Concluding Thoughts

In the early chapters of this book, I posed the following questions: What is the actual role of apocalyptic fascination in the United States, and how does it inform (or is informed by) our American culture? It is evident that American apocalypticism is a mood that pervades the United States on a cultural level and is deeply informed by religious and political narratives: The end of the world is imminent, likely to be experienced in one’s lifetime. Not only is it wildly popular in our television, movies, and fiction—texts which undoubtedly contribute to the fascination as well as to the anticipation of an apocalyptic event—but it also imbues our news media with recurring themes of urgent crisis. American apocalypticism foregrounds evangelical or other religious apocalyptic narratives (even drawing connections between prophecy and politics) and, as a byproduct, often increases the popularity of various modes of prepping, stockpiling, and survivalism.