Why is nobody taking Y2K seriously? As an Englishman living in Belgium, I have access to all the major European, UK & US TV stations. I work as I.S. Audit for a large bank, and my major responsibility for the moment is Y2K preparations.

I am therefore amazed each time I hear news readers announce financial forecasts for the coming years making no mention of what I see as the inevitable consequences of Y2K. The same goes for government ministers, financial advisors, etc.

Most people I know are still talking about "stocks worth investing in", whereas I sold any I had a few months ago and am wondering how to secure my nest-egg against Y2K.

Am I a scare-monger (as I have occasionally been labelled)? Am I the I.T. equivalent of the "The End is Nigh" sandwich-board man?

I often wonder if I'm losing my head, or simply taking my work too seriously. I feel like the guy in the 1960s Hollywood film who discovers a flaw in nuclear generator, but can't get anyone to listen. I still come across business people who tell me that "Y2K is a technical issue, you need to talk to our I.T. manager".

I've made my Y2K plans, and am looking at diversifying my savings, but my talks of buying gold or silver, or of withdrawing a couple of month's spendings in cash are met with incredulity or derision. Y2K is too important a problem not to argue back, but my efforts are just a drop in the ocean.

Am I working too hard? Am I going insane? Is there anyone out there with the same problem?

Great site Ed! Tony Maye

-- Anthony Maye (tonymaye@yahoo.com), November 11, 1998

Answers

I went through this a few months ago. This is a good time for me to thank Ed and everyone who's posted on this site - even (or especially) those I've disagreed with most strongly. Sharing Y2k-related views and information with others here has helped me feel less isolated in my conviction that Y2k is truly going to be a major disaster.

Stick around. And DO take that money out of the bank, etc..

I no longer talk to anyone about Y2k. I've had too many people look at me sideways or ridicule my efforts. I've come to believe the best thing I can do for others is prepare so thoroughly that I'm able to help them later. Talking now is a waste of time, and the big panic will come soon enough.

You will only be useful to others if you are first useful to yourself.

Cheers,

E.

-- E. Coli (nunayo@beeswax.com), November 11, 1998.

Tony (Anthony?)

Anthony (Tony?)

Oprah (Uma?)

Uma (Oprah?)

I was thinking of posting a Q tonite, something along the lines of Are we delusional? But this one states my frame of mind quite nicely. (Look Richard, its that new-age Karma thing, my thoughts about the subject created the question, out of thin air!)

Do we, as Y2K aware persons, share some trait that is not Mainstream? Or are we just going insane as Tony asked? I dont know, I feel sane. But then, thats just me.

Me, I cast my vote for Nobody else seems worried, why should I? If it is not a big story on the Nightly News, it is not a big story. I got too many other things to worry about.

That ought to hold em, until, of course, everybody else gets worried.

Be thankful that you ARE aware ahead of time, as Martha Stewart says, Its a good thing.

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), November 11, 1998.

Tony,

Welcome aboard. The news does seem to be going mainstream more and more each day. I think we will just see it snowball from here.

I am glad you are aware, but you sould like you are in the early stages still, where most of us have been. Everything seems overwhelming. I would say this to you, how is YOUR project going? Do you feel comfortable with it? Do you feel you will meet the deadline? If not, then yes worry, if things are going well then think about all the other IS managers out there just like you. (By the way, this all rhetorical...if you want to share, go ahead, but I was not trying to get you to answer anything. This is all for you to think to yourself)

Again, welcome aboard. You will find most of us are friendly...most;)

Rick

-- Rick Tansun (ricktansun@hotmail.com), November 11, 1998.

Tony,

You are doing the right things, including questioning why you are doing them. People construct the world they live in. You have found, like many of the posters to the bulletin board, that there are aspects of the way people have constructed the world you don't like. The only self preserving action is to reconstruct as much as possible of the things you don't like the way you want them. All your plans and preparations are intended to let you have control over the things you see/are aware of and don't like.

The question is: are you doing the right things overall? I can't say! none of us can, but we know this for sure: the actions we are taking will improve our situations should TSHTF come Y2K. If it all turns out a crock (I don't think it will). You've had some fun, you been alive and in control in ways most folks will never understand and you will beat inflation on food and some other bits and pieces, for a while.

It is worth reading an earlier thread in Awareness/General called:

Has anyone asked :'Why me'?

Best of Luck!

-- Bob Barbour (r.barbour@waikato.ac.nz), November 11, 1998.

Welcome Tony,

I'm pretty new here myself. And, yes, a lot of us have voiced just such questions.

As Uncle D noted, one of the most frequently (I suspect) asked is, "Am I nuts?" In my case it doesn't apply (I've been nuts for years) but I have read (and no, I can't remember where) that the ability to question your own sanity is the surest indicator that you still have it.

Someone here (R.D.? E. Coli?) suggested that those of us who "get it" may simply have a heightened pattern recognition ability, and thus see what's likely sooner than some others.

Anyway, you don't sound as if you're losing your head to me, and judging ONLY from the way that you speak about it (I know diddly squat about banking) it sounds like you've got a pretty firm grip on reality.

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), November 11, 1998.

Tony,

I hardly ever talk about Y2K with friends. They already think im crazy ;-) and we probably are. why?

Because they dont care! Most people get there news by looking at them pretty pictures in tabloids, you know, Newsweek etc.

If it doesnt regard sports, sex, cars or food forget it.

Prepare to help others later and if we are wrong, well there are food banks which we can donate to in 2000. ww

-- WAYNE WITCHER (WWITCHER@MVTEL.NET), November 11, 1998.

Quit looking for confirmation. You do not create truth by popular vote nor do you destroy it by unbelief.

-- ANN FISHER (ZYAX55B@prodigy.com), November 12, 1998.

But God forbid we show compasion to someone who is at the same stage we all were at at one point. He is looking for understanding and sense that he is not crazy.

Rick

-- Rick Tansun (ricktansun@hotmail.com), November 12, 1998.

No-one will believe in the possibility of a future disaster of this type. There are so many theoretical outcomes, even the people working in ther industry are divided. No-one ultimately can predict the future, but it should be possible to project the consequences of cause and effect. Another problem is finding out the real truth about the status of y2k projects. Can organisations survive with partially converted systems, who can tell. The knowledge lies with a few people who may know specific details of the effect of their y2k project may have on their organisation. People like GN are attempting to project this into a global scenario. How can Joe Public (ignorant of the issues) do this, how can the media or politicians, also ignorant. once you

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 12, 1998.

Yes, Tony, you are working too hard. Yes, you're a nut. Probably a "lovable nut," but a nut just the same. Welcome to the nuthouse...

I think you'll probably reach a point where you can engage someone about the subject in a light-hearted manner, and quickly judge whether or not they "get it." (I know I did) Then you'll know that you can have more of a conversation or not.

You'll probably also find that there are a few people out there that you may be able to help "get it." (I know I did) Whether or not they actually do something to prepare is not really your problem. I'm taking an approach similar to E. Coli, posted above, trying to overprepare so that I can help out others in need. However, unlike E. I haven't stopped talking. I don't care if people think I'm a nut and ridicule me. The more they do that, the more it will seep its way into their consciousness, and maybe, just maybe some of those ridiculers will be able to "get it" a little sooner than the general population.

I particularly like the "end is nigh sandwich board man" thing. Someone else mentioned this at some point, and it led me into an idea that I would like to share with y'all.

I'm the IT guy for a New York City design and ad agency, and we've got a large format printer. My plan is to print out a bunch of 36x36 posters that simply say "Y2K" and place them in strategic locations around Manhattan in time for the big Thanksgiving shopping orgy. (I've hung band posters and the like over the years, so I know how to do it stealthily) By the way, the Friday after Thanksgiving is "Buy Nothing Day." Please participate! Anyway, that's my little guerilla awareness program. And, Tony, my way of dealing with my own little bit of insanity...

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), November 12, 1998.

Anthony,

You are an insightful realist. I've experienced your loneliness numerous times because people would not listen to my cautions, predictions. I've even been punished for it. Kill the messenger syndrome.

I agree with your assements, so hang tough. Wish we could discuss this at great length.

>I hear news readers<

Here in Lalaland they are called "anchor man." They get paid millions to read news. Bribery to lie?

-- traveller (traveller@jet.net), November 12, 1998.

Perhaps a cooking analogy is appropriate here.

Our Y2K pot isn't boiling yet. At each stage, when the heat is turned up little by little, the opportunity will be there to help others become more Y2K aware. Seems, at least at this point, that every "little" thing we can do to apply warmth, then ultimate heat to the media, will just help in the Y2K awareness effort. For myself, I think it will be a real mess. I cant code (can bake cookies to motivate programmers though), but I can apply balanced heat to the media, and hopefully this country, and others, can get calmly prepared. In that, I trust.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 12, 1998.

Tony,

Welcome to the other side of the looking glass.

Some serious people ARE taking y2k seriously. This list is full of them (I must warn you that not all of them are serious all of the time however). They might not be FAMOUS but they are SERIOUS. Fame only implies a certain degree of recognition or public popularity, and neither is necessarily a function of superior intelligence or ability.

Take care of yourself and your family according to your own best estimates of the situation, keep your preparations private ("They won't help but they WILL remember.") and hang on. The fuse on this one's pretty short. We'll see how the ride goes pretty soon.

nemo...

-- nemo (nemo@deepsix.com), November 12, 1998.

Thanks you lot, I feel almost normal again. I bash my head against a wall evry day trying to get people in crucial positions (professionally that is) to take all this seriously.

I have a stock answer to the "it's just a technical issue" comment, but the record is wearing thin.

At least my wife supports me in our personal preparations.

Ours is not to question why, eh?

Anthony/Tony/Tony/Anthony

-- Anthony Maye (tonymaye@yahoo.com), November 12, 1998.

"Here in Lalaland they are called "anchor man." They get paid millions to read news. Bribery to lie? "

They don't need bribery to lie, they simply read what they're told to read. Their cute faces sucked up all their brains, they spend too much time and energy keeping them cute they can't think for themselves. Plus the brightness of the huge amount of money they make blinds them.

Hang in there Anthony, you sound sane and a realist to me. (Yeah I know, cold comfort from one who's also viewed as nuts ;) )

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 12, 1998.

Q.: Why is nobody serious taking Y2K seriously?

A: Some of them are. See below. What puzzles me is Why don't these reports and speeches get more media coverage?

(5 March) Sen. Bennett: Financial Services and Technology

(11 May) Sen. Bennett: Countdown to the Year 2000

(12 June) Sen. Bennett: on the power grid

(15 July) Sen. Bennett: Paul Revere Not Chicken Little

(23 July) Sen. Bennett: On Health Care

(6 July) Sen. Bennett: on financial services

(31 July) Sen. Bennett: Communicating the Challenge of the Year 2000

(6 August) Sen. Bennett: on the FAA (press release)

House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology" REPORT ON THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM, October 8, 1998

National Air Traffic Controllers Association

Center for Strategic and International Studies, June 2, 1998: The Y2K Crisis: A Global Ticking Time Bomb?

Center for Strategic and International Studies, October 6, 1998: Y2K: An International Perspective

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), November 15, 1998.

# # # 19981115

IMHO, the #1 reason is, my friends, that no one is taking Y2K seriously is:

Corporate owned lackeys ... er, news media won't betray the hands that feed them today, with true stories that will drive down the stock price of corporation stocks. Telling the truth will hurt all social strata, alike. ( Well, some strata will hurt more than others. ) The Year 2000 Techno-Ambush will be the GREAT EQUALIZER.

To wit:

This story from 19980926:

( Click here for the story )

Title: Expectations unraveled by computer goof Quaker Fabrics stock hurt by year 2000 woes Summary: Quaker Fabric Corp., the success story in Fall River written by CEO Larry Liebenow, has been tripped up by computer system updates designed to solve year 2000 problems The slip-up has slowed production and dramatically hurt fiscal third- and fourth-quarter profits.

Source: The Providence Journal Date: 19980926 Price: $2.95 Document Size: Short (up to 2 pages) Document ID: BM19981001010144012 Subject(s): BUSINESS/FINANCE Citation Information: ALL; Vol. 12-185; BUSINESS Section Author(s): Journal staff and wire report Document Type: Article [END] # # #

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@mail.netquest.com), November 15, 1998.

Because everybody knows that extended periods without food and water will result in death. And they also know that there isn't much they can do about it. So why should they torture themselves? Maybe you guys ARE crazy because you think you can survive.

-- Amy (leoneamy@aol.com), November 15, 1998.

1) I kinda think that the father of structured analysis and structured code qualifies as serious. I suspect that Mr. Yourdon might be a teensy bit miffed at being left off the "serious people" list.

2) there are some interesting folks here who do not use their real names who might be considered "serious people" but they can't afford to use their names.

cr

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 17, 1998.

>>Why is nobody taking Y2K seriously? As an Englishman living in Belgium, I have access to all the major European, UK & US TV stations. I work as I.S. Audit for a large bank, and my major responsibility for the moment is Y2K preparations.

I am therefore amazed each time I hear news readers announce financial forecasts for the coming years making no mention of what I see as the inevitable consequences of Y2K. <<

There are a # of reasons 1) Most non-programmer types do not really UNDERSTAND the problem. The way it is always explained in the main stream media "there is a problem with 00 meaning 1900 not 2000" The real PROBLEM however isnt that simple, the real problem as you know, has to do with billions of lines of code, written by thousands of different programmers, often with little or no documentation etc. Joe Public thinks that it'll be taken care of, Joe public thinks it must not be that big of an isssue because its ot headline news.

Another problem with this, big brother doesnt want to cause a panic, doesnt want to cause a run on banks - stores, so they are keeping the public in the dark

Another problem is big business, wants to protect their stocks - and business, so they cant tell the truth.

And another big problem with this - obviously not all survivalists - gun lovers are nuts. But many come across as nuts - and they are on this y2k band wagon. Joe Public often hears about this Y2k issue - "stocking up on guns to save my family from the hoards of starving city folk" This is not a potential problem, this is a fact. Most (should be all) programmers know this. But we are being judged by the company we are now keeping. 20 years ago, to do with a different problem - I would probablly ignore it as well , if the religious nuts - survivalist nuts and gun nuts - were all shouting about othe problem. I dont mean to be putting down relgious people, or survivalist (I am now one - have no choice) or even the gun lovers. But many religious groups have been predicting the "end of the world" in 2000 since lonng before computers were invented. Joe Public doesnt understand that this is *different*

Another big problem to do with this is "I'm only one person, what can I do" Mentality. They don't think they can do anything about this, so they would rather just not think about it, or deal with it.

I believe Joe Public will be waking up seriously to this issue in July 99. The media, big brother, and big business - will have to come clean then.

(end rant)

Whitney

-- Whitney (Y2K Whit@aol.com), December 20, 1998.

Whitney;

No rant noticed - your comments are reasonable on pretty much on track.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 20, 1998.