Response to 'Missed Opportunity'
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Hello all,
This is a response to a comment left to me by one of the readers in reference to the "Missed Opportunity" blog...it went a little something like this...
First off, a question...Do you really think that the gas companies are trying to take advantage of the situation in the Gulf Coast for profit?
----------
The strong did what they could, the weak suffered what they must.
--Thucydides, Greek historian
Hey friend,
First and foremost, let me say that I appreciate your input, and I
thank you for sharing your thoughts with the BLOG website.
To answer your question, YES, I do feel like that gas companies are trying to take advantage of the situation in the Gulf Coast for profit. However, they aren't alone in the exploitation of that unfortunate situation. Media figures also have stepped up to the forefront.
I noticed in your comments that you sent two main paragraphs: the first dealing with capitalism and consumers, while the second dealt with consumers accepting the fates of gas...or, acting like the 'weak' in the above quote.
Well, I'll speak on paragraph one first. Yes, gas is a traded commodity, and the price of gas can be influenced by the way it is traded. However, such trading wouldn't cause such rapid rising in prices, and certainly wouldn't change so variably amongst states. Some areas in Atlanta during the gouging of prices paid 5-6 dollars A GALLON for gas, while most of us in Carolina, and apparently in Tallahassee paid around 3-3.50 a gallon for gas. That was Wednesday-Thursday, when
the hysteria hit people like...well, you know. Like a storm. At any rate, over the weekend, gas prices died down considerably. This had nothing to do with how gas is traded, friend, but rather because of the hysteria that's died down. And, judging by people's actions and the lack of media exposure on gas during the weekend, it makes the "Missing Opportunity" blog all the more powerful. Again, if a strike on gas would've been imposed by city-wide figures and even nationally, consumers would've made a HUGE statement, and certainly the powers-that-be would've responded well to not having to 'open the reserves', right? (By the way, I only say that in quotations because it served to add to the hysteria that sent so many people running to gas.)
Of course, the situation in New Orleans is bigger than the price of gas and media exploitation. Those 2 topics are merely factions of the inferior government that we live under, and whether we like it or not, the one we abide by. That brings me to your second paragraph…
About consumers who have to ‘accept’ the fate of gas. Yes, people have to get to and from work, and let’s face it, we live in a capitalist society. Concerning the Wed-Thurs hysteria, in reference to this wonderful capitalist society we live in, if I see gas at 4.00 a gallon at one station, and see it at 3.25 at another station, guess what station I’m going to? Of course, that’s the station most are going to go to. I say the obvious because if you see gas at a station on Thursday at 4.00 a gallon, and other unprecedented prices around the country, my logic is to take discretion, certainly not RUN to the pumps. Didn’t we learn anything from the Y2K paranoia?!?!?!?!?!
Something else. The run to the pumps, more than anything was discouraging because it shows how people are really out for themselves, caring about their own welfare as opposed to anything else. I say this on two levels. One, you see people in SUV’s and big rigs obliging to prices, and rightfully so. Those people can AFFORD IT…I cringe up when I see large families that ride in a Ford Focus, and then I see a party of one cruising in his/her 2005 Escalade or Navigator. The other issue concerning people caring for themselves is that, truthfully, that’s how our country teaches us…and I’ll go so far as to say it’s working especially well for black people. You know why some of the readers disagreed when I said to strike against gas?? Because people haven’t seen community-wide unity ever. We certainly haven’t seen it in our generation, or, we haven’t seen anything like the Civil Rights movement. Look guys, it wasn’t a half-century ago that Rosa Parks set off a chain of events that kept people from taking the bus, or their MAIN SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION, for almost a year. And why, you ask? To improve the condition of life, to improve the COMMUNITY.
There’s much more I can say here, especially concerning how media takes advantage of the situation on the Gulf Coast. I’ll just say this to summarize the media’s view on that situation…bad news is good news. Take care you guys,
The Good Doctor
Hey guys, I got a new poem coming up…trying to think of a prelude for it to put here, but believe it or not, I’m SPEECHLESS. Ha ha ha ha…let me stop. Just be here when it breaks through. –Love is the remedy --
One more thing...check out this site...
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/
This Nat'l Geographic story is almost prophetic...it speaks of how capitalist expansion at the risk of natural resources put N.O. at risk...check it out.
Hello all,
This is a response to a comment left to me by one of the readers in reference to the "Missed Opportunity" blog...it went a little something like this...
First off, a question...Do you really think that the gas companies are trying to take advantage of the situation in the Gulf Coast for profit?
----------
The strong did what they could, the weak suffered what they must.
--Thucydides, Greek historian
Hey friend,
First and foremost, let me say that I appreciate your input, and I
thank you for sharing your thoughts with the BLOG website.
To answer your question, YES, I do feel like that gas companies are trying to take advantage of the situation in the Gulf Coast for profit. However, they aren't alone in the exploitation of that unfortunate situation. Media figures also have stepped up to the forefront.
I noticed in your comments that you sent two main paragraphs: the first dealing with capitalism and consumers, while the second dealt with consumers accepting the fates of gas...or, acting like the 'weak' in the above quote.
Well, I'll speak on paragraph one first. Yes, gas is a traded commodity, and the price of gas can be influenced by the way it is traded. However, such trading wouldn't cause such rapid rising in prices, and certainly wouldn't change so variably amongst states. Some areas in Atlanta during the gouging of prices paid 5-6 dollars A GALLON for gas, while most of us in Carolina, and apparently in Tallahassee paid around 3-3.50 a gallon for gas. That was Wednesday-Thursday, when
the hysteria hit people like...well, you know. Like a storm. At any rate, over the weekend, gas prices died down considerably. This had nothing to do with how gas is traded, friend, but rather because of the hysteria that's died down. And, judging by people's actions and the lack of media exposure on gas during the weekend, it makes the "Missing Opportunity" blog all the more powerful. Again, if a strike on gas would've been imposed by city-wide figures and even nationally, consumers would've made a HUGE statement, and certainly the powers-that-be would've responded well to not having to 'open the reserves', right? (By the way, I only say that in quotations because it served to add to the hysteria that sent so many people running to gas.)
Of course, the situation in New Orleans is bigger than the price of gas and media exploitation. Those 2 topics are merely factions of the inferior government that we live under, and whether we like it or not, the one we abide by. That brings me to your second paragraph…
About consumers who have to ‘accept’ the fate of gas. Yes, people have to get to and from work, and let’s face it, we live in a capitalist society. Concerning the Wed-Thurs hysteria, in reference to this wonderful capitalist society we live in, if I see gas at 4.00 a gallon at one station, and see it at 3.25 at another station, guess what station I’m going to? Of course, that’s the station most are going to go to. I say the obvious because if you see gas at a station on Thursday at 4.00 a gallon, and other unprecedented prices around the country, my logic is to take discretion, certainly not RUN to the pumps. Didn’t we learn anything from the Y2K paranoia?!?!?!?!?!
Something else. The run to the pumps, more than anything was discouraging because it shows how people are really out for themselves, caring about their own welfare as opposed to anything else. I say this on two levels. One, you see people in SUV’s and big rigs obliging to prices, and rightfully so. Those people can AFFORD IT…I cringe up when I see large families that ride in a Ford Focus, and then I see a party of one cruising in his/her 2005 Escalade or Navigator. The other issue concerning people caring for themselves is that, truthfully, that’s how our country teaches us…and I’ll go so far as to say it’s working especially well for black people. You know why some of the readers disagreed when I said to strike against gas?? Because people haven’t seen community-wide unity ever. We certainly haven’t seen it in our generation, or, we haven’t seen anything like the Civil Rights movement. Look guys, it wasn’t a half-century ago that Rosa Parks set off a chain of events that kept people from taking the bus, or their MAIN SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION, for almost a year. And why, you ask? To improve the condition of life, to improve the COMMUNITY.
There’s much more I can say here, especially concerning how media takes advantage of the situation on the Gulf Coast. I’ll just say this to summarize the media’s view on that situation…bad news is good news. Take care you guys,
The Good Doctor
Hey guys, I got a new poem coming up…trying to think of a prelude for it to put here, but believe it or not, I’m SPEECHLESS. Ha ha ha ha…let me stop. Just be here when it breaks through. –Love is the remedy --
One more thing...check out this site...
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/
This Nat'l Geographic story is almost prophetic...it speaks of how capitalist expansion at the risk of natural resources put N.O. at risk...check it out.
posted by The Good Doctor at 2:22 PM
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