The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School School of Humanities BELIEVING IN THE END: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE PREPPER COMMUNITY A Dissertation in American Studies by Andrew C. Miller ©2018 Andrew C. Miller Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2018 The dissertation of Andrew C. Miller was reviewed and approved* by the following: Anthony B. Buccitelli Associate Professor of American Studies and Communications, School of Humanities Dissertation Adviser Chair of Committee Simon J. Bronner Distinguished Professor Emeritus of American Studies, School of Humanities Charles D. Kupfer Associate Professor of American Studies, School of Humanities Robin Redmon Wright Associate Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education, School of Behavioral Sciences and Education Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Graduate Faculty John R. Haddad Professor of American Studies, School of Humanities Department Head *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. ii ABSTRACT This ethnographic study examines “preppers,” a vernacular community of individuals who believe that the world is on an unsustainable trajectory and only through individual production can humanity be saved. The research took place offline through attending various prepper shows on the East Coast and online through observing prepper interactions on websites and forums. The study was launched with a driving question of why preppers, unlike other prophetic apocalyptic groups, could survive their continuous failed prophesies around the end of the world. The research reveals that preppers survive because of the community’s ability to absorb the impact of a failed prophecy through its vernacular interpretive practices. Other more hierarchical apocalyptic communities have little room for shifting blame when the world does not end. Preppers believe in a secular apocalypse, one that is void of control by God, but the majority of preppers are Christians. The study explores the challenges created by the dissonance between Christian prepper’s belief in Jesus and a call to care for others, and the secular need to protect himself and his family. To overcome this dissonance, Christian preppers have removed Jesus, Noah, and Joseph from the Bible and transformed them into preppers. This study demonstrates how preppers use a broad range of media, including the Bible, movies, and YouTube clips, to construct their vision of the apocalypse. Without institutional leadership, preppers fill this void with their individual voices and construct the vernacular apocalypse through various forms of media. Preppers believe that the apocalypse will purge society and create a new localized egalitarian world. In this study, I argue that the post-apocalyptic world of preppers is void of multiculturalism and neglects the progress and contributions of women and non-whites to society. iii Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ vi Dedication ................................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 “This is not a trash can” ...........................................................................................................3 Textual Interpretation ..............................................................................................................5 Who is a Prepper?.................................................................................................................. 14 Prepper Insiders and Outsiders ............................................................................................... 23 The Prepper Perspective of History ........................................................................................ 28 Prepping and the Frontier ...................................................................................................... 30 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 35 Apocalyptic Literature Review .............................................................................................. 40 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. 43 Chapter Outline ..................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 2: Prepper Religion: The Secularization of Jesus and the Sanctification of the Secular Apocalypse ............................................................................................................................... 47 Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 47 American Dream and the Frontier .......................................................................................... 52 Cultural Studies ..................................................................................................................... 55 Secular Apocalypse ............................................................................................................... 56 Prepping for God ................................................................................................................... 58 The Tension within the Christian Prepper .............................................................................. 58 Prophecy, Puritans, and Preppers ........................................................................................... 61 Rituals of Faith ...................................................................................................................... 64 Jesus the Prepper ................................................................................................................... 64 Prepper Prophecy .................................................................................................................. 70 The Prepper’s Bible ............................................................................................................... 74 Chapter 3: Queens of the Apocalypse: Race and Gender in the American Prepper Movement .... 82 Feminist Reception Theory .................................................................................................... 84 Online Gender Identity .......................................................................................................... 85 Camouflaged Heels: Femininity and the Apocalypse.............................................................. 87 Masculine Views of the Feminine Prepper ............................................................................. 88 iv Thriving While Others Struggle to Survive ............................................................................ 90 Families and Preparedness ..................................................................................................... 94 The Welfare Queen................................................................................................................ 95 Chapter 4: Errand into the Apocalypse ..................................................................................... 105 The City is Dangerous ......................................................................................................... 105 Class and Race .................................................................................................................... 107 The Frontier and Reception Theory...................................................................................... 110 The Religion of Prepping ..................................................................................................... 112 Lessons from Hurricane Katrina .......................................................................................... 114 The Road and the Evils of the Apocalypse ........................................................................... 116 The New Errand in the Wilderness ...................................................................................... 120 The Online Prepper Response to the Baltimore Riots ........................................................... 122 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 130 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 137 v List of Figures Figure 1: NOAH, The original Doomsday Prepper, August 15, 2018, 90 Miles From Tyranny, http://ninetymilesfromtyranny.blogspot.com/2016/06/noah-original-doomsday- prepper.html .................................................................................................................. 33 vi Dedication Dedicated to my sister, Ashley M. Frearson. vii Chapter 1: Introduction You are driving home from work. The drive goes smoothly, passing familiar landmarks, along the usual route. Your engine suddenly stalls. The power steering fails as you struggle to pull off the road using the car’s inertia. When the car rolls to a stop, you sigh and take out your cell phone to call for help. It is at this moment that you notice how quiet it is. There are no other cars driving past on this