My experience at being prepared when things turn south has been completely different. To my knowledge no one has made fun of me (and if they had, so what?). In the worst case scenarios, my efforts, preps , and the efforts of other prepared people has made the situation somewhat better than it might have been. Usually I have been remembered as the dude with the right stuff who tried his best. I can live with that.

That is much better than being the person sitting in the corner, doing nothing.