X-Message-Number: 10164
From: 
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 00:32:14 EDT
Subject: y2k, hoarding etc.

There seems to be a wide range of professional opinion on the severity of the
y2k problem. My own impression, at the moment, is that the optimists have not
convincingly answered some of the specific warnings of the pessimists. At the
same time, I still find it hard to believe that the business community could
be collectively so incompetent. (I know, rejection of cryonics is also
amazingly irresponsible and stupid--but at least it has social sanction, which
y2k incompetence does not.) But perhaps there is another way of looking at it,
viz., through the behavior of individuals.

Let us grant, for the sake of argument, that a large company, with heavy
responsibilities, and with smart people in the top and middle echelons at
least, could somehow be collectively irresponsible and stupid, for reasons of
internal dynamics and incentives or disincentives. All right, but would there
not INEVITABLY be some individuals who would see both the dangers and
opportunities clearly, and would they not--

--sell company stock
--short the market
--hoard items expected to be in short supply, either for personal use or
resale
--run to the newspapers and blow the whistle on management
--demand convincing answers from management, if they are stockholders
--move their families to safer locations or/and hire private guards
--buy precious metals
--many other things that haven't occurred to me but would be anomalies

As far as I know, these things have not visibly happened. Why not? Is is just
too soon? Has it happened but been kept quiet (when possible)? What?

Any ideas?

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org

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