I had an argument today... Nothing unusual in that, really, but notable in the content of the argument.
Basically, it boils down to the fact that modern Economics is bunk. These two were of the opinion that everything is happy, fine, and that Economists aren't chasing smoke. There are plenty of examples that things aren't going well, and that the economy is like a dog, chasing its own tail, about to bite down and get a very unpleasant surprise. There are plenty of things that Economics can't really explain or justify, let alone apply any real mathematics to...
There comes a point in any argument where you can't be bothered, and just walk away... Needless to say, they wouldn't be invited to help me work the land in the event of a cataclysm. Not that they'd realise that that particular brick wall is coming up fairly fast.
The real problem is the realisation that you're working hard to set up the basics of real self-sufficiency, with all the slog that entails - and lowered morale, and spending money and time to do it - yet the willingly ignorant have their heads stuck in the clouds, happy as anything... and you're very much in the minority. There are a few people on the 2012 wave - but as a fad, rather than understanding that TEOTWAWKI isn't going to arrive as a date on the calendar. As someone once lamented: "Bread and circuses..."