Hmmm...just got back from the Jewell/Osco by my apartment. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that at least 1 out of 5 people had significant quntities of bottled water. In the check out line I was in BOTH the guy in front of me and the guy behind me had about 8 or so bottles apiece! This in an area where the collective IQ only rivals that of the average grapefruit! I asked the guy behind me if he was doing it for Y2K and he (while blushing) said that it was because the water in his building is bad. Hmmmmm...

Shades of things to come in the next few days?

-- Ludi (ludi@rollin.com), December 29, 1999

Answers

Astonishing thing is how even now, the Ministry of Propaganda has so successfully duped us masses, that nearly everyone feels compelled to outright lie about the most obvious simple facts related to this universal event -- an event which everyone goes thorugh together. It's incredible. Schizophrenia indeed.

-- SH (squirrel@huntr.com), December 29, 1999.

SH, do you think it is a compulsion to outright lie,or have our "role models" just made it seem like the thing to do. Just tell a lie, whether you need to or not.

-- dotti (WineTopper@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

Last night, just before the forum disappeared (Now THAT was SCARY!), someone posted a very insightful piece about how people would rather die of embarrassment than starve. (We often fondly referred to them, some of them family and beloved friends, as the DWGIs.) To preserve their dignity, they had to bow to the programming, even though on some level they realized the threat was real. Now the threat is on the doorstep, and the shame-induced anxiety is about to give way to real fear. The event is sliding into the 3-D world at accelerating velocity with increasing mass. Did you really ever expect people to remain sane? It wasn't in the cards.

But it's time now to let go of the derision and any desire to rub in their faces the fact that you warned them. Now is the time to remind them that they are resourceful human beings. If your preparations included providing assistance to others, start detailing your guidelines for doing so immediately so that you may wisely use your resources. If you are unable to give direct aid, do your best to send people away with a kind and encouraging word to the extent that you can do so without endangering yourself.

A resolution to be aware and to be ready to assume a fully defensive position when necessary doesn't mean you cannot also be aware of opportunities to serve and to be kind. Keep breathing from your heart and pay attention to what it tells you.

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), December 29, 1999.

Thanks Faith,

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), December 29, 1999.

Not Chicago, but Kansas City....

On the 6:00pm news (KMBC Channel 9), reporter Bev Chapman was stationed at a local grocery store (not sure which one, believe it was the (?) Sunfresh in Westport) ....... water had been sold out for several hours; had gone through A LOT in a very short period of time. Reporter was quick to reassure viewers that they were getting a new shipment to the store "within hours".

Quite surprised to see this type of reporting here.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

Hey, Faith, it were me who done did that post about embarrassment. And I stand by them thar words, yessum. No one wants to be embarrassed, pushing a cart through the grocery store with bottled water and TP. Why, tonight I was getting fun stuff at the grocery store -- steaks, ice cream, Guinness Stout, pringles -- and, yes, they are Y2k items, since Imo eat and drink them puppies first if the power goes out, and when a member of my church asked if I was getting Y2k stuff, rather than say, "Shit, yeah, but this is fun stuff. I've got the other stuff down pat," I said, "well, we got the new freezer, so I'm filling it up." Which was true, too. But, yeah, I felt a wee bit embarrassed. It passed quickly.

-- Kurt Ayau (Ayau@iwinet.com), December 29, 1999.