Coping With Doomsday

<p>Doomsday prepping has gone mainstream. What was once a fringe fixation tucked away on conspiracy forums has morphed into a booming industry, with everyday people stockpiling, strategising, and spending (a lot) in the name of “being prepared.”</p><p>This week, Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson sit with the existential threats uniquely shaping our generation, the preppers taking that fear to its furthest extreme, the brands that saw an opportunity to sell safety, and ultimately ask whether a state of hypervigilance actually soothes our anxiety or just feeds it. After all, what’s worse: the apocalypse (and the world’s least satisfying “I told you so”), or realising you spent your life waiting for it?</p><p><a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Prepper Used To Be A Dirty Word. But These &#39;Ordinary&#39; People Think It&#39;s Just Sensible Now</a> by Alexandra Koster, SBS Australia</p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-10/doomsday-preppers-survivalist-preparing-for-the-next-crisis/105123890" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">What Doomsday Preppers And Survivalists Can Teach The Rest Of Us</a>, by Anna Levy and Rebecca Cushway, ABC </p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/10/magazine/bunkers-prepping.html" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The ‘Panic Industry’ Boom</a> by Coralie Kraft, The New York Times</p><p><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-10805-014" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The cognitive avoidance theory of worry</a>, Sibrava, N. and Borkovec, T in APA PsycInfo</p><p><a href="https://www.primevideo.com/dp/amzn1.dv.gti.bea9f74d-f4ee-3974-9e65-0249307c5b7e?autoplay=0&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Blast From The Past</a></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210111190106.htm" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Pandemic Practice: Horror Fans And Morbidly Curious Individuals Are More Psychologically Resilient During The COVID-19 Pandemic</a>, by Scrivner, Johnson, Kjeldgaard-Christiansen and Clasen, ScienceDaily</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/apr/17/preppers-liberals-climate-collapse" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">‘All Of His Guns Will Do Nothing For Him’: Lefty Preppers Are Taking A Different Approach To Doomsday</a> by Aaron Gell, The Guardian<br><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-23/open-ai-model-went-rogue-testing-hack/106947540" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">OpenAI Model Hacks Startup After Going Rogue During Testing</a>, ABC<br><a href="https://nsc.anu.edu.au/research/no-worries-australian-attitudes-national-security-risk-and-resilience" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">No Worries? Australian Attitudes To National Security, Risk And Resilience</a>, Prof Rory Medcalf AM FAIIA and Tim Wilford, Australian National University<br><a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/coldwar_civildefense_kennedyrockefellerandcd.htm" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Kennedy, Rockefeller, and Civil Defense</a> by Naomi Kroll Hassebroek, NPS</p><p>☆ Are you a creative looking for support? Visit the <a href="https://supportact.org.au/creative-industries/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Support Act Creative Industries Hub</a> or call the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline on 1800 959 500 for a free and confidential chat (and remember, you don&#39;t have to be in crisis to call). Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who actually gets it and can hear you out. ☆</p><p>Want to support our show? We&#39;d be so grateful if you hit &#39;follow&#39; or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.</p><p>Plus, you can follow along with us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/copingwithus/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@copingwithus" targ