Although the apocalypse might seem like a lot of fun- no boring nine-to-five, no cash economy, camping out, getting to shoot stuff (it's a live-action version of Fallout!)- it would get really old really fast (no movies, no internet, no restaurants, constantly trying to avoid the crazies, etc.). I'm not sure that preppers realize this.
But it some ways, prepping is a rejection of modern society. Any time there is a major social change, like the industrial revolution for example, you will see utopian movements spring up. In U.S. history, the market revolution of the early 1800s led to a wave of groups (Mormons, Shakers, socialist communes) who "coped" with the social and economic changes of their day and age by attempting to completely withdraw from the rest of society. A lot of modern preppers seem to be people who can't handle the changes in modern society and the economy. Listening to preppers, this becomes pretty clear- they don't trust the power grid, they don't trust the government, they don't trust their new neighbors. In extreme cases, it's a behavioral manifestation of paranoia.
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