Bunker Building For The End Times
Bunker: Building for the End Times Hardcover – Illustrated, August 4, 2020
Bunker Building For The End Times is very nice and unique product. Part deconstruction, part existential philosophy, part exploration, part journalism, all deftly woven into a cohesive analysis and entertaining cultural explorative narrative, Garrett takes you inside the prepper world and explores the genre inside and out.
He explores the sociological and philosophical backdrops of the prepping phenomenon, framing the narrative using references to Kierkegaard, Foucault, and others.
The exploration reveals the interconnectedness of prepping with government and state power (and the failures there of).
I think he misses a great opportunity to explore the underlying neo feudalist backdrop against which this prepper movement exists in western countries, i.e. hyper capitalism, neo liberalism, statism, etc.
and their effects on society, vis a vis the underlying wealth inequality and societal imbalances, the widespread winner take all dog eat dog cultural landscape, which leaves in it’s wake an increase in societal narcissistic (and psychopathic) epidemics.
These underlying problems have been explicitly delineated by Richard Wolff, Anand Giridharadas, Piketty, Twenge and Campbell, and Zizek. That is to say the many self destructive and innate incongruities of capitalism which have been propagandized away as Marxist rhetoric, and the failure of the masses to see behind the capitalist propaganda and ideology.
Against such dire political and economic landscapes, is it any wonder that entire segments of western society become despondent and seek real community and connection with other like-minded folks?
Is it any surprise that those same communities sometimes seek to make the state irrelevant through self sufficiency, and why the state reacts violently against these movements?
Neverthess the book is unique and distinct in every regard, presenting the subject in a compelling way, with clear and concise writing, the author’s prose and breadth is truly appreciated.
Definitely unique, it earns a spot as both a reference, and a compelling cultural analysis, up there at the top of my collection.
Promised Review By Ron G
