what (probably stupid) Y2K references have you seen lately on TV/radio?

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I am seeing them more and more, but the commercial that I saw last night by Mc Donalds was especially disturbing. The "plot" was that a guy who looks real paranoid babbles that nobody knows what will happen when we go into 2000, so he felt that had to prepare. He leads us down to his basement and shows us his preparations -- shelves upon shelves filled with neatly arranged packets of Mc Donalds french fries. The commercial ends with "fry2K" displayed -- i.e., "fry" as in french fry.

Meanwhile, the stored food industry is practically begging for business. Even without Y2K, what does it say when a society mocks people who prepare for the possibility that things may not always work so neatly?

Other Y2K sightings?...

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), November 05, 1999

Answers

I've seen plenty of Y2k ="yes to ki" ads as well as the Raid "millenium bug" ads, the ones where they say that the "millenium bug is now officaly a dead issue." And the "y2k2" car commerial ads for buick. BTW, KOS, what is says is that people are morons, and that they have been fooled into believing everything's find by Klintoon. They belive the lies because they want to belive them, the same as 1930's Germans trusted Hitler... the results will be about the same too...

-- Crono (Crono@timesend.com), November 05, 1999.

KOS,

Do you like to wrestle in chocolate pudding?

-- (cannot-say@this.time), November 05, 1999.


KOS, just keep repeating to yourself: the majority is always wrong. The sheeple have received their shuffling orders. You'll see more of this shit. Yesterday I was heckled by a colleague walking down the street. Ha ha ha. I'm so stupid. Ha ha ha. I'd like to say that it doesn't bother me, but when it comes from someone who hasn't lifted a finger to do any research on his own, it is bothersome. Since popular culture and advertising are largely derivative and appeal to the lowest common denominator, expect more ridicule and contempt. It's the American Way!

-- Kurt Ayau (ayau@iwinet.com), November 05, 1999.

KoS, I agree. What type of society degrades people for trying to incite bank runs? Or criticizes unscrupulous purveyors of "y2k supples" for using misleading and/or outdated information solely for the purpose of making a quick buck?

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), November 05, 1999.

It is my perception that Y2K has gone from The Dirty Thing That Nobody Talks About to The Thing To Be Mocked in just the past few weeks. Remembering the tale of "The Ant and the Grasshopper", it's as if the grasshoppers -- who spent the summer playing while the ants were preparing for winter -- now are getting somewhat concerned that maybe they made a big mistake. So, to bolster their confidence that they didn't, they mock the ants for their "needless" work.

I think that we see the same thing reflected on this forum, again within the past few weeks. It is absolutely crazy for anyone who is convinced that Y2K is a non-event to waste their time posting the silly troll-type garbage that they do, the sole purpose of which is to disrupt a discussion. I think that, for these individuals, it is an act of desperation, and implicitly an admission that they are quite worried about what is coming.

And in my opinion, they should be worried.

56 days.

Y2K CANNOT BE FIXED!

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.~net), November 05, 1999.


The McDonald's spot was conceived by a copywriter and art director. Ad folk working in broadcast on "high visibility" accounts like MickeyD can make 100K+ a year. They may be fully vested in their agency's stock plan. The creative director and account supervisor make even more than the "creatives" in the trenches. Ditto the brand manager at the client. Depending upon where they live (I don't know if it was a national or a regional spot you saw) they may own high rise condos in NYC, or drive 9 mpg SUVs and live in water-dependent LA. They are the 'pillars' of the status quo.

Their vested interest and tunnel vision prevent them from seeing its full potential - a crashing economy - the end of unlimited expense accts, etc. I know these people all too well. I was one of them once upon a time. They have been putting out BS for so long, they truly do believe it and cannot conceive of life ever being different.

-- (fiver2000@yahoo.com), November 05, 1999.


It all comes down to a matter of research. Those who research the problem, understand the problem. Those who give it nominal, sideways, or backward glances are left with a marginal understanding of whats going on. I think a common thread with all the people on this forum who really GI is that they've done their homework. They have made the links, found the common threads, and generally can see through the bs relatively quickly. I mean, the government pandering is so pathetic, its sad that anyone really buys it.

Saul

-- Saul (easycome@easy.go), November 05, 1999.


The prudent are now seeing how the imprudent respond when they have to put-up or shut-up.

Some just can't zip the lip. They are afraid. Just a nervous habit.

Those who haven't been careful to consider all of the circumstances and possible consequences, are only now beginning to understand that they will have to live with their careless ways.

They live by a credo in which they have placed their faith and futures in the wrong choices and ideologies.

Always willing to go along with the crowd. No matter where it takes them. No matter how many of their principles they must sacrifice.

They will get back only what they have put in.

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), November 05, 1999.


KoS, I agree. What does it say when a society mocks people for trying to incite bank runs? What does it say about a society when they criticize unscrupulous 'supply vendors' for using misleading/outdated information scaring innocent people out of their wits so they (the vendors) can make a quick buck?

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), November 05, 1999.

As Scary Gary so aptly says:

They won't prepare but they WILL remember...

Got ammo?

-- Dennis (djolson@cherco.net), November 05, 1999.



Butt Nugget,

I seemed to have disconnected somewhere. Perhaps you can help me out. I thought we were discussing being mocked for storing rice and beans and water and if those around us ask, yes we've withdrawn cash from the banks. Your reply however makes it appear the mocking is directed only at retailers and people with sandwich signs on Broadway announcing the end of the world is near, withdraw cash now. So let's try again. Do you think people should be mocked for preparing?

The banks acknowledge their whole system is based on trust. Is that trust mandatory or does the public still have a right to choose who they decide to trust? Banks have folded in the past and will fold again in the future y2k or not. Why then should someone be mocked if they exercise their right not to be trusting?

Perhaps I have been missing something. Have all you other preparers be retailing your preps trying to dupe people out of their hard earned cashed? Have I been missing out on a good thing? Or did Butt-head just throw that retailer comment in there because he cannot find any real reason to justify mocking people who are just being cautious and preparing?

-- thomas thatcher (jabawaki@erols.com), November 05, 1999.


Butt Nuggett:

Somehow, if the best that can be done to prevent bank runs is to "mock" people who are considering taking out cash, that does not say much about the pros of the fractional reserve banking system, does it? Ditto for all the "concern" by dissuading people from stocking up because it supposedly allows others to "make a quick buck".

Nope, it just don't figure. Unlike your name, which does.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), November 05, 1999.

KOS,

Whoever said that "no man is an island" was never a TBY2K "doomer".

-- rob (56left@togo.com), November 05, 1999.


Butt, I believe you will be able to get money from the bank next january. The more important question is will anybody be willing to take your money in return for anything of real importance, such as food, water, gas?

-- neversay (neversay@nevsay.com), November 05, 1999.

Y2k---Got Milk?

For a milk commerical: The scene is of a barn and a cow out in front chewin'. You hear the farmer in the background in the barn counting down (A tv in the barn I assume) to the year 2000. They say "one" "Zero" a second goes by---just enough to houp and hawler the power sparks and the power goes out. Caption at the bottom "Y2K" Cow still chews as if nothing happens------"Got Milk"

I'm not trying to read anything into it, just sharing. But so far it has been the most direct y2k commerical about a product that I have either seen/or heard. Ice

-- Ice (icemanltd@webtv.net), November 05, 1999.



KoS,

On 610WTVN, local radio giant, has had "Y2K Wipeout" contest (winner has VISA paid off) for a month or so now. The first ads were VERY offensive "...hunt your neighbors for food...drink you own urine...". They've toned it down now, but it's still the same thing, people who prepare are ridiculed.

Must be that greed doesn't want people to be self-sufficient, it doesn't further their own self-serving goals... Greed is threatened, and those who DON'T conform to greed's rules are a threat.

Because we wish to be self-sufficient,

Because we want to think, logically, for ourselves,

Because we do not sink into complacency and turn control over our lives to others;

we have become a threat...

In the early 1900's, Teddy Roosevelt stripped the power away from corporate giants and brought it back to the White House, and to the U.S. people. I believe it's time to do it again.

We have become a tool to further corporations goals, not the other way around. We have become slaves, though the shackles are not physically upon us - they are mental, and intangible except in what we CANNOT do.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), November 05, 1999.


Deb,

It's not that philosophically based. Ad creatives are not "deep thinkers." You are giving them too much credit. Mostly they look for common trends and fads to exploit, the better to come up with something funny and attention getting for their "reel." They are motivated by greed, but it is of the more personal sort. And the clients, they just want something that will get attention and pander to "common knowledge." They will mock ANYTHING that is considered a safe target, to get a cheap laugh - nerds, fat people, airheads, old ladies who are bad drivers, Y2k "wackos," the unfashionable, small town folks, anyone they consider not to be hip, young, cute or wealthy. Advertising is not a bastion of intellectuals or political thinkers. Just the shallow and self-absorbed. The clients are no better, just not as creative.

-- (fiver2000@yahoo.com), November 05, 1999.


Thanks, everybody. (Yeah, even Butt Nuggett....)

I realize that "Madison Avenue" takes a lot of liberties anyway, but at this point it's like Joe Sixpack is getting drummed into his living room every night that Y2K is coming, it could mean anything from power outages to food shortages, but .... sit back, laugh at the funny commercials.

Maybe the moral is that at this point, it's so late to prepare, that all that can be done is to just laugh about it. I sure hope the pollies are right, I would love to laugh about it too, next year. I fear that they are terribly wrong.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), November 05, 1999.

A couple of things in my neck of the woods....A local radio station is sponsoring a "Y NOT 2K" promotional contest, and a TV station is running a "H2K" (Holiday) gas giveaway of $2000 in petrol.

The sheeple are eating it up. When TSHTF, they won't know what to do.

-- stop/NWO@USA (actionbil@aol.com), November 05, 1999.


A radio station has a contest to send the lucky winner to either, Houston, Detroit or one other city for a New Year's eve concert. Lots of hype and scary voices etc.

Hate to be the "lucky" winner... probably get stranded far away from home.

-- Patrick (pmchenry@gradall.com), November 05, 1999.


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