Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, or in a cave of your own, you’re probably aware that doomsday bunkers are big business among the ultra-rich, with buyers ranging from Mark Zuckerberg to Tom Cruise to Rick Ross.
Media theorist and documentarian Douglas Rushkoff, who literally wrote the book on this craze, is of the opinion that we’re so interested in these lavish shelters right now because we’re “having trouble imagining how the world can continue at its current pace.”
“The data on the ground is indicating catastrophic failure of the systems that sustain life on the planet,” he says. “So, like the billionaires who are actually building bunkers, spaceships and computers to house their consciousness, normal people are thinking about how to survive a catastrophe as well.”
But are these swanky shelters — with their air- and water-purification systems, pools, art galleries and parking spaces for your Cybertruck — a realistic solution, or merely an expensive fantasy? In his exploration of the trend, our correspondent Tom Ward spoke with bunker builders and survival psychologists alike to figure out what exactly is going on with the ultimate prepper obsession, one that doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon.
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