Self-fulfilling prophecies
What Gov. Sonny Perdue did yesterday was, admittingly, smart policy (issueing an executive order which would lay heavy fines and sanctions on folks who price gouge for gas), but at the same time it also was insanely stupid.
What was fueling everyone yesterday was fear - primarily stemming from some idiotic rumor that the gas pumps would be shut off across the state at 3 p.m. This rumor surely was driving many people to the gas station, creating a run on fuel. But the governor's statement and attempt to soothe the fears of Georgian consumers by saying 'there is no energy emergency' most likely did more to fan the flames of hysteria than calm them. After the head of the state addressed this most unusual rumor, everyone began to freak out ... thus seeing prices as high as $8.99 for premium gas in some areas and spot shortages cropping up all over the place.
Perdue's call for patience is a tad like Bill Pullman's character in Independence Day urging everyone to remain calm despite the large number of city-size space ships hovering over the world. Naturally, the last thing you're going to do is stay content when you have your leader saying 'don't worry about it' but you see hordes of other folks panicking.
Granted, Perdue was in a tough spot, and it's really hard to blame him. He had to address the state because some folks were freaking out, but human nature resulted in many more people freaking out because he spoke.
Of course, we can levy some blame at the Athens-Clarke County Chamber of Commerce for sending out an email urging their members and businesses to fill up as fast as they could because gas would run out this weekend. And these folks, despite their good intentions, wonder why they have an image problem.
What was fueling everyone yesterday was fear - primarily stemming from some idiotic rumor that the gas pumps would be shut off across the state at 3 p.m. This rumor surely was driving many people to the gas station, creating a run on fuel. But the governor's statement and attempt to soothe the fears of Georgian consumers by saying 'there is no energy emergency' most likely did more to fan the flames of hysteria than calm them. After the head of the state addressed this most unusual rumor, everyone began to freak out ... thus seeing prices as high as $8.99 for premium gas in some areas and spot shortages cropping up all over the place.
Perdue's call for patience is a tad like Bill Pullman's character in Independence Day urging everyone to remain calm despite the large number of city-size space ships hovering over the world. Naturally, the last thing you're going to do is stay content when you have your leader saying 'don't worry about it' but you see hordes of other folks panicking.
Granted, Perdue was in a tough spot, and it's really hard to blame him. He had to address the state because some folks were freaking out, but human nature resulted in many more people freaking out because he spoke.
Of course, we can levy some blame at the Athens-Clarke County Chamber of Commerce for sending out an email urging their members and businesses to fill up as fast as they could because gas would run out this weekend. And these folks, despite their good intentions, wonder why they have an image problem.
posted by Jmac at 8:52 AM
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