It’s not paranoid to entertain the possibility of hugely devastating events. Maybe some fool starts a nuclear war that escalates into World War III. Or an asteroid strike. Or, what makes me most nervous, a giant volcanic eruption spreading a cloud of ash throughout the stratosphere and greatly reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the ground, rapidly producing famine.
That being said, I must say that the stereotypical doomsday prepper gives me the chills. Stocking up on ammo all ready to shoot anything moving that looks like a threat or a possible source of meat. This mindset is absolutely typical of rugged individualist conservatives. Every man for himself. Darwinian competition. Only the tough survive. I hate to imagine the fate of people of color.. unless they too are armed to the teeth. A great recipe for annihilating all trace of civilization.
The right response to the threat of doomsday… the liberal response… is to prepare by establishing underground mountains of nonperishable food and water, that are operated exactly like aboveground shops, with access to supplies regulated by exchange of some form of rationing coupon. The coupon I like best is one with my picture on it that no one else can use… with my supply of coupons refreshed in some reasonable time frame. To prevent coupon theft and black marketing.
Also, obviously, establishing underground renewable food sources to provide for the really long haul. Preparation for space travel should help develop technology for doing this.
And guess what… in an age of increasing surplus labor… this kind of activity should provide useful activity to otherwise unemployed persons.
Well, most likely the political steam to generate such activity will not occur without massive propaganda. Hollywood, where are you ? /s