Last night was the premiere of National Geographic Channel’s “Doomsday Preppers”, a new reality show about people who are preparing themselves for the eventuality of cataclysmic disaster. The stories revolve around average American families that are spending most of their spare time worrying about the collapse of society as we know it and how they will cope, and what their survival strategies are.
Should we hole up and barricade ourselves with weapons and stockpiles of shelf-stable food, water and seeds? Should we pack a “bug out” pack and take to the streets on foot and forage along the way? Will it be necessary to forge bonds with our communities so that we have a support system to draw upon in the darkest hours? For all of these people, training for the worst is a daily routine. They store items for barter, exercise intensely, and fill every nook and cranny of their dwellings. They have exit strategies, alternate plans, and above all, “lots and lots of bullets”. After all, Mike tells us, “If the grocery shelves are empty, you’re only nine meals away from anarchy.”
What’s interesting is that each family has their own belief of what is about to befall humanity and how they train themselves to be ready when “the shit hits the fan” and their worst fears become reality. Whether it be a megaquake, total economic collapse, an extreme oil crisis, solar flares that bring on widespread power failures, these people think they have it covered. If society begins to unravel itself, they are willing to fight tooth and nail to survive. At the end of each segment, an expert from NatGeo makes an assessment of what their chances would be ultimately, and what they are lacking and need to focus on, then revisit each family to update us on how they have improved their strategies.
So what are we really in for? Are these people crazy? Are they wasting their lives worrying about something that may not happen in our lifetime? What’s going to do us in, in the end? NatGeo has created a “Doomsday Dashboard” that follows Twitter trends to show us what is the worst possible catastrophe that everyone is worried about. To see what the current catastrophe that is impending, visit the Dashboard here.
At very least, “Doomsday Preppers” is an interesting watch. And if it all goes down, at least we’ll have a good understanding of what it will take to survive. I’m not holding my breath though – I’d rather enjoy life as we know it and deal with things as they come. To find out more about the show and how you can brace yourself for impending societal collapse, check out National Geographic Channel’s website. “Doomsday Preppers” airs Tuesday at 9pm on NatGeo.
Abominable Ink by Fazooli 