On the Brink? Thoughts about Boiled Water

[DJ Ponz]

I was at the Richmond Superstore yesterday morning and was blown away by the amount of bottled water coming out of that store. People were literally buying 6-7 flats of bottled water and elbowing eachother in the aisles to get them. One woman started crying because Superstore had run out, wailing about how she was going to possibly die. At the same time, people were casually rolling around their cart-fulls of H20.

Fine, the woman was over-reacting, but it occurred to me that it doesn't take much to send people down a chaotic path. In the face of any crisis - regardless of the severity - people don't give a shit about order or fairness. When it 'boils' down to it - :198: - people only give a shit about themselves and their family. Respect, honor, sharing gets lost sight of or denied. If shit really did hit the fan here in Van, pandemonium would reign. New Orleans makes sense.

Ya, this is all a bit Captain Obvious, but ordered society really is just a light veneer and that scares the shit out of me. I've said it before and I'll say again: it is a miracle that humanity has made it this far.

[thechix0r]

Yeah, I was thinking that too, but when it comes down to it, we are no more than animals ourselves, survival of the fittest, you don't survive by crying about the fact that you can't get that case of water, everyone doesn't get a golden ribbon (although elementary school seems to think that's the case).

Sure, there is the extreme of walking out of there with flats of water which are going to sit in your pantry after we all get our water back to the levels that they think are safe, however can you really argue with them?

Is the world really fair though? Look at animals, they don't share anything and is humanity actually real, or did we just make it up to make society feel like we are different from the "animal kingdom." This "ordered society" that you speak of you hit on the nail, it's all the silver lining over everything. Perhaps Darwin was a bit rash when saying survival of the fittest, but I think he's a whole lot more realistic than those who say that everyone should be fair and equal, it's not like that and it never was meant to be like that.

[decypher]

Originally Posted by DJ Ponz

Ya, this is all a bit Captain Obvious, but ordered society really is just a light veneer and that scares the shit out of me. I've said it before and I'll say again: it is a miracle that humanity has made it this far.

It's called the state of nature. People enter into an implicit contract with the government when forming the commonwealth which is the "ordered" society.

Like you said, society is just a veneer which encapsulates the individual. The rational for the individual to remove himself from the state of nature, of which is perpetual anarchy, is the promise of security through the body-politick (as self-preservation is the highest virtue).

When the veil breaks such as in New Orleans the individual breaks down to his desires and passions. These procede the rationalization process and push humans to seek the maximization of utility and self-preservation.

Although, it's definately not so complicated with the current water situation. I think everyone is just crazy over a minor inconvenience of which just shows how consumerism can make certain types of people completely useless.

[prozac]

^you made my sig AGAIN. lol

[decypher]

lol, thanks.

[Aspectre]

I've been drinking the tap water this whole time, I'm fine.
People are just crazy

[Prissypants]

Originally Posted by Aspectre

I've been drinking the tap water this whole time, I'm fine.
People are just crazy

Werd...The media makes it out to be waaaaay worse than it is...

[cutienikki]

Thank god for Canadian Springs water :)

[Chewy]

Originally Posted by Aspectre

I've been drinking the tap water this whole time, I'm fine.
People are just crazy

this whole water boiling thing is just an "ADVISORY" meaning you dont actually have to boil it. They just reccomend it. Has anyone heard any reports of anyone becoming sick? I for one havn't heard anything.







Like most people have said , "what if there was a real disaster" the whole city is gonna go nuts. I hope this little incident helps people to see the big picture.

[Dancingbee]

safeway had a limit going..2 cases per family..that way everyone HAS to share!

[Ree Fresh]

Ppl are babies... Ive said it so many times before... JUST BOIL YOUR F*CKIN TAP WATER! Unless you have a weak immune system or sensitive digestive system... your not going to die or get sick. Just becuase its brown or not crystle clear doesnt mean its dirty. There is just a lot more debre/minerals in the water than before. Infact its probly healthier for you. Ppl in third world contries addapt to drinking water in far worse conditions than ours right now. I now see the importance of taching kids out door ed.

[shebavpg]

I had a shower in the water yesterday. I'm fine. lol
about to have another one. I'm willing to risk it.

[fable]

Originally Posted by R Wellbelove

Ppl in third world contries addapt to drinking water in far worse conditions than ours right now. I now see the importance of taching kids out door ed.

I would much rather people in the third world have healthy water vs. using the fact that they dont as a reason why people should quit sounding so precious here in the lower mainland, however, you are very right.

[Diamonite]

It's the way people work, it's disgusting here.....Besides....That girl should have read the news when it said "Without boiling the water you could possibly get stomach aches...etc.." so she would have never died.

[b0ld]

heh went into van yesterday and went into london drugs and such..... you can see the panic on people's faces in search of water.... What is going to happen when a huge earthquake hits the region completely stopping the water main's..... People would go nuts. I have a closet full of canned goods.... water.... and other stuff that I have built up while getting groceries. I overstock.... If something were to happen and would need to ration I probably have a good 6-8 months of supplies here....

What I have noticed however and I do find it wrong is that stores are price gouging... they are taking advantage of the public... ok so it may be an extra 2 dollars but still.... But I don't know what the panic is all about... media makes it more then what it is.... there's more bacteria and stuff at the beach at english bay then there is flowing through the taps.... and people would swim in it....

[Senior]

It's not a pretty sight watching panicked people. No doubt it brings out the worst in many people. I guess I barely noticed this whole thing having bottled drinking water at home already. If that wasn't the case I ju would have boiled and then ran water through a brita. No big deal really... I think a lot of it is a product of the media hyping things up to sound worse than they are.

[miss.myra]

Yeah maybe it's not that big of a deal to some, but others just don't want to risk it, if you take into consideration the amount of water you use daily to brush your teeth, drink, make coffee/tea, wash food with, etc. it's a lot of water and nobody really has any idea how long it's going on for, so I can understand why some people want to stock up on it, they have families (ie young kids!) and they don't want to take any risks. A lot of us on here are young people who really only have to look out for ourselves so I can understand why there might be a bit of a lack of understanding towards the people who have families and need to stock up on water because they don't want to take any risks.

I try to drink about 64oz of water alone a day and it's been hard because I'm all out of Canadian Springs at home and most stores nearby are sold out. I'm not too bothered because the worst part was having to shower in brown water that smelled all mossy, glad that is over.

[r a m a z e]

lol if we ever had a katrina typa situation id be one of the looters you hear about.

[christoqher]

IM SO THIRSTY, water...!

[sNyx]

Originally Posted by R Wellbelove

importance of taching kids

were all friends here =)

[Ree Fresh]

^OMG I FORGOT AN E!

Originally Posted by miss.myra

Yeah maybe it's not that big of a deal to some, but others just don't want to risk it, if you take into consideration the amount of water you use daily to brush your teeth, drink, make coffee/tea, wash food with, etc. it's a lot of water and nobody really has any idea how long it's going on for, so I can understand why some people want to stock up on it, they have families (ie young kids!) and they don't want to take any risks. A lot of us on here are young people who really only have to look out for ourselves so I can understand why there might be a bit of a lack of understanding towards the people who have families and need to stock up on water because they don't want to take any risks.

I try to drink about 64oz of water alone a day and it's been hard because I'm all out of Canadian Springs at home and most stores nearby are sold out. I'm not too bothered because the worst part was having to shower in brown water that smelled all mossy, glad that is over.

Risk what? People swim in swimming pools and oceans all the time. Water goes up your nose, in your eyes, and in your month... that water is far more gross than the water coming out of our taps right now. The problem is that there is a lot more debre in the water which leavs less survice area for the cloarin to kill the germs. If you boil your water, there should be no problem. Vancouver is allready known for taking our water supply for granted. And now that were faced with it not being 100% safe from the tap people are probly continuing to take it for granted and useing bottled water to take baths and water their plants. You wouldnt believe what young kids put in their mouth and eat off the ground. I once had a kid drink water from the Fraser river and nothing happened... what is boild water going to do to them now? People are just being fussy cus "its brown ewww". Humans have and still are living off of water from running streams for CENTERIES.

If ppl are going to complain about un healthy water than maybe they should find out what they put in fast food and junk food... now thats nasty!

I think this whole water thing is a great awakening for Vancouver.

We are a city that should be prepared for disasters and we are not. Now we have a little bit of a problem with the water, and people freak out. Aha.

My mom bought 2 earthquake kits a few years ago. I thought she was being nuts, not only for buying one in the first place, but for buying two. They have enough provisions to last for 72 hours, and she has one her car, and one in her house.

I think I am going to follow her lead.

[omega_image]

conspiracy.

[rawb]

YOU KNOW YOU'RE BRAINWASHED WHEN YOU THINK THE WATER IS DIRTY

[miss.myra]

Originally Posted by R Wellbelove

Risk what? People swim in swimming pools and oceans all the time. Water goes up your nose, in your eyes, and in your month... that water is far more gross than the water coming out of our taps right now. The problem is that there is a lot more debre in the water which leavs less survice area for the cloarin to kill the germs. If you boil your water, there should be no problem. Vancouver is allready known for taking our water supply for granted. And now that were faced with it not being 100% safe from the tap people are probly continuing to take it for granted and useing bottled water to take baths and water their plants. You wouldnt believe what young kids put in their mouth and eat off the ground. I once had a kid drink water from the Fraser river and nothing happened... what is boild water going to do to them now? People are just being fussy cus "its brown ewww". Humans have and still are living off of water from running streams for CENTERIES.

If ppl are going to complain about un healthy water than maybe they should find out what they put in fast food and junk food... now thats nasty!

Although I can understand your points completely, I personally am not that worried, and I don't have kids or a family to worry about, so I'm taking my own risks in not being too concerned with it. I know it's easy to think that some people may be a little panicked about it, but ask any of the new parents on this board if they feel comfortable boiling water and serving it to their newborns, ask the nurses if they feel comfortable with their patents drinking the water... Of course drinking water from the tap is never 100% safe, but the health authority doesn't always issue advisories cautioning people that ingesting water that isn't boiled could be potentially harmful. My point was that while I'm not all that worried, I can understand why some parents, caretakers of the elderly, etc. might be worried.