In Men in Black, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) reveals the truth of alien life on earth to soon-to-be Agent J (Will Smith). J wonders why people haven’t been told, why the huge cover-up.
People are smart, he says, they could handle the truth. “A person is smart,” Agent K says, “but people are stupid.” He talks about how when individual persons become part of a group of people, they get panicky and irrational.
Never has that statement been more true that today.
Two of the biggest stories in the world right now, illustrate that point perfectly.
In Iraq, you had hundreds of people trampled to death because of rumors of a suicide bomber. Just the rumor of a bomber was able to kill countless more people than an actual bomber could, because a group of people panicked and stampeded over one another.
In America (espeically in the Southern states), you have people going crazy over gas. Long lines were forming around every gas station on my way home from work, with everybody running out to get gas. I saw one truck who had 5 or 6 jugs in the back of his truck to fill up.
Okay, simply economics lesson – what do you think it does to the price when the demand suddenly shoots up? Answer – the price shoots up with it and the problem is exacerbated.
It doesn’t help matters when the media and politicians are going out and fanning the flames. You have the national news telling people that gas is $6 in Atlanta. That is not the norm in Atlanta, even if that was the case for a single station. It is around $3.50 or $4.
The owner of the largest gas station chain across the Upstate of SC was on the talk radio station here in Greenville, SC. He, being the largest buyer of wholesale gasoline in our area, said that there was a interuption in shipment, but there was no supply shortage. It is simply a matter of getting electricity working on the pipelines again.
This morning, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said that they already had partial power restored to one of the two main pipelines and it was already starting the flow of gas out of the gulf region.
Put your gas cans down people, we will have gas. Some may run low or in the next couple of days for a period of time, but there is no huge gas shortage and you will be able to buy gas for under $4 a gallon. Just slow down, stop watching and listening to the media and use common sense.
Be an intelligent person, not part of the panicky people.
We've had the same problem with gas prices and lines at gas stations here in Virginia. Everyone thought there was a supply problem but it's really more a matter of getting the exisitng supply to the stations. We need to remember to be the voice of calm in the midst of so much panic.
The price is oil is dropping now (Brent at $66.70 as of this writing), and more barrels have been released by the Europeans and the Kuwaitis too I believe. So does that mean we're getting even MORE oil than previous to the hurricane?
Most of the refineries in the gulf region are up and running, but not all and many are still not running up to capacity. The oil released by the Europeans, Kuwaitis and from the US strategic reserve will help to lower crude oil prices, but as of now the "shortage" lies in wholesale gasoline. Until the refineries can start working 100% again gas will still be more expensive than it was before. Maybe we will learn a lesson from this and build more refineries.
No matter where we go or what is going on in the world, people are becoming more ignorant and foolish. Long lines for Gas is only a symptom of a problem. I believe that someone in the spotlight, someone everyone can recognize, needs to start leading PEOPLE and living a life that people can follow. People are followers, copy-cats, and at times are animals. On a personal level, I can't stand to go the beach anymore because of the attiude of such nice persons when they are there. It seems to me that immediately upon stepping into the general vicinity of the beaches, men are out to pick up women and women are out to turn down men (san diego region). Attitudes change depending on where people are. In the mountains, people are nicer and more polite. Lets not get into traffic, everyone on the roads is insane, right? People can't be alone, they have to be around other people. People have to do what other people are doing. It won't even matter if you left wing or right wing, hippie or military motivater. Give people a scenario they can complain about, and they will all do it, all the same way, and believe that the way they are doing it, is different than eveyone else. Those that don't fit into the crounds, the stand-out persons, get attention, and the much needed attention to get ahead in life. The Happy, free-spirited persons, with dreams and goals of their own get somewhere in life. Maybe Im just complaining like most others do, but I feel that there should be someone to say something, somewhere, that may get a message across to someone that might make a difference in an unhappy life. And for my final insult to people, People are not happy. People are miserable. Oh well, gotta run, there may be another depression if america gets too bored.