It just amazes me that in a city where it can dump a foot of snow and then have the roads bare and wet just two hours after the last flake falls (like it did a couple of months ago) that there is anything like the panic we saw last week. Do people in the Boston area really believe that the gallon on milk in their fridge won’t last until they can get to the store? Sure, I can see if you live out in Canton (no offense to Canton, it is just one of the few cities I’ve heard of outside of Boston since moving here) or something, but Boston?

Here is another example of how Boston has it better than the Pacific Northwest. Out there, news is meant to keep you watching so that you can see ads for recalled cars and junk food that will kill you. You guys actually assume that the TV news is there to tell you something that is true. I, therefore, assume that the trust that was broken on this occasion was actually earned in the first place?

Thanks for the comment. You’re right, predicting the weather is difficult and I make no bones about that.

Unfortunately, people that head up the newsrooms create the panic because it drives ratings. It’s as simple as the old “monkey pushes button, monkey gets food” trick. Local news gets us all riled up over snow, we watch. I’ve lived this on both sides of the TV screen.

Over on Universalhub.com Adam Gaffin has created the “French Toast” index. That is, the amount of bread and eggs people will run out and purchase at the very mention of snow. A lot of this is rooted in the Blizzard of ’78, which has a long-term grip on this region. People then were stranded for days.

Since I’ve lived here (more than 20 years) I’ve never had a snow that kept me off the road for more than 24 hours. Most of the time it wasn’t because the roads weren’t clear, but because I just didn’t feel like venturing out and didn’t have to. The fear instilled by the ratings-seeking TV stations is mostly unwarranted.

But it drives ratings and makes for great discussions.

Maybe it comes from my not watching television much, but I think you should give these guys a break. If you can name some other profession where they predict the future with greater than 90% accuracy, feel free to critisize. Otherwise, enjoy how good you have it.