Fear sells. This particular fear has been selling in different forms since before the US was a country.
“That’s the obvious big target,” Miller told me. At the time, foreign terrorist attacks were at the top of people’s minds. “Now, for many, it’s civil war,” he said.
The goal remains the same, regardless of the reason.
Back at the Viking Lodge, I met Benjamin, a middle-aged restaurant manager, who was hanging around the ranch, as members sometimes do.
It's about the lifestyle, far more than about the practicality.
“We don’t recruit for skills,” Miller said. “But it’s nice when members are useful.”
Right, because the odds are the the membership fees are more valuable than actually prepping.