I believe the driving force behind the general belief in the Mad Max scenario is fear. The general populace are so enthralled with rulers (note I said rulers and not leaders) and not taking responsibility for themselves, that they fear what life would be without them.

This fear leads them to project these Doomsday scenarios on themselves and their fellow man. Which then becomes a self-fulfilling situation. Fear is normal and an integral part of what makes us human. It is the way we deal with fear that makes or breaks us.

As members of a society that chooses to be free, that believe in the good of a stateless world, it appears it falls to us to help bolster the courage of the general man. Help them to recognize their fear, accept it, and learn how to turn it into a tool to uplift instead of to diminish.