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Hysteria
Posted by David on Dec 12, 2008 @ 7:45pm

----Warning: David is ranting----

We're a strange culture.

Yesterday evening, it snowed in Nashville.  Not the usual flurry, or the promise of snow that cancels schools before a single flake falls.  No - it actually stuck to the ground - almost an inch of the cold stuff!  Before it happened, the news weathermen were pretty excited to talk about it, and thus the frenzy begins.

Now - I'm originally from about two hours north in Western Kentucky where we would generally get at least 2 - 3 of these coverings every winter (and usually more), so I guess I just have more experience with it...  But seriously.  As I drove home last night, cars were on the side of the road, most traffic was moving at 4mph, and people were seriously FREAKING OUT.  I was at a standstill for a while, occasionally moving a car length, and when I rounded a curve, I realized that people were stopped because only one car was going up a small hill at a time.  On a 4 lane road.  With a turn lane in the middle.  I have to chuckle when people with gigantic SUVs have to turn around because they're afraid of a little slush.  Took me almost an hour longer to get home.

Same thing this morning - a guy was stopped in the middle of the lane with his emergency lights on when there was a turning lane to his right.  I jumped out and asked if he needed a push, and he looked kind of terrified that I would suggest such a thing.  We ended up pushing it to the curb very easily, and traffic could again flow freely.  I was stopped by another guy who said that the road up ahead was blocked - just turn around because there's no way through.  I thanked him, and continued on to a perfectly undisturbed drive.

Which brings me to the economy.  People have been calling this the worst financial crisis since the depression.  What confuses me, though, is that we've only had one quarter in which our economy was in the negative (-0.3!!), and spending on Black Friday and Cyber Monday was actually up from last year.  People actually died because of how much people wanted to buy things.  I shudder for the future of our culture.

Yes, I understand times are tougher than a year ago.  People have lost jobs, and houses are foreclosing slightly more (200% of 1 is just 2...  But 200% sounds more fantastic!).  But at the same time, small businesses are thriving and most people haven't stopped buying fancy TVs.

Who are you going to believe?  The people trying to sell advertisements on their news station/paper, who know that people pay attention to gloom and doom?  Or people that don't profit from simply telling you the truth*?

I'm afraid we follow far too easily.  We eat what we are fed.  Sometimes I wonder just how close to the edge we really are...  How close to "every man for himself" we really are...

Just the ramblings of a guy who wants truth more than fitting in...

-David
MB

*By the way - I realize Dave Ramsey has things you can buy.  However - he has a 3 hour radio show every day in which he tells you everything he has in his books.  He's a smart man who is not swayed by money - because he has enough of it not to need my $30.