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Saying “It’s going to be dangerous out there" when it's merely a bit below freezing (Sorry, am Canadian) can legitimately be called fear-mongering. Some people

by beloch 2y ago

Saying “It’s going to be dangerous out there" when it's merely a bit below freezing (Sorry, am Canadian) can legitimately be called fear-mongering. Some people are going to get a little chilly and learn a life lesson about wearing proper clothing, but minor cold is relatively easy to react to. Even if someone decides to go for a drive in the country with nothing but shorts on, help is readily at hand in most places if they have a breakdown. On the other hand, scaring people about natural disasters like hurricanes can and does save lives. Milton didn't turn out to be the storm of the century as some were saying, but it still killed three hundred people. How many more might have died if people hadn't taken it so seriously? Let's just be thankful that lawyers haven't found a way to sue weather forecasters for being incorrect, because then we'd have no weather forecasts.

gosub100 2y ago
I would wager that many of the deaths are from homeless people that don't exactly have a closet to store their cold-weather gear in. And when snow storms hit places that normally don't get them, it's a huge deal because people don't know how to drive in it. Even if it's not artic circle cold outside
- beloch 2y ago
  I'm not saying cold weather doesn't produce issues, especially for places unaccustomed to it. I'm saying the impact is on a different scale than from a natural disaster, so perhaps it's wise to reserve catastrophic language for potential catastrophes. If you use the same language for cold weather as you do for hurricanes, people might not take hurricanes seriously enough.
hluska 2y ago
There is a tremendous amount of misinformation in this. 1.) When meteorologists say it will be dangerous, it is either cold enough for exposed skin to freeze or very slippery. Both of those situations are dangerous. 2.)Help is not readily available in ‘the country’. I could drive you forty five minutes outside of my city and you will have no cell service. People die in their cars out in the country. If you’re not careful with cold, you’ve been trusting luck instead of foresight. Cold is very dangerous.
- beloch 2y ago
  I did mention I'm a Canadian, yes? I used the car in the countryside example because, although it is foolish and dangerous to drive anywhere without suitable clothing for the weather, you still have a much better chance of surviving than if you go for a drive in a hurricane. It's not even close.
  - hluska 2y ago
    Yes, you mentioned it complete with a distasteful apology. But you’re still minimizing something very dangerous with a totally contrived example. Don’t do that - we have a large immigrant population and they deserve better.

by beloch 2y ago

gosub100 2y ago

I would wager that many of the deaths are from homeless people that don't exactly have a closet to store their cold-weather gear in. And when snow storms hit places that normally don't get them, it's a huge deal because people don't know how to drive in it. Even if it's not artic circle cold outside

beloch 2y ago
I'm not saying cold weather doesn't produce issues, especially for places unaccustomed to it. I'm saying the impact is on a different scale than from a natural disaster, so perhaps it's wise to reserve catastrophic language for potential catastrophes. If you use the same language for cold weather as you do for hurricanes, people might not take hurricanes seriously enough.

hluska 2y ago

There is a tremendous amount of misinformation in this. 1.) When meteorologists say it will be dangerous, it is either cold enough for exposed skin to freeze or very slippery. Both of those situations are dangerous. 2.)Help is not readily available in ‘the country’. I could drive you forty five minutes outside of my city and you will have no cell service. People die in their cars out in the country. If you’re not careful with cold, you’ve been trusting luck instead of foresight. Cold is very dangerous.

beloch 2y ago
I did mention I'm a Canadian, yes? I used the car in the countryside example because, although it is foolish and dangerous to drive anywhere without suitable clothing for the weather, you still have a much better chance of surviving than if you go for a drive in a hurricane. It's not even close.
- hluska 2y ago
  Yes, you mentioned it complete with a distasteful apology. But you’re still minimizing something very dangerous with a totally contrived example. Don’t do that - we have a large immigrant population and they deserve better.