Dancing at Armagedon

Mr. Mitchell discussed his book Dancing at Armageddon, published by University of Chicago Press. According to Mr. Mitchell, the book is an attempt to clarify and contextualize a movement that is largely caricatured as fringe groups involved in anti-government activity. Mr. Mitchell spent over 20 years researching his subjects and even participated in “guerrilla” training. He asserts that survivalists are not necessarily crazy or uneducated. Physicians, engineers, and other professionals are as likely to participate in the activities. Mr. Mitchell perceives the survivalist lifestyle as a creative response to the chaos of modern life. The survivalists' predictions concerning civilization’s collapse through race war, economic ruin, or nuclear holocaust are the result of skepticism about our cultural and economic structures. Therefore, the practice by survivalists of collecting guns and building bunkers is a reasonable response under the circumstances. A question and answer period follow close