On This Day Pre-Y2K
Confused by any of the jargon you see below? Check the Y2K Glossary!
January 9, 1999 Permalink
I have absolutely HAD it with the DWGIs in my family. I come from a family of 10 siblings....4 are GIs and 6 are DWGIs. Of the 4, I am the only one who has spoken to the entire family..the other 3 don’t want to look “stupid.” The worst remarks come from 5 of my brothers who are ALL involved in companies fairly well known and do computer work there.(Which just goes to show that “working” with computers and “knowing” computers are 2 different things.) There is no use in ranting....y’all have heard it already....but I am ready to say “the hell with ‘em all.” This is very unlike me, but the bunker mentality has finally surfaced, and it scares me that I can feel this way. What do I do? Plan to take care of 6 siblings, plus all their spouses and children (a considerable number) PLUS my parents and in-laws? These are people I LOVE and they are all STUPID! If I could, I would pack up the husband and 6 kids and head for the wild country TODAY. (All right, tomorrow, we are snowed in again .) And just maybe I would leave the husband behind, because he says he’s sick of hearing about it all. (Of course, *I* on the other hand, just LOVE all this planning, spending money, etc.etc. )
—Mercy, Time Bomb 2000 Forum (LUSENET), 01/09/99
It is not true that “no one ‘wants’ to....etc.”
I do. The Germans have a good word for it: schadenfreude. Delight at the misfortune of others. Especially if it comes as a result of their own actions or ignorance or foolishness.
Closely akin to my particular brand of Neo Calvinism, actually.
One should not interfere with the moral choices of others, so long as those choices directly cause no harm to others, especially oneself.
If people go on welfare, they will eventually destroy themselves and their children. I chortle.
If people fail to study some useful subject, they will eventually end up in minimum wage jobs. I chortle.
If people don’t make any preparations for Y2K and various bad things happen... I chortle.
Schadenfreude.
—Tim May, comp.software.year-2000, 01/09/99
