As you recall in the year 2000 there was a world wide scare called Y2K. Wikepedia explains the year 2000 (also known as Y2K) saying that it was an anticipated problem for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits. Without corrective action, it was suggested that long-working systems would break down when the "...97, 98, 99, 00..." ascending numbering assumption suddenly became invalid. Companies and organizations worldwide checked, fixed, and upgraded their computer systems.
I can remember my mother going into a shopping frenzy and grabbing necessities such as bottled water, canned goods, and other nonperishable items. If the world went crazy, our family would have been prepared; at least to an extent. However, as the clock struck 12 o’clock so came January 1st, 2000 with no significant glitches occurring. I have this theory that when presented with economic crisis our government tricks us into believing that the security of our country, or in this case the security of our world, is compromised which influences us to panic and go crazy buying supplies in case an emergency scenario should occur.
Y2K wasn’t the only instance in which this kind of panic was induced upon us. During the Cold War, the fear of a nuclear holocaust was rapidly spreading throughout several parts of the world. The U.S. even went as far use Atomic Bombs against the Japanese in the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II in 1945. Aside from the U.S., the only other country that developed more and better nuclear weapons was the Soviet Union. Naturally this posed as a possible threat against either nation. My father often tells stories about the bomb drills they used to have in school. People were purchasing bomb shelters, emergency supplies, and other items in fear of a possible nuclear attack once again reiterating the indirect promotion of stimulating the economy.
It’s clear that there are a lot of ways to use our ignorance against us. Entertainment has become a huge influence on our society. Things that were originally intended to entertain us have become a resourceful way for the government and big businesses to influence us. Commercials influence our spending, T.V. shows and music can influence the way we interact with each other and can also influence trends amongst many other things. As I’ve said time and time again it is important that we start paying attention to what we are exposing ourselves to. For me being a high school graduate is an accomplishment, however there are a lot of things our schools don’t teach us. It is up to us to ask questions to better understand things that we may not comprehend completely.
