Y2K is what made it the object of scorn. We as a nation prepared, worked to prevent any failures from occurring, and none occurred. Rather than being grateful and seeing the widsom of preparation, the scoffers saw it all as a waste of time because nothing noteworthy happened.
It’s been tinfoilt time ever since.
It also woke some people up who weren't dense in the head.
Fifty percent of the population has an IQ of 90-110. The lower the IQ, the less people worry because they can't make a connection from one happening affecting another happening. IQs from 90 down will never get it. IQ 105-108-109, can reason enough, 110 up have excellent reasoning power to identify problems and see the world as it really is unless they refuse to, due to some societal conditioning that keeps them from moving forward, keeps them stuck where they are.
The smarter a person is, the more problems they can identify and think through to change the outcome for themselves. Preppers tend to be smarter than those who can't identify problems. So, using a non-scientific, non-psychological term, dumb people are happier than smart people.
It was part of my job when I was a professional counselor, that I oversaw the classrooms for the mentally retarded (intellectually challenged or whatever now). The Down’s Syndrome children (IQ 20-40s), were always happy if they had water, food and a bed. Their world was right there and they were happy. They couldn't comprehend/reason, so they couldn't identify a problem.
So, the smarter you are, the more problems you can identify. Preppers try to manage the severity of these problems so they won't be devastating to the family if conditions occur to bring living problems about.