# What did Negan do before the apocalypse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314 "2016-04-06T01:21:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/1 "2016-04-06T01:21:41Z")
We don’t know. According to [The Walking Dead Wiki](http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Negan_(Comic_Series)), ‘Nothing is known about Negan’s life before or as the outbreak began, except that he enjoyed billiards and ping-pong and used to be a used car salesman.’ So aside for once having a job as a used-car salesman, what do you think he did for a living? The first thing out of Mrs. L.A.'s mouth when I asked her was ‘He was a cop.’ She then said she didn’t really think so, but I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibilities. And as Mrs. L.A. said, they do like to draw parallels on the show. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/2 "2016-04-06T01:25:04Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > So aside for once having a job as a used-car salesman, what do you think he did for a living? Sounds like he was a used car salesman. Isn’t that enough? Do you need his complete resume? Maybe he was a Minor League baseball player. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/3 "2016-04-06T01:32:54Z")
I think it safe to assume he was a jerk and kept in practice. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/4 "2016-04-06T01:47:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > what do you think he did for a living? Some sort of overseas diplomatic work, with a lot of classy expense-account living. Seriously, how is “used-car salesman” not sufficient? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/5 "2016-04-06T02:13:11Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Seriously, how is “used-car salesman” not sufficient? The way the article worded it, it sounded like he was something else after having been a used car salesman. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/6 "2016-04-06T02:29:20Z")
Republican Senator from Texas. Seriously, I don’t know but he makes “The Governor” look like the poster boy for mental health. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/7 "2016-04-06T05:00:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > We don’t know. According to [The Walking Dead Wiki](http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Negan_(Comic_Series)), ‘Nothing is known about Negan’s life before or as the outbreak began, except that he enjoyed billiards and ping-pong and used to be a used car salesman.’ > > So aside for once having a job as a used-car salesman, what do you think he did for a living? The first thing out of Mrs. L.A.'s mouth when I asked her was ‘He was a cop.’ She then said she didn’t really think so, but I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibilities. And as Mrs. L.A. said, they do like to draw parallels on the show. Wild ass guess, but I would say historian. Declan ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/8 "2016-04-06T13:36:19Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I think it safe to assume he was a jerk and kept in practice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/9 "2016-04-06T14:21:58Z")
Hunted monsters with his two sons. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/10 "2016-04-06T14:44:04Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Republican Senator from Texas. Seriously, I don’t know but he makes “The Governor” look like the poster boy for mental health. See, I disagree with the comparison to The Governor. Negan is very disciplined and has a system he has created that is consistent. He isn’t erratic or mentally unstable like The Governor, acting impulsively and/or risking and losing everything out of vengeance or ego. He has created an ordered society with rules, yes he enforces those rules ruthlessly, but there are rules and known outcomes. He has a strategy for how to deal with new survivors or groups and it is fairly pragmatic from The Saviors perspective. You will submit and work for Negan, providing him half of your shit which (I assume) is used to then feed and equip The Saviors who are loyal to him. To demonstrate in advance the consequences of not submitting, a member of the new group is brutally killed as an object lesson. However from that point, there is no animosity or further violence unless you refuse to submit and live according to his New World Order. From a certain point of view _cough_BenKenobi_cough_ it is perfectly logical and ordered. I’m not saying I’d like to live under that New World Order tho’. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/11 "2016-04-06T15:24:47Z")
Pretty sure he sold CMO’s as a Goldman Sachs Financial Advisor. It’s not easy being green. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/12 "2016-04-06T17:27:39Z")
Comedian. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/13 "2016-04-06T17:56:19Z")
I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-negan-do-before-the-apocalypse/751314/14 "2016-04-06T18:16:25Z")
This is a tough room.