Thursday, August 27, 2009

Be Fearful OF Alarmists



That's the *alarmism* du jour - that some tropical storm is going to hit graze Boston this weekend. In fact that was precisely the breathless line atop Drudge today, "Boston in path...."

How much you want to bet that it DOESN'T hit us???

It will *weaken* (already admitted now in the latest weather update!)....and it will without a doubt get pushed out to sea.

Last week, before heading to the Hamptons the outlook was also bleak. They had rain coming everyday from Wednesday through Sunday at a 30-40% chance. That was also on account of an incoming tropical storm I believe. Yet we weren't hit by a single freakin' raindrop!

Heck, I was on the cusp of cancelling my trip down there if I saw one slight downtick (say to 50% chance) in the forecast. Thank God I didn't.

Look at it this way, every business is conflicted. Wall Streeters, morticians, and plumbers alike will never be fully honest with their *customers*.

The same holds for the alarmists in the weather business - they are simply selling *worry* to a bunch of empty-skulled, idle worrywarts.

You know, they are targeting those Morons who still run out to buy milk, bread, and eggs at the ring of a weatherman's bell.

Look how much utter crap is relentlessly marketed to the lumpen masses: the idea of long term investing, of homeownership, worthless college degrees, over-priced insurance policies, innumerable *crises* that further empower those who should rightfully be hung, etc.

I'm sure someone could handily do a *study* on how much time people waste following and fretting about forecasted storms and how little their lives were ACTUALLY affected by what eventually transpired. I'm sure the efficiency loss would be off-the-charts.

Do yourselves all a giant favor - turn off the TV, never look at newspaper again, and forget about those dubious weather forecasts. Eliminate all the clatter and mind pollutants in your lives and I promise you the sky will never seem bluer.

I know for a fact that this blog has opened and changed the minds of others on sundry topics.

But I've yet to hear of anyone I've convinced to expunge all *daily news* from their informational diets. Nonetheless, I'll keep preaching and praying for those of you who keep sending me links to *breaking news*!

Most of y'all will have wimped out on my homeschooling recommendation for a variety of reasons. I fully understand that one. Now bear in mind that I recommend a media *blackout* just as much as I trumpet the education of one's own brood.

And it's unlikely any of you clowns can come up with a good enough excuse not to try this one. Give it a go for a week at least and get back to me. You'll undoubtedly see that while in your bunker....you missed ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of importance.

Kfell....is that your hand I see up?

C'mon bro....just one week. Do it before football season starts!

That's right, *sports* are taboo as well. There'll be no checking of Red Sox or Yankees' scores! Admittedly this particular move is what they would call in yoga-speak an *advanced modification*.

5 comments:

panner said...

i was with you until the talk of banning sports.

you gotta have some sweets in your diet to keep you straight.

every man needs a vice or three.

Taylor Conant said...

Seriously, why does anyone live in Mass?

Seriously... I don't get it. Not even for the "want to be near other wacko nutjobs" excuse. You can get that in California AND have perfect weather year-round.

Makes no sense to me.

CaptiousNut said...

Taylor,

People live in Mass mostly on account of inertia, i.e. they grew up here or they went to college here.

The few that aspire to, and eventually move here voluntarily are usually eco-pagans, career student types, outright socialists, and inverts. They come here looking for *love*.

Aupanner,

Follow sports, yes. Obsess about them no.

However much time one devotes to them, it can probably easily be halved with a loss of enjoyment.

And then that amount of wasted time can be halved,....

I realized that sports spectating, aside from being a waste of my valuable time, that it was at root unhealthy *escapism*.

Distracting oneself from their problems may soothe, but it doesn't cure. I've been in that spot many a time.

Anonymous said...

C-Nut,

I went a week without TV in July during my vacation up in ME. I left and the Sox were in 1st place and I can back and they were in 2nd place. It is all my fault.

Besides, how am I going to stay up with Dog the Bounty Hunter?

Kfell

CaptiousNut said...

Kfell,

That Red Sox addiction of yours puts you dangerously close to being an honorary Masshole. That's even more of reason for your NH-a$$ to pull the plug!