Mass Paranoia

[framed]

Anyone see the news about the flashing cartoon signs that caused near mass panic in Boston today?

Here's a link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070201/ap_on_re_us/suspicious_devices_30

I think its kinda sad that people are so scared of terrorism that anything with batteries is assumed immediately to be a bomb. The mayor is out for blood threatening to sue and imprison the people who put the signs up, but I mean come on...where are your brains people!?! Its a light up sign!

 

[FourBear]

I just read that actually, and was going to start a thread about it here...but you beat me to it.

I also think it's ridiculous. They are lit signs promoting a *cartoon*! If any of those people had ever watched Adult Swim and/or Aqua Teen Hunger Force, they'd recognize the character on the signs. Count really count on that, though.

What I'd really like to know is how many bomb-builders would take the time to include a light-up cartoon character on their creations.

 

[mamab]

I'm not saying they were right, or didn't take things further than they should have been taken, but in a way I can't blame them. I'm guessing the reason they panicked is because of the locations that the signs were set - along the bases of bridges and along the Charles River. If someone WERE to set bombs, those would seem to be likely targets.

Obviously the mayor and his council don't watch Cartoon Network.

 

[mtatum4496]

LOL I guess I can forgive the mayor and the council for recognizing the chanracters. But I do find it disturbing that an electronic sign of what is obviously some sort of character giving folks the finger would immediately inspire thoughts of terrorism - even if they were near bridges and such. Howlong ago would people have simply thought them to be in bad taste and not paid them any further attention?

 

[tater03]

Yes, I think it had a lot to do with the actual giving the finger that might have caused the reaction. But you are right not to long ago most people would just have looked at it as done in bad taste.

 

[FourBear]

What does everyone make about the latest development: the signs had apparently been up for weeks. There were also in other large cities as well, and there were no complaints about them. Once this story broke, however, moves were made to remove the signs from each city.

 

[mtatum4496]

Hmmmm...that is an interesting phenomenon. I had assumed the signs had just gone up. It makes no sense to me that they were out for some time and then all of a sudden there was a furor over them. Perhaps some folks just have way too much time on their hands?

 

[dong]

One word: memetics.

 

[framed]

I don't know memetics, but it does highlight for me how humans in general arent that far from a flock of easily scarable sheep in the right circumstances. I'm sure this will sound wrong but the entire boston area has kinda earned my contempt over this. Profoundly pathetic.

 

[mamab]

I didn't realize the signs were in other cities besides Boston. And, if they had been other places for weeks, I definitely don't understand the hulaballoo over them at that point. Bostonians, go figure?!

 

[mamab]

I was just looking at something and saw this new development:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070205/ap_on_re_us/suspicious_devices

Seems ol' Ted Turner's going to be paying out some moola for that scare. Do you think he'll actually have to pay out?

 

[mtatum4496]

It doesn't seem to make any sense, does it? But then, is there much point in trying to find logic in an illogical situation?

 

[mamab]

From the article, at least some of the money is going to be used for legitimate uses - paying back the departments (that spent money over their budgeted allotment) for the time they were away from their "normal" duties.