First, and I just realized this, pollies believe in society. Society is their Religion. Therefore, to question the structural integrity of society is to cast a serious aspersion on their belief system. Materialism is their god. THAT'S why, no matter what the evidence indicates, society will not crumble, or even shirk. Because their faith borders on absolute. Doomers on the other hand have little attachment to society AS A RELIGION. Society just is. It is no more, or no less important than, say, a nice sunset. Doomers do not believe in the sanctity of material things, although they do appreciate them. Pollies, far more than doomers, are a religious zealot kind of group.

Second, the reason we have such first-class pollies that irritate the heck out of us, is because we have a first rate forum, with top-notch doomers. We doomers attract it, so by nature of our high standard of conversation, we compel our polar opposites to migrate over here, even though they have little to contribute. Except to prop up their polly religion.

-- freud (cant@say.now), November 17, 1999

Answers

I think alot of the Polly mindset is based upon denial, and for that it is hard to blame them. It is hard to think about and face something so terrible. I know that's pretty simplistic, but haven't we all done this at one time or another (in other matters).

What is incomprehensible is the attitude of, "no one knows what will happen, but we are sure nothing much will go wrong so there is no need to prepare." What kind of nonsense is that? Aren't the stakes a bit high to be gambling for a best-case scenario???

I wish everyone an uneventful New Year, but fear it may not be.

No Polly

-- No Polly (nopolly@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999.

Welllllllll - seems to me that pollies just need to be right and doomers hope to be wrong. I was blown away by a polly post in another forum who proudly announced that she had dissuaded her nervous housekeeper from making preps. In other words, she was willing to put her maid's life on the line to demonstrate and indeed prove her faith in her own opinion. As a doomer - hate that label, BTW - I would have told the woman what I have told my DWGI friends - I have a lot to lose if I'm right - and much to gain if I am wrong so it only makes sense to be prepared to be wrong.

-- April (Alwzapril@home.com), November 17, 1999.

I think you have a good point there, althought a little too "black and white" for my tastes.

-- C. Hill (pinionsmachine@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999.