03.29.12

Monetizing the kooks

Posted in Extremism, Imminent Catastrophe at 8:48 am by George Smith

You’ve already seen, or read about, National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers, a show capitalizing on the demographic of white kooks preparing for the fall of American civilization — and a small audience of other people you don’t want to meet who enjoy watching them, similar to those who love video of hockey fights that bring in the crowd or football players suffering career-ending hits.

The preppers are needy. So they require a dating site tuned to their interests, just like everyone else.

While I’m not convinced there’s any money in it, someone is giving it it the old college dig-a-slit-latrine try:

[A] site called Survivalist Singles has entered the online dating scene, catering specifically to this niche community of “preppers,” “survivalists” and “doomsdayers.”

Survivalist Singles, which officially launched in 2010, boasts the slogan, “Don’t face the future alone.” Its ranks are growing — quadrupling to about 1,640 members from around 400 at the end of 2010.

Members of the site range widely in their doomsday beliefs, said Andrea Burke, a 45-year-old middle school art teacher from Montana who took over the site from its previous owner last summer.

“Most will agree that something is brewing that may change life as we know it, whether it be a collapse of the economy, an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) or other natural or government disaster,” Burke said.

Love for less than a box of bullets, or something similar, is the motto.

The dilemma faced by preppers is plain. The image projected is poor because they’re … kooks. A Bible-beating white guy/militia man in Wyoming, the Dakotas, Idaho, Utah, the Piedmont or the wastelands of Texas who dresses in camo is a hard sell.

“It’s hard to connect with someone … You can’t explain why your truck is packed like you’re always ready for an expedition …” reads one quote from a user looking for connection.

“Some members, though, have already found love on the site … Iron Ranger … found his soul mate, or “twin flame,” only two days after joining Survivalist Singles … They live six hours away from each other so they have only met in person twice …” reads another.

Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes.


“When you have somebody within single digit feet of you … the dynamics of that situation are just going to be a wee bit different than somebody 25 yards away, who you have a clear shot at …”

Gals and guys like the Patriot Nurse, not everyone’s daisies, but if you dig close-in lethal combat training to dispatch the parasites coming for your stuff …

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