Overdramatic Freak Outs Over Weather Conditions

If you read anything about the East Coast or were here this week, you are well acquainted with that "earthquake" and the impending "hurricane" coming up the coast this weekend.

This leads me to something that's bothered me for years: cheap theatrics over weather conditions. Let me explain what I'm talking about. If you already know where I'm going on this, I respect you as a member of the intelligent population of planet Earth. Since I think most people don't, here goes.

First & foremost, the local media is definitely a culprit in mass hysteria on weather matters. They ALWAYS blow up some minor detail & make it into a catchphrase, a slogan, or some mass travesty to society, God, animals, all living things. It's not just a snowstorm, it's the blizzard of 2011 or Snow Spectacular. Whatever!

Now, while I acknowledge that the media does this, I also know that that's simply the media being what it is. This massive exaggeration has gone on forever & will likely continue until society collapses onto itself. I'm sure this even happened before the printing press considering there were town criers. Essentially, the media is today's town crier.

The problem I have is with people who further this media frenzy. Or even better, the people who take this media frenzy to a whole new level of blind panic & hysteria. These are the people who will turn the mountain into Mount Everest.

If the media turned a snowball into a snowman, these people turn the average snowman into the Abominable Snowman.

Case in point. This week, there was a minor earthquake in NYC. I felt a little shaking and thought maybe it was neighbors at first. Then I thought it was just me seeing things. Then, it was over.

The next day, I read about chuckleheads who claimed this earthquake made them apprehensive that they were going to experience another 9/11 attack.

Were you really a few miles away from me at the time? I understand feeling that way if you were in D.C. since it was stronger there, but if you're in NYC & claim this, you're one of these instigators feeding into the media frenzy. Stop being an idiot!

Furthermore, I know 9/11 was a traumatic event here but stop thinking every little thing that happens in NYC is connected to terrorism or associated with 9/11. Sometimes, a fart is just a fart all right? Plus, if you were smart, why would you target the place where everyone's looking for more terrorist attacks to happen? There are plenty of other cities in the US and more places where there are lots of people if that's your goal. I'm sure some of them are not nearly as prepared or endowed with the kind of resources NYC is.

Oh, and lastly: when it's your time to go, it's your time to go. We're all going to die someday so while you're alive, you may as well live free, rationally & in a manner that will make you happy without hurting innocent people. Living in fear isn't living at all, got it? Let law enforcement worry about terrorist stuff & don't let people take your civil rights from you.

Let's face it: the terrorists already won & if you don't agree, you live in a fog of delusion no amount of common sense will stir you out of. You're officially one of the sheeple!

So now, with Hurricane Irene heading toward NYC and Long Island, there's more panic & hysteria. Try finding water or batteries here, even earlier today: you'd be out of luck. We went grocery shopping earlier and saw some of this firsthand. There was nothing but a wide, empty space of shelves where the bottled water would be. This was the case in every store we went into.

It seems there are also some differences between city dwellers and suburbanites. People in the suburbs seem more prone to freaking out. You mention any major weather condition and it's like telling them the Rapture is going to hit tomorrow. I'm shocked I didn't see anyone running around screaming "Oh, ag-o-ny ag-o-nyyyy!" while grabbing the sides of their head like Daffy Duck in that Looney Tunes cartoon The Great Piggy Bank Robbery.

Apparently there was the same stocking up in NYC but city dwellers take this stuff in stride. Much like me, they feel it's much ado over nothing.

They closed our transit system starting at noon tomorrow. They also evacuated parts of the city (and not our area, despite in-laws claiming we were blocks away from evacuation; welcome to more hysteria). Part of this is due to Bloomberg's incompetence during the blizzard in December. You can read about that in this blog considering I took pics of the incompetence & total lying he was doing about my area being serviceable. Ha!

I also had to deal with constant tornado freakouts growing up. Anytime there was a thunderstorm in NC, people would claim a tornado touched down & everyone would panic. Institute a tornado watch & people would immediately go into freakout mode. I went through exactly 1 tornado while living there. I also went through exactly 1 hurricane (Hugo, back in 1989). During the hurricane, I was in a trailer. Survived that just fine, thanks.

We're slated to get a Category 1. My biggest concern is the power going out, though we have our precautions set. I believe in not being stupid but at the same time, lighten up people!!! Take a chill pill, get a grip. Stop going overboard & stressing out over weather stuff. You can't control it. You can't change it so sit down, shut up & stop buying into media hype. For God's sake, stop creating exaggeration & doing the Man's job in creating a culture of fear.

More rants in the next few days if I've got power & people are actually on the ball about fixing it.