We’re Apocalypse Pop Culture Junkies

The bearded guy holding a sign that says “The end is nigh” might not be wrong — at least, from Hollywood’s perspective.

For decades — actually, centuries — people have been fascinated with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic scenarios. But in more recent years, especially since 9/11, it seems our entertainment industry has majored in catastrophe.

Why do we keep paying good money to see our imminent demise on IMAX?

“Mad Max,” “The Hunger Games,” “Terminator Genisys,” “The Walking Dead” — and literally dozens of other movies, books and TV shows — are aimed at showing us how our little planet ends, or in some cases reboots itself. Add “The Leftovers” to the record as well since HBO recently renewed the show, about the “sudden departure” of millions of people, for a third and final season in 2017.

But why? Apart from the genre being a cash cow, why does Hollywood continually crank out bleakness and doom? More fundamentally, why do we keep paying good money to see our imminent demise on IMAX?

Whether global chaos comes from zombies, asteroids, nuclear war or a simple yet elegant flesh-eating virus, our culture is obsessed with the end of the world as we know it (cue REM) for a variety of reasons. We have some theories.

Catharsis
The Doomsday clock’s hands aren’t turning back, people. We’re at three minutes to midnight. With North Korea, Iran, the war with ISIS, domestic terrorism, racial tensions and a plethora of other national and global woes, at times the world seems to be on fire. Watching apocalyptic programming can actually be cathartic for many.

“The Walking Dead” is a favorite among Doomsday preppers and survivalists, for example, because many feel the show teaches necessary skills, including physical fitness, sanitation, food storage and how to kill a zombie. Who among us wouldn’t like to be seen as a hero who protects others and leads them to safety or freedom?

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It’s Comforting
Some viewers of doom are actually consoled by destruction. What? How can global turmoil be reassuring, you ask?

As counterintuitive as it seems, watching how things might go down can, in some people’s minds, show them a picture of what to expect and prepare for in reality. The end, therefore, becomes predictable, and predictable things can be handled and overcome. Such viewers go into task-oriented behavior to protect themselves, just in case something does happen. Stashing food, water, ammo and the like feels more proactive than being a sitting duck.

The Bible Predicts It
Revelation, Daniel and other prophetic books of the Bible describe the end times, painting a bleak picture for mankind apart from God. That is, for the mankind that remains.

Some Christians believe the Church will be raptured before things on this planet go from bad to worse, and one has to look no farther than the “Left Behind” best-selling novel franchise to see this theory’s popularity. “The Leftovers,” in fact, is based on the premise that two percent of the world’s population have simply and inexplicably vanished. While there are countless theories and views of biblical end times, no one can fully explain them, so some people’s minds go wild with conjecture.

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Fewer Requirements and Responsibilities
Let’s face it. Our lives our lives are often thorny. Relationships, work politics, family tensions, failures … we have our hands full with “adulting.” A world in chaos somehow has fewer responsibilities other than merely staying alive and starting over. That feels more exciting than going to an office job and dealing with a micromanaging boss or, on the home front, asking that your mother-in-law move out. At least with picking off zombies, there’s a chance to hone marksman skills.

Related: The New Scripture for Millennials

We’re Bored
Rather than romantically struggling to survive after mankind’s near obliteration, many of us just … coast. Our lives are same-old, same-old. Work, bills, family, chores, sleep, lather, rinse, repeat. There’s nothing wrong with routine. In fact, it can be good.

But to many, such a seemingly never-ending existence feels bland. Injecting drama spices things up, even if it’s on a screen. For many, watching the White House get bombed (for the hundredth time) or the Empire State Building pelted with asteroids is more exciting than taking out the garbage.