i'm sure its been discussed before, but lately (especially with all the bird flu coverage) i've been thinking about how much people's hysteria and panic can make situations so much worse than they really are. basically, i've reasoned that if most people were even basically prepared for interruption of basic services in life and disruption of their basic daily routine, that in general, there wouldn't be nearly as much overwhelming fear about whatever might happen. and that if something were to happen, it could be dealt with efficiently and effectively, thus virtually eliminating the scenes of chaos (so familiar in movies) during times of severe uncertainty. and that this lessening of general anxiety could result in, dare i say it, a more rational, secure, and overall, better society? what i'm saying is, since preparation makes all the difference in the world, and its so much cheaper in cost than the results of mass hysteria, why isn't there more emphasis placed on preparation? it doesn't make any sense? people talk about bird flu and terrorism like it could happen tomorrow yet they don't even have a working flashlight or water to last till tomorrow. it just doesn't make sense to me. why aren't people taught to be prepared?

i think knowledge and proper education is the key to succes. Knowing what to do is more importent than being loaded with goodies. Preparation is what follows when people have the knowledge.

This could be the result of government philosophy of not freaking people out too much.

I have heard that when the weather forecasters are predicting tornadoes, they don't want to give too many warnings for fear of "crying wolf". After too many warnings, people tend to tune out.

What if the bird flu never materializes? Then people will be stuck with a bunch of 3M respirators, gallons of Purell hand sanitizer and a billion Tamiflu tablets. Of course Tamiflu manufacturer would have profited immensely by now. If government was to go ahead and issue concrete recommendations for people like: "Buy Tamiflu now!", people might think that the cronies in the government are getting kickbacks from Tamiflu manufacturer for spreading paranoia about the bird flu ... And who knows, they just might be right. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I've found several factors that seem to keep people in denial and therefore avoid "preparedness education".

First is the comfort in which we all strive for; let's call it the "comfort factor". We are trained from day one, that we should make ourselves comfortable, and content. One way we make ourselves feel comfortable is to consume, and boy are we well trained as consumers, from day-one. But this consumption is not related to preparedness (except for a few if us) it's related to social acceptance, climbing the social ladder, helping us have more time in our lives, make a chore easier, recreate, etc., etc, etc. We can watch sitcoms while the city crumbles...as long as we've got our "comfort factor" and a good set of blinders.

This "feeling the need" to become educated, has recently been regional. Most Floridians, gulf and coastal communities have received the message and hopefully have learned what is necessary to avoid chaos. San Francisco, LA, Seattle, they probably all have small populations of people aware of emergency preparation. However, for those who have never had to hunker-down, researching emergency preparedness can make most people feel helpless, vulnerable, and very uncomfortable.

It's pretty intimidating to educate oneself about all the potential threats out there. So I believe many people avoid the education with the simple justification "....it'll never happen to me", "....it'll never happen here". "Don't suggest it will; you're just paranoid!" And then there are those that still feel some agency will come to the rescue........(good luck).

The Government, CDC, Ready.gov, Red Cross, all have educational websites for those who choose to prepare. Like you said, just a simple 72 hour kit could keep many from joining the chaotic throngs of over-reacting, ill educated people. I've chosen to educate my family and some friends. Still, I'm amazed at how some very intelligent people will avoid this "uncomfortable" issue of preparedness.

i definitely agree that the "comfort factor" and the myth that gov. is always gonna be there to bail you out are some of the main reasons people seem to be in such denial. and i'm not even talking about any type of serious preparation, most people don't even have a working flashlight. its funny, your post made me think of a scene in a hypothetical disaster movie where relief workers hand out portable DVD players with all the latest movies and TV shows instead of basic supplies, while people scream "please, i need to watch american idol and desperate housewives! please! we're desperate here!"
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What's really scary is it's true...peopl'es priorities are to avoid reality.

It's human nature to suppose that the status quo will continue indefinitely. This is true regardless of what the status quo is. For example, during WWII it will have quickly seemed that the state of war had lasted forever and would last forever more, even though logically it isn't true. My own basic drive towards preparedness is the observation that nothing lasts forever.

A second factor is that if the powers that be try to get us to prepare for disaster, it will be seen as an admission that they can't do their job of averting disaster. It's politically very difficult for them.

> What if the bird flu never materializes?

But a lot of preparation is generic. Stuff like having stocks of food, water, medication and lighting on hand. There will be a disaster. It may not be bird flu, and probably won't be, just as it wasn't the millenium bug. It may be something we didn't see coming at all.

".. people might think that the cronies in the government are getting kickbacks from Tamiflu manufacturer for spreading paranoia about the bird flu ... And who knows, they just might be right. "


Didn't you hear that Rumsfeld has $25 million in stock in Tamiflu? He's been honest and open about it, but for the sake of my own soul I wouldn't want to make that type of "killing" or profit so handsomely from a nation's hysteria.

the myth that gov. is always gonna be there to bail you out

Unfortunately, that myth has been perputated by the gov't itself. Then there's the "Leave this to the trained professionals". This attitude is fostered primarily by the "trained professionals" and is aimed primarily at volunteers and other "civilians".

Please note, this is not intended as a slam of any ETS members.