What is Wrong With People?

To the question posed in the title there is 2 answers: 1) stop being such such a miserable ass; or 2) there is not enough space in that infinite text box for all of the answers. I would tend to agree with the people that frowned when they first saw my latest title - after all, I do moan more than most people. However, I am going to focus on the latter answer and by the end of this (what could potentially be quite a lengthy) post I hope to have changed your mind.


Firstly I would like to point out that there is a specific reason for me deciding to write this post and it's not because I'm angry at the world or anything like that - I'm not an anarchist after all. No, the reason is simple and fairly overt - the snow. Now I have noticed recently that I'm getting readers from England and outside of the UK so they will be little aware of the situation (if you can even call it that) in Scotland. The country is currently under mounds and mounds of snow and ice - apparently the worst for 20 years. But it's not the fact that it's snowing specifically that I'm going to talk about because there is nothing we can do about it the sooner people get over that then the quicker things can get back to normal. It is the effect that the snow is having on people - be prepared to have a long hard look at yourself in the mirror in 5-10 minutes time.

I recently finished 'The Lord of the Flies' which, for some reason, I only just got around to reading. I thought it was great and that it highlighted many flaws in human characters. Not that I'm saying were going to start killing each other because of the wintry conditions but you'll soon see where I'm coming from I'm sure. I was out doing a little bit of shopping yesterday and I should have taken a gun (not that I have one but purchase might become obligatory if the things get any worse). There was no bread, hardly any milk and very little in the way of fruit and veg. I know that this is because there has been a problem with getting deliveries through but this is not the only reason: people are bulk buying. Think about it: if, a couple of months ago when there was not even a flake of snow, people decided to buy 3 loaves of bread instead of 1 or decided to buy 2 bags of apples instead of buying 3 individual ones, we would still be in the same position. A combination of there being less deliveries and the 'panic buyers' means that there is no food for the people that are 'being normal'. As a result of it, there are now people that have their freezers lined with bread that they won't end up eating until the new year - does because it's snowing mean that people get addicted to bread? I think not.

So the next time you do decide to venture out to the shops in the frozen rain (because, lets be honest, that's all it is) and you see someone with an extra 4 bunches of bananas hanging from their belt or 15 frozen pizza balancing on their head, would you please be so kind as to throw a snowball with a stone in it at them. It's not for my sake because I'm young and can survive on canned foods for the next month or so, but it's for those wee old people that you see struggling their way through the snow into Tesco. They soon find out that the only things they came out for, bread and milk, are sold out. When I see someone like that limp into a shop I just want to tell them not to bother and to just give them my loaf of Hovis 50/50. Be more thoughtful please.

I apologise if I've offended anyone with this post and, to a certain extent, I can understand why some people do 'panic buy'. But if you do feel the urge to take an extra bag of morning rolls 'just in case', stop yourself and realise that you can come back when you've finished the first one.

Keep warm people,

Martin