Saturday, September 4, 2010

My Name is Earl

I had the following conversation with a buddy last night

Here's a prediction for you... Hurricane Earl is going to disappoint.

Yeah I know it's not revolutionary but in my 34 years of life I have learned the surest bet is to bet against mass hysteria.
I won't say a hurricane can't ever affect us but I am saying that the chances of it doing so are as slim as the NY Post is trash. If we lived on St Thomas than sure but by the time it reaches the NorthEast these things are less potent than me after a night of chili and Guinness. In a city which runs on tabloid papers and whose newscasts basically pray for fires there is nothing more exciting than a massive pending storm to plaster on the front pages and newscasts.

Mass hysteria works because people are dumb and news-outlets need stories. Every winter we get promised two or three blizzards and before you know it the bodegas are out of water, the Home Depot's are selling plywood, shovels and bags of salt and people are buying astronaut ice-cream by the caseload.

Take the same scenario and throw it into the summer and people start canceling vacations to the beach a week in advance, start boarding up their landlocked condos and all elevator talk turns to the provisions you have bought. I just think Americans want to be the story, they all secretly dream to be the guy on his rooftop being rescued by a FEMA helicopter.
Next year when the media takes a non issue (hurricane, mosque, Time Warner battle with ABC/ESPN) and tries to get us riled up, let's all agree to not turn the TV volume up but instead turn the TV's off.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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