This really is the crux of the problem. Too many regular people actually want some sort of apocalypse and rampant death, rather than do any of the much harder work of trying to understand and improve the world step-by-step as our forebears did.
I blame all the dystopian YA novels.
I blame neo-liberalism and the rat-racey, efficiency-driven pursuit of wealth at any cost that it has encouraged. This is breaking down the more personal, community-oriented (edit: and naturally inefficient) lifestyle that humans evolved to participate in. This in turn is fueling a culture war where people misapply blame for the breakdown of community and personal relationships to the perceived loss of their own personal traditions, as they inappropriately equate those specific traditions with the overall sense of community that is slipping away from them.
I think that’s why you see a breakdown in grassroots community engagement, but I think the inclination toward epic revolutionary conflict comes from the romanticization of revolutionary movements in media, especially for young adults. Everyone under 30 grew up in an entertainment landscape dominated by righteous teenage revolutionaries triumphing over a despotic regime.
When was the last time you saw a story where the protagonist saves the day by engaging with their local government and encouraging their community to support progressive policies and representatives? It’s just not sexy and dramatic.
