oooh-- i know you're just ready to post how much of an idiot i am. think about it, before you do.

Remember that PR firms have been hired to spin the information that will come out in the next couple of months. remember, we haven't even SEEN any public service announcements about y2k yet. I'm sure they're coming though. Just wait... It will soon be Uncool to be a "doomer".... there won't be any "wake-up" call.

You can already tell the media won't be assisting any "wake-up" call. If you think you'll turn on your tv around the last week in december(or any time) and see bank runs....well, you won't. I'm sure the media, espn, some hollywood stars, and others will be used to get across the message that there is "nothing to fear" , and that us "doomers" are doing more harm than good.

I'm sure we'll be portrayed (witness the time magazine cover from earlier this year) as toting a "the end is nigh" sign, looking crazy.

they'll interview "expert" after "expert" telling john Q there is nothing to worry about. They might even go so far as to call being a "doomer" unAmerican.

Many of us, including me, figured the public would be awake by now. we figured the missed dates, the non-compliance & things like sewage spills, would be widely known, and that by now, we wouldn't still be explaining y2k to people.

well, my friends, i underestimated the power of spin before, but with all this time to plan, i don't think i'm overestimating it, for the end of this year.

Football season, Basketball season, Parties. There will be ample distractions. It's "turn the other way", "but if you do look, here: 'there's nothing to worry about' Scripted sermons have been sent out, and you can best believe that peter jennings, dan rather, CNN & company and the cable networks will be right in tow. who knows, they may even try to use kids in the ads. who knows, you may receive an email from the higher-ups at your job, urging you not to take your money out of the bank, before it's all over. maybe they'll say "in the interests of national security, don't do it" --- maybe they'll say "if you take all your money out, we all lose, whether it's the stock market, or banks"

The Power of Spin. Believe it. we(some of us) have been thinking that soon, people will wake up. i thought it would be by june, others thought it would be by august. some have said september, and others december, and some have pushed it back to december.

I submit to you that there will be no "wake-up call". there will be no "y2k flashover"- John Q public doesn't realize he's sleeping.....

many people say "there are more people preparing than you think"-- i hope that is indeed so.

Why is it that we can't even MENTION y2k without being looked at funny? Not even get to the point where you state your position, but just Mentioning it, will get you funny looks. And some people get ANGRY that you want to discuss it at all! because, that constant "nothing will happen, 3 day storm" , "nothing will happen, bump in the road", "nothing will happen, 3 day storm" has been programmed into people's heads.

If people turn on their tv's those last 2 weeks in december, and all they see is "no problems here....no bank runs here....shelves are full...etc", that'll be enough, because like somebody has been saying on here, it's the hurricane syndrome.

Ever noticed how we've all heard "nobody knows what will happen"

but we've all heard "it will be no big problem...a bump in the road"

We're going to witness firsthand, just how powerful Spin can be.

-- Super (slfsl@yahoo.com), August 29, 1999

Answers

You watched CSPAN this morning. It just gives those of us preparing a little more time. Enough just doesn't seem to be enough.

-- DuffyO (duffyo@mailcity.com), August 29, 1999.

It is hard to underestimate the power of lies...and we all know who is the father of lies. Lying is a way of constantly choosing death, and , I fear, death of many things and people dear to us may be the price.

When we address lies at this level of pervasiveness, one is literally dealing with the existential reality of forces within and without people that seek to harm. Traditionally it is called the demonic. It is an understanding that is currently out of fashion, but look at the evidence... Columbine high school, shootings of everyone from the postman to brokers to kindergarten kids all over this country. People are freaking out in terrible and strange ways.

What is the added pressure of Y2K going to do to so many people who are already so close to the edge, driving out there on a highway near you or me?

The kind of lying that is going on in spin is the result of a kind of hatred for all of us that is very hard to believe possible. THEY have seen the enemy, and it is US. Or, should I say, U.S.?

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), August 29, 1999.

Yep. No wake up calls at the Hotel California, folks. That's bad news. What's really difficult to grasp for GI's of faith is - prepared to be blamed. That's right, when TSHTF know that there will be extreme polarization. There would have been "enought" for everyone to "get by" IF you hadn't prepared. Dosen't matter whether it was a little or alot, the net result was - not enough for me. And it's your fault. It's not just the blame for being prepared, it will also be the focus on the fundamental spiritual issue. You can either "go out before the sheep as a ram" now or you will be ostracized later. Polarization and persecution. Coming soon to your home town. . . P

-- Procopious (magnooliaa@yahoo.com), August 29, 1999.

The spinmeisters tell big, bold lies.

They have no use for feeble fibbing.

These officials are professional deceivers, who will manipulate the gullible public with their distorted propaganda until the very end.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), August 29, 1999.

A woman this evening told me that it's all paperwork. Nothing will be affected. Her husband told her so. He's an electrical engineer.

I'm embarassed to mention Y2K and ruin people's lives--like people planning wonderful trips in January.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), August 29, 1999.

I received this as part of an e-mail message on the Government's Community Conversations list. I thought it's subject matter was unique. I am only reproducing part of this as a "fair use" post for educational purposes:

snip:

"It is good the more extremes of the "all is lost" crowd are moderating too. I wish the same were true of those at the other end of the continuum -- does the "it was all a hoax" crowd really expect us to believe that the same corporate leadership and high tech workforce that helped bring us this vibrant economy were duped into spending a barrel of $ and a couple years chasing windmills?"

-- ExCop (yinadral@juno.com), August 30, 1999.

I watched janet brahms on CSPAN Sunday morning. she's very, very smooth. The most intersting question IMO, was a caller who asked if the governmanet was planning any sort of mass media communication efforts about Y2K.

She said no.

Call your ______ to see if they are ready.

Think about that. The only "official" position statements will be the point-free Community Conversation series, spun press releases, the financial industry (who will spend any amount of money neccessary to prevent bank runs), and shallow media coverage of nutcase extremists from both ends of the spectrum.

In short, no leadership.

Well. This should be an interesting holiday season...

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), August 30, 1999.

There is no way to intelligently predict what will happen in December. There could be some major news stories that many states and cities will not be ready. They generallly don't have a PR person like Koskinen and it is more difficult for them to cover up their problems. Also, there could major turmoil in world financil markets as investors attempt to move their funds to US Treasury securities. All of these events could affect public perception. We will just have to wait and see.

-- Dave (dannco@hotmail.com), August 30, 1999.

I would submit to you that if this web site represents the 1% of the population which is preparing or is already prepared, we are about to see the next 5% begin to prepare in the next couple of weeks. They won't be laying in wheat and buying grain mills and chickens, but they will be buying 2-4 weeks worth of food. Most will probably forget about water, but hopefully many of them will buy cans of soup.

Why do I say this? Well, it may be because I now have a flourescent orange sign outside the front of my house indicating that I want to put a bunch of solar panels up, but in the last three weeks more people have inquired about Y2K in casual conversation than ever before.

Most of the people I know are aware that Y2K could be a problem, even if they haven't thought about it long enough to know if they're a doomer or a polly. We're about to get an uptick in the number of people who are prepping, even if all of these people don't start this week.

The majority of people everywhere won't do anything until December, if then. I still think we're hosed for the first quarter of the year, but at least 5% of the population will have a 50-50 shot of making it through extended 8+ problems. Before now, I feared there would be fewer people prepping.

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), August 30, 1999.

test

-- Bug (Goldbug@Glitters.com), August 30, 1999.

"prepared to be blamed. That's right, when TSHTF know that there will be extreme polarization. There would have been "enought" for everyone to "get by" IF you hadn't prepared. Dosen't matter whether it was a little or alot, the net result was - not enough for me. And it's your fault."

You got it.

-- Mumsie (Shezdremn@aol.com), August 30, 1999.