when your lights are the only ones on for miles. Another unsettling reality if things go south, is that they (professionals) say that people are only three missed meals away from anarchy.
I'd probably opt for solar rather than a generator, although that's not always reliable, and can still be obvious. Another thing is that generators will eventually run out of fuel if there's no more to be had.
It might be best just to ride it out in the dark...IF you're at least a tiny bit prepared, with extra food, water, batteries, candles, magazines, games, decks of cards and whatnot, than to advertise the fact that you have power, or anything else for that matter. It's not fun to talk about, and certainly nothing to worry about in advance, but it's just life and it's happened all over the globe all throughout history. Frank Zappa wrote a great song making fun of people who say "It can't happen here."
Hopefully it won't happen to us, but there's no harm whatsoever in being a tiny bit prepared, and screw what people think or if they say you're paranoid or whatever. If things get bad, they'll be the ones in trouble. Which is smarter...to not want to be called paranoid or a "prepper" and have nothing set aside for a rainy day, or have a few things set aside, and not have to join the mad rush to find food and stuff no matter where, and at least have time to formulate a plan without having to panic? Hopefully that question is rhetorical.
If there's a long-term outage, and you happen to have some extra stuff, you might want to think about how you're going to defend it, or at least keep it secret. It's not being paranoid. In my book it's being smart. Have you ever heard "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best?" Sure makes sense to me. Our great-grandparents would've agreed; I can tell you that.
For the record, if I had a house I might have a root cellar with some food stashed away but I live in an apartment, and I have neither the money to afford extra food nor the space to store it, much less a way to defend it. I have a few gallons of water and a couple-dozen cans of soup, and we could make it for maybe a month in a crisis, but that's it. I'm literally a sitting fucking duck, if things were to go bad. Oh, and don't forget your pets!
It's great to have a generator when the power goes out, but if you're going to flaunt it by eating a hot meal in front of a big window, while the rest of the 'hood sits shivering in the dark and eating peanut butter, you might want to opt for some blackout curtains. I also might get a weapon or two, and train the fam how to use them. That's just reality. "Can I charge my phone?" That's hilarious. Stay safe.
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