I came across this while searching for something completely different, and thought I'd post it here and see what people thought of the breakdown. My apologies if this has been discussed before........

Types of Y2k Reactions / Taxonomy of Y2K Respondents

Subject: Types of Y2k Reactions (fwd) Date:Mon, 11 Jan 1999 10:51:53 -0800 From: Mitchell Barnes xxx@inreach.com Reply-To: mailto:year2000@efn.org To: mailto:year2000@efn.org Taxonomy of Y2K Respondents Ants 1. Ants 1st Class: Primarily Christians and Mormons, these people have stockpiled by mid 1998. Food, gold and silver, weapons and ammunition, generators are still plentiful. Presently, they are considered fools and paranoids. Length of self-sufficiency: 6 months to indefinite Percentage of population: Infinitesimal 2. Ants 2nd Class: Stockpiled by December 1998. Critical goods still widely available. Length of self-sufficiency: 3 to 18 months Percentage of population: Less than 1% 3. Ants 3rd Class: Stockpiled before April 1999, just before the public really starts to worry. Length of self-sufficiency3 - 12 months Percentage of population: 1% Squirrels 4. Squirrel 1st Class: Stockpiled before fall 1999 when Y2K becomes a national issue. Length of self-sufficiency: 1 - 6 months Percentage of population: 2% 5. Squirrel 2nd Class: Will wait until December 1999 and then try to stockpile during the Christmas shopping rush. Length of self-sufficiency: 1 - 3 months Percentage of population: 5% 6. Squirrel 3rd Class: Will wait until after Christmas and start to shop for stockpiling bargains. Length of self-sufficiency: 1 - 4 weeks Percentage of population: 10% Grasshoppers 7. Grasshopper 1st Class: Will wait for December 31 and start shopping as the news reports crashes in earlier time zones. Length of self-sufficiency: 1 - 3 weeks Percentage of population: 20% 8. Grasshopper 2nd Class: Will get serious on January 1, 2000 when the lights go out. Length of self-sufficiency: 1 - 2 weeks Percentage of population: 50+% 9. Grasshopper 3rd Class: Has not so much as bought a can of beans or extra batteries. He thinks Y2K is not a problem and the government will take care of things. Length of self-sufficiency: several days Percentage of population: 10%

-- Bob (bob@bob.bob), June 04, 1999

Answers

I find that insulting. Christians and mormons? This doesn't even make good troll bait.

As for the %s. He's just pulling these numbers out of thin air. Is there some reason that the above is to be considered significant? Cute animal descriptions though, that was clever.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 04, 1999.

While these %'s are probably thin air, as well as the LSS, the way this post portrays preparedness progression does sound about right. Do you really think this is troll material? Maybe its just a GI who believes TEOTWAWKI is just around the next bend? Felt like a kick in the pants to me.

-- MidwestMike_ (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), June 04, 1999.

It is nice to know that I belong to an infinitestimal subgroup of "Ants 1st Class" and I'm not even a Christian or a Mormon. LOL

-- thinkIcan (thinkIcan@make.it), June 04, 1999.

Rats, I'm only a squirrel --- but at least I'm first class, like I always tell my wife.

-- Jon Johnson (narnia4@usa.net), June 04, 1999.

Ken,

I don't understand how you find the mention of "Christians and mormons" insulting. Is it that the author makes a distinction between the two groups? Or that he leaves out some group important to you?

-- Prometheus (fire@for.man), June 04, 1999.

As a dealer of emergency supplies, I can honestly say that over 75% of my customers are professing Christians. So to say those are the ones preparing the most, I would have to concure from personal experience. I have also heard this from other companies who sell emergency, survival, disaster or Y2K items. Diane

http://www.highlandtraders.com

-- Diane (prepare@highlandtraders.com), June 04, 1999.

is there a categorie for Buddhist G.I.'s?

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), June 04, 1999.

Let's see, I closed escrow the bunker in December of 1988...but am still preparing with readily available supplies. I expect to continue improving preparedness right up to the post-Christmas sales, if lack of rationing permits. I don't think that I fall into ANY of the categories...but will opt for Squirrel 1st class. Does that come with a medal and ribbon that I can wear on my cammies?

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), June 04, 1999.