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A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching “Doomsday Preppers”
We’re doing the apocalypse all wrong.
One family buried three barrels of food in their back yard. They encrypted the location using passages from the bible.
Later, they tried to find the barrels.
It took them all day.
Another family sank drums filled with supplies in a lake. If the world ends, they’re going to scuba dive for them.
Maybe you remember the show, “Doomsday Preppers.” It aired on the National Geographic Channel about 10 years ago, back when most of us laughed at the possible end of civilization.
It’s still fun to watch — and educational.
Basically, it’s about rural and suburban families around the U.S. trying to plan for apocalyptic scenarios. They give documentary filmmakers a tour of their homes and talk about their plans. Then a panel of experts rates their preps and tells them how long they’d last.
The show has aged well, I think. Now halfway through a pandemic, I think most of us realize just how unbearable life is going to be in the post-apocalypse. There’s going to be a lot of Netflix withdrawal. There’s going to be a lot of dirty butts. There’s going to be a lot more dread tinged with apathy, because the apocalypse doesn’t happen fast.
It happens slow.
What used to be doomsday prophecy is now the morning news. We take it with our coffee. We’ve acclimated to staggering death tolls and videos filled with actual fire and ash. Meanwhile, the prepper mindset has gone mainstream. Doomsday hideouts are the latest luxury. Billionaires are absconding on super yachts and private islands.
Every influencer has a getaway ranch.
I’ve learned a lot about America from watching “Doomsday Preppers.” Above all, it’s taught me that we’ll worry about everything except what’s actually happening right in front of us.
Let’s dive right in.
Most Americans secretly predict the end times.
Here’s a little secret:
Most Americans are predicting the collapse of civilization, even if they’ll never admit…
