Survival of the Preppers: an Exploration Into the Culture of Prepping
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Missouri: MOspace Survival of the Preppers: An Exploration into the Culture of Prepping A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School At the University of Missouri In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy By AMANDA A. SIMS Dr. Mary Grigsby, Dissertation Supervisor December 2017 © Copyright Amanda A. Sims 2017 All rights reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the Dissertation entitled SURVIVAL OF THE PREPPERS: AN EXPLORATION INTO THE CULTURE OF PREPPING Presented by AMANDA A. SIMS A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy And hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Dr. Mary Grigsby Dr. Jere Giles Dr. Stephen Jeanetta Dr. Rebecca Scott ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the result of the collective efforts of many people. I am thankful for the preppers who shared their candid thoughts, perspectives and experiences with me. This research would have been impossible without their insights and I am indebted to them. There are several other people who have been with me along the way and without them, this dissertation would have been impossible. I am incredibly grateful for the patience and steadfast encouragement of my advisor Dr. Mary Grigsby. Her curiosity about this culture and appreciation for my project was indispensable to me. Her conscientious edits and insightful comments were essential in shaping this work. I am forever grateful for the mentorship and friendship she has given me throughout my journey in graduate school. I would not be here today without her unwavering support. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Jere Giles, Dr. Stephen Jeanetta and Dr. Rebecca Scott. They have all been instrumental in the completion of this dissertation. I appreciate your enthusiasm and contributions you have offered throughout this process. Beyond my informants and committee members, I would like to thank my friends and colleagues in the department of Rural Sociology. All of those conversations about being prepared and their encouragement to keep going throughout this demanding process has helped me along the way. I also want to thank my friends and family members who listened to me talk about my research ii and helped me locate respondents. Heartfelt thanks to my mom and dad for supporting me throughout this long education. Their love and belief in my abilities was a critical element to my success. Lastly, I want to thank my husband Brandon for his steadfast love, encouragement and confidence in me. Without his support, none of what I have accomplished would have been possible. I thank him for helping me realizing my potential and being by my side along in this adventure. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................ii Abstract ................................................................................................................vi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2: Theory, Methods and Literature Review .......................................... 22 Methods .............................................................................................................. 12 Sampling ........................................................................................................ 15 Literature Review ........................................................................................... 20 Chapter 3: “Prevention Rather than Reaction”: Practices of Prepping ............... 27 What are Preppers Doing? ............................................................................. 27 How are Preppers Doing It? ........................................................................... 29 Defense Tactics ............................................................................................. 39 Knowledge Building ........................................................................................ 44 Relational Tactics ........................................................................................... 53 Prepping Essentials........................................................................................ 60 Barriers to Prepping ....................................................................................... 78 Consumption .................................................................................................. 82 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 93 Chapter 4: “Makers not Takers”: Prepper Worthy Identity Work ........................ 96 Self-Sufficiency as a Value ............................................................................. 98 Norms and Beliefs ........................................................................................ 110 Responding to Insecurities ........................................................................... 133 Worldview Motivations to Prep ..................................................................... 152 iv Motivations to Prep by Personal Social Roles .............................................. 172 Popular Culture Motivations ......................................................................... 182 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 185 Chapter 5: “You Can’t Feed Everyone”: Boundaries and Belonging................ 187 Drawing Boundaries- Who is Worthy of Protection? .................................... 188 Community ................................................................................................... 194 Food as Boundary Work .............................................................................. 202 Popular Culture ............................................................................................ 213 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 238 Chapter 6: “Feeling Safe in this World”: Retreating to the Private Sphere ........ 242 Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 267 Appendices ....................................................................................................... 274 Appendix A: Demographics of Preppers ..................................................... 274 Appendix B: Practices of Preppers Sorted by Location and Gender ........... 275 Appendix C: Interview Schedule ................................................................. 276 Vita ................................................................................................................... 277 v ABSTRACT This dissertation is an exploration of the culture of prepping in the Midwest. The research aims to provide a better understanding of why people engage in prepping and how they go about doing so. Thirteen preppers were interviewed during 2014 - 2016. Drawing upon Swidler’s (1986) definition of the cultural toolkit, the research offers an insight into how preppers construct a unique prepper cultural toolkit aimed at meeting their needs and solving a variety of problems in their lives. Why people become preppers and how preppers put together a set of ideas and practices that help them meet their perceived needs are outlined. How they deal with feelings of insecurity and what they do to increase their chances of survival are also explored. The data revealed the different types of practices that preppers engage in, the range of values, beliefs and behaviors and also how preppers drew symbolic boundaries. The findings show that preppers are retreating to the private sphere to find solutions to their individual concerns and are averse to relying on public entities or institutions to meet their needs. vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Living in contemporary times can be riddled with anxiety and fears concerning how the world as we currently know it may change in unpredictable and uncontrollable ways or may even come to an end. Fears of the apocalypse have been a staple in the human experience and different versions of doomsday have circulated through society throughout time. The book of Revelations in The Bible has a vivid description of the end of times. There are also countless representations of doomsday scenarios to be found in popular culture. Zombie movies and television shows are ever present in Hollywood, post-apocalyptic dystopian literature like The Road (McCarthy, 2006) and The Hunger Games series (Collins, 2008) have both been best-sellers. Television shows about prepping and survivalism, like Doomsday Preppers, have been some of the highest rated shows for the National Geographic Channel. (Zimmer, 2012) Recent events which took place in the public sphere such as the American economic recession in 2008 and the election of President Barak Obama, the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor disaster in 2011 and natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012 stirred up anxieties and fears for many Americans. In light of these events, I sought to better understand prepping through the eyes of my respondents. Were they engaging in a hobby or was is something more than that? Was prepping a particular pattern of behaviors that responded to what they perceived to be real and imminent threats? 1