Continuing on the gas theme

My sweet sister Spitfire sent this email forward out to the rest of the family.

FW: No Gas On May 15th 2007

Don't pump gas on MAY 15th
In April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight. On May 15th 2007, all internet users are to NOT GO to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places.

There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up. If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take $2,292,000,000.00 (that's almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companies pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day.

If you agree resend this to all your contact list. With it saying, ''Don't pump gas on May 15th"

Within 30 minutes of receiving her email, I sent her a link to the Urban Legends Reference Pages article debunking the idea and my other sister Jenny supplied a similar article. Because we're just rabid, rabid wolves like that who live for this kind of thing so we can swoop in and start picking off the young vulnerable herd members with our rightness and Internet sleuthing skills. Spitfire is very good about it--she knows this is our way.

My article says one-day gas-outs don't really have an effect (and never have, according to Jen's article--that bit about 1997 is totally made up) because people aren't buying less gas, they're just buying it on a different day. It doesn't bother the oil companies because they know we'll just be filling up on the 14th or the 16th. Driving & consumption habits haven't actually changed.

If we wanted to make a difference we would need to actually cut down our gas consumption, either through carpooling, biking, public transportation or even just plain planning our schedules better so that we make less trips. Everyone complains about the high gas prices, but it's easier to complain and make namby-pamby protest attempts (which don't actually cost us anything or inconvenience our lives in any way) than it is to give up the convenience of driving everywhere, all the time.

Take the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Those people found alternate transportation for a year until the law changed and the buses were desegregated. The personal inconvenience was worth the message they were trying to send out and the changes they were trying to effect. There was none of this "Well, we'll just ride the bus at a different time of day, and that'll show 'em" silliness.

So sure, I'll stay away from the gas pump on May 15. I don't think it'll make a difference, though. If people didn't buy gas for a month then we might see something. And I'll just look for more occasions to ride my bike, secure in the knowledge that in my own small way I'm Sticking it to the Man.

Posted in: effecting social change,on my crap list