It is puzzling because:
a. most tweets and comments I am reading are calling it out as irrational; yet
b. we all seem to have sufficient numbers of irrational neighbours around us such that the stores are empty of these items.*
It would seem to indicate that society would break down within less than 24 hours if ever the government announces something really shattering - the late sighting of a dinosaur-killer sized asteroid that's going to hit the planet within the next 48 hours, for example. I'm guessing now that we'd hear the sound of smashing glass (and in America, gunfire) within 5 minutes of the announcement.
Would it help if the government was more pro-active in explaining what things will not run out, even if we get a large scale pandemic? Is it yet another example of the unpredicted consequence of social media that it supercharges rumour and genuinely fake news so that the truth is crowded out?
It is a worry. And I think it does point to the need for a more pro-active role by government to quash rumours and misinformation of all kinds.
Update: First Dog has a somewhat amusing strip on the topic, that starts like this:
* (Oddly, my local Coles seems to have more fresh fruit and vegetables than they have had for quite a while - the fires of early this year really affected supply lines for a while. But people are leaving it in favour of long life goods.)
2 comments:
I wrote about this yesterday after 'viewing' such behaviout on Tuesday night. I admit I simply wanted to see what people were doing .
Idiots.
When people settle down just what wil they doo with all that excess toilet paper.
If you change the words you find that its not just a strange thing. If "panic buying" becomes "cautious stocking" then its not much of an anomaly. Better to cause the shops to run out of stock now, rather than later. A phoney shortage now is better than a real shortage later.
Where I am the toilet paper was recently going at half price. I have a months supply at least. Is this panic buying? No its cautious stocking. See how its not a problem if you change the words? Better to have the supplies and not need them than need the supplies and not have them.
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