Suppose, for the sake of argument, that Y2K is, indeed, a BITR. Suppose further that you, as the original GI, succeeded in convincing your skeptical neighbors to prepare extensively, spending perhaps several thousand dollars.

In hindsight, and if Y2K is a BITR, there exists the possibility of some angry neighbors. "Thanks to YOU, I spent all this money and worried needlessly," your neighbor might say.

I know, too, that there are GI husbands with DGI wives and vice versa. The expenditure of lots of money and some lifestyle alterations might make for some unhappy mates come early next year.

I realize that most of what we have bought can--and will--be used in the event things aren't that bad. It's just that some thought should be given to personal relationships by those of us have prepped extensively.

Thoughts?

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), September 11, 1999

Answers

I'm too worried that y2k will be real bad, and all of Zoobie's neighbors are going over to his house to take all of his preps.

I'm no longer warning people about y2k. They all just say, well if it get's that bad we will just go live with ZoobieZoob for a few years. I can';t count how many people have told me that.

-- worried (parasites@for.neighbors), September 11, 1999.

I've made it clear to the handful of relatives I chose to speak to about Y2K that, like a hurricane warning, you can't be sure how much your own locality will be directly impacted. Hurricane warnings, though, should not be ignored, and neither should Y2K.

Fortunately for me, all of my immediate family understand the risk and the stakes involved.

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), September 11, 1999.

I have always emphasized to anyone that I have talked to: Nobody Knows What Will Happen. You pays you money and you takes you chances.

And, by the way, this extends to this forum. If Y2K turns out to be a BITR, don't blame Ed Youdon, Gary North, Cory Hamasaki, etc., because you prepared. And if Y2K turns out to be something more, don't blame Mr. Decker, Paul Davis, etc., because you did not prepare. You, and only you, are accountable to yourself and to your family.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), September 11, 1999.

When I speak to friends regarding these issues, I always try to preface my remarks by stating that (1) I could be wrong but my personal perception is that at least some preparation is a prudent thing to do, (2) a certain degree of preparation can be acheived without spending a huge amount of money, and finally, (3) they will need to research and decide for themselves how serious they want to treat the issues involved in Y2K.

I also tell them that my experience as software engineer does not make me a 'Y2K expert', though it has had an impact on my personal perception of the issues. I've seen large projects fail and have seen a great many come in late and over budget. I've seen unbridled and unwarranted optimism passed up the management chain right up until the deadline. Often, management is totally unaware of the true status of a large project.

We have spent more on our preparations than most in my area, not because we're wealthy (we're not, at least not in the U.S. sense of the word), but because we started earlier than most in our area.

However, and I've stated this many times in this forum, I and my family will be delighted if things do not get bad for ourselves and others next year.

We will not be angry with, nor will we blame anyone should our preparations turn out to have been unnecessary. Our decisions were not made by Ed Yourdon, Cory Hamasaki, Paula Gordon, Jim Lord, Scary Gary, or others. The responsibility for the decisions made and the actions taken were ours and ours alone.

We are not only prepared to be wrong, we are praying for for that outcome.

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), September 11, 1999.

Arnie Rimmer: You took the words right out of my head. Excellent summation!

-- Neil G.Lewis (pnglewis1@yahoo.com), September 11, 1999.

worried, I'm worried about the people going to Zoobie's house since he is going to the New Mexico desert to eat rattlesnake.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), September 11, 1999.

I agree completely, Arnie.

I would continue, however, that we live now in a society where no one is to blame for anything untoward that happens to them: Smoke cigarettes, get cancer, sue the tobacco company. Buy hot coffee, spill it in your lap, sue McDonalds.

We have become a society where personal responsibility is a thing of the past. Sure, you spent your own money to buy whatever prepas you thought prudent because your neighbor convinced you it was the thing to do.

If it's a BITR, it wasn;t the thing to do, so look for someone to blame.

My point, I guess, is that we need to look at what happens four months hence--if it is, indeed, bad--from the viewpoint of where our society has gone, and not from where we wish it had gone where personal responsibility is concerned.

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), September 11, 1999.

We tell people to not do anything that will impoverish them if Y2k is no problem. Here in Puget Sound we are due for a massive earthquake - overdue, actually. So it's easy to justify preps regardless of Y2k, and we have more success with some folks on the earthquake argument than the Y2k argument. Hey, whatever gets them ready works for me!

-- bw (home@puget.sound), September 13, 1999.