Ark. PBS Y2K show was pitiful. The first question that the panel of 'experts' answered was "Will my microwave work"? and it went downhill from there. One of the panelist said that any computer y2k problem could be fixed in four hours. I know for a fact that most of the elderly people in Ark. watch PBS at this time of the evening, and they have been assured 100% that their Social Security will be delivered right on time, their retirement funds are perfectly safe, and everything is just going to be hunky dorey. I am so fustrated. There was not even a mention of preparing for any y2k problem. By the way, there was no utility spokesperson on the panel. God help us all.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), July 15, 1999

Answers

Well, regardless of how pitiful that PBS program is, I can tell you that you need not feel too sorry for folks in rural Arkansas. I have been here in Northwest Arkansas for three months now (re-located from the Washington D.C. area), and there are many who I think are probably self-sufficient enough that Y2K just will not be a big showstopper. Plus, many are in fact preparing just to be on the safe side.

Someone told me that when the Depression hit this area, hardly anything changed. Especially since a lot of people back then owned their family farms and didn't have money in the banks. In a lot of respects, that is still true today. These people are survivors.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), July 15, 1999.

That makes me feel a little better, but there are thousands of use to be rural that have moved to town. The know-how is still available, but no way to use it. I just had hoped this show would have at least shown some concern about being prepared.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), July 16, 1999.

The impact of Y2k should concern urban dweller much more than rual ones. Even in the big metropolis of Little Rock, that's still pretty small compared to other areas.

I wouldn't worry too much about Arkansas. Many people have the capability to grow their own food, and power outages are not very uncommon (it's better now that Entergy took over the grids).

Many things still operate the old fashioned way there, so if people can't take credit cards, the people who would be most affected would be the uppies anyway. Not the rual folks who use cash or a handshake for goods.

Although I did not watch the show, I agree that from what you described it wasn't well done. Too bad.

However, still for many in the state I would suspect Y2k is still rather abstract to them.

-- JAW (clueless@pollyanna.com), July 17, 1999.