Panic

Definition:

a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons or animals.

We live in a panic culture. There are rational fears, there are irrational fears ... and then there is the way that we react to fear.

The media is currently shaping attitudes and encouraging a panic mentality by the way the "news" is reported. Put the right slant on things and you can force millions of people into a knee-jerk panicked state of mind.

Such is the case with hurricanes. By using language like "certain death" in warning language, the media are then given license to exploit and create a near panic environment. What did we see with gas prices across the country yesterday? A uniform jump. Long lines at pumps. Why?

Because speculators were encouraged to panic about the situation in the Gulf with Hurricane Ike. They were goaded into it, like a million cattle being forced into the chutes. The reality is that the oil rigs in the Gulf are built to withstand a Cat 2 hurricane pretty easily. There of course will be some damage, but hey ... hurricanes are factored into the system, right? Even if there was catastrophic damage to the U.S. oil supply in the Gulf, who cares? The U.S. imports 70% of its crude. I think we'll manage to get through the weekend on what we've got. But no. We should all panic instead. Horde gas. Force price escalation through more speculation. Yes, that makes perfect sense.

And then there are the lives. Any time extremely forceful language is used in weather, it is a gamble. It's a gamble because the storm may or may not turn out as expected. And then next time another storm comes through, people may or may not believe you when you issue a warning.

What we need to do is spend our time looking at the constructive ways to prepare for and protect ourselves from the weather. We need to create a culture of positivity ... pro-action. How can that be done with a media environment bent on death and destruction?

In the United States of America, we love to P-A-N-I-C.