A Return and A Debate

[Myster Myuu]

Hello good people of TPM! Many of you wont remember me, Id wager. At one time, back in 2001-2003, I was known as Mister Mew. Then I was Mister Myuu in 2004-2005. Now I have returned as Myster Myuu! Why? Because I forgot the passwords of my other accounts and no longer have the email addys I used under them :p
Im hoping my infamously short attention span wont make me leave this place again when the next shiny piece of tin foil wofts by me during a breezy day... but I cant make any gaurentees. Those shiny pieces on tin foil are TRICKY, I tell ya.
If anyone out there actually remembers me.. HIYA! LONG TIME NO SEE! If you dont remember me, then allow me to prod you with a pointy metal stick until my name is etched in your brain for all eternity ^_^

Now that the introductions are through, Ill get to the part that makes this not SPAM: the debate.

If there is one thing human beings do better than anything, it is complaining. We have perfected it. We have turned it into an artform. On average, a human spends 33% of their life sleeping/complaining in their sleep, 33% of their life working/complaing about work-related stuff, 33% complaining in general, and 1% eating/complaining about the food.
And there is always a hot topic that is ripe for the pickings. The people that live in my imediate area have chosen gad prices as their primary gripe as of late. And who could blame them with gas prices jumping from 2.20 to 2.70 in 2 weeks. All the while, they hear from MSNBC and other news networks that crude oil prices are dropping and gas is no longer a hard-to-get, precious commodity.
While I can see where their coming from, allow me to submit this list for your approval:

(These prices are based on rough averages)
Gas: $2.50 per gallon
Milk: $3.25 per gallon
Orange Juice: $2.00 per quart,
$3.50 per gallon
Soda Pop: $1.40 for 2 liters,
$1.29 for 18 ounces
Liquid Detergent: $6.00 per gallon
Bottled Water: $3.00 per gallon

Based on this short list, is gas prices really what we should be complaining about? I'd wager that an average human uses more milk, water, and soda pop than they do gas. They pay substantially more for it, yet you rarely hear anybody mutter even the slightest complaint. However, when gas prices go up 5 cents, everyone is up in arms and ready to lynch the innocent gas station attendants, whom have nothing to do with the setting of prices.
My question are:
-Is it really worth it to make such a fuss over the price of gas when its painfully obvious that those in power could give a flying fuck about what we think?
-If we are going to whine about the prices of gas, shouldnt we also be upset over the outrageous prices for milk, water, pop, ect? Isnt it hypocritic of us to do otherwise?
-Am I the only one on this entire miserable planet that, when gas prices started rising to insane heights, started walking everywhere instead of forking my hard-earned dough?

Please Discuss

[Blademaster]

Heh, suckers - I don't own a car 'cause the damn things are too expensive. IN YOUR FACE, OIL COMPANIES!!!!!

Of course, if I did own a car, I would so still buy more soda than oil. :p

Hey, Myuu, the name's Blademaster - resident jokester, antagonist, and smiley nut. I've been here a few months now and I -

(gets angry looks from Moderators)

Um, never mind...

Anyway, I think that people don't notice/care about the prices of all the other stuff you mentioned because those are at least staying the same - poor me, I can't live without Coca-Cola... What would I do if inflation drove up the price? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Anywho, I prefer public transportation to a car - I'm too dangerous to drive, heh heh heh. Besides, you meet so many interesting people on the bus and train - the latter is where I met some of my best friends actually. Ahhhhh, memories... :smilie:

...What was I talking about again...?

Oh, yeah. Anyway, people bitch about gas prices, but they don't do anything about it. Which is stupid. You can MAKE gas, for God's sake! There're factories in this country that can turn ordinary garbage into oil! I read that in Discover magazine!

In any case, since when do the Arabs have all the oil on Earth? Animals have died everywhere - there's oil all over the place! Think Texas, Alaska, South America, certain regions of Europe, Russia... We can get oil from them, can't we? Can't we? CAN'T WE? CAN'T WE?

...

Besides, what happened to hybrids, electric cars, solar energy, and all that other stuff? It's the big business people, that's what! They want us to keep paying for overprriced gasoline so that they can keep making a steady profit! They want all our money! It's not fair! This sucks! I WANT MY MONET BACK!!! DAMN YOU ALL!!!

...

Um, yeah... :redface:

Anyway, I talk too much... I should go.

Peace out!

-Blade

[Katie]

I'd say the redundancy of paying a paycheck in order to afford the travel to the place you earn the paycheck is enough to warrant a complaint.
I certainly don't down a gallon of milk or soda as fast as I use up a gallon of gas. people who buy bottled water and don't live in a third world country are chumps. orange juice is icky. did I cover them all?
GAS PRICES SUCK WHINE COMPLAIN.

edit: walking wtf, how do you have time for that. for me school's a 20 minute drive (30@ speed limit :D) I can't imagine the time it'd take to walk.

[Heald]

Gas prices are pointlessly high. Out of the top ten most profitable multi-national companies, 9 are oil companies. It isn't like they can't afford to cut prices by a significant amount. They just raise prices collectively to force people to pay higher prices. It's illegal, but governments don't care because the oil barons give them money and free hotel rooms in the Middle East. It's all corrupt.

[Perfect Chaos]

Very true Heald

And I'm surprised milk prices have gone up to $3.25 on a national average. For me (in South Florida) its still stays about about $2.50 (gas is more expensive down here compared to milk and all the other things you've mentioned)

Maybe its just us and our screwed up selves

-Sean

[Number1ChanseyFan]

[color=magenta]Welcome back, I remember you from back when you used to post here!!

As for gas prices, I still think that they are rediculously high. My dad filled up both of the cars today and it almost cost $70. That really is a lot. It is just frustrating for a lot of people, because most of us use up gas so quickly, it isn't as easy to cut back on it when it gets expensive as it would be other things, such as milk, soda pop, orange juice, ect... Actually, pop costs about the same now as it did as far back as I can remember. Plus, gas prices are blatently displayed at every gas station, making it disgustingly obvious how much they are charging for it. Perhaps if the grocery store had a huge sign outside showing the price of a gallon of milk, and it kept going up every couple days, then people would be upset about it too.

So anyways, that is my little input about that. I don't like debating, I just mostly wanted to welcome you back to TPM!! ^_^

[mr_pikachu]

Before you complain about U.S. gas prices, I'd like you to take a look at these statistics: Some Gas Prices

Now, admittedly, these figures are from March, 2005. But there are two things to note. First, I'm using older information only because CNN hasn't yet released these figures for 2006. Second, the overall range of gas prices tends to remain fairly constant even through slight shifts of individual countries. (Check the 2004 figures if you want to compare.)


Oh, and welcome back, Mister Mew!

[Myster Myuu]

I think I found out why people around here complain so much about gas prices. You see, the area that I live in is a conglomerated mess of hills and one way streets leading up said hills. This was a fact that was lost on me until yesterday when I had to run a certain number of errands in a certain order, thus leading me on an adventure of going up hills and then up more hill and then going up hills some more.I think the terrain levels off ONCE for about a quarter of an inch, though.
You remember those stories your grandparent would tell you about how they had to walk barefoot to school in 200 feet of snow, up hill both ways? Well, they must have lived here, because its nearly impossible to find a road that goes down a hill. Plus, we get roughly 200 feet of snow here during the winter Imagine that on roads that go up hills

Anyways, yea... gas goes bye-bye very quickly when you drive up hills. Astonishing, I know, but its true. Combine that with 2.70 gas prices and you've got yourself a whole heapin pile of angry rednecks itchin' for some redemption. Even toothless joe's gums were a-flappin when it comes to gas prices.

What you guys said about the how gas prices constantly change while pop and other things dont very often makes sense. I have, however, seen milk change prices constantly before. But maybe that was only because of that whole 'Mad Cow' thing. Kinda like how egg prices went up a bit when whatever it was that was affecting chickens happened. What was that called again? Mad Chicken Desease maybe? Prolly was... All I can say is that those whom are in power better do something about these gas prices soon or there is going to beed a sudden epidemic of Mad Human Desease.

[Blademaster]

Mad human disease? We got that already - just go to NYC, L.A., Chicago, Detroit, or D.C. and you'll see.

[PancaKe]

That list doesnt affect me at all.
What the hell is a gallon in litres?
Anyway
at the moment, it costs me an average of $50 a week to run my car with petrol.
Thats when prices of petrol are at 128 cents per litre.
However, last week i filled up my car for $30 and almost cried of happiness.
Alas, petrol prices are now going to be 140cents per litre. Which means to fill up my car it will be close to $60 instead of the normal $50.
This will make my bank account cry.
I only get $80 a week from my work.
I'm so sad.

[mr_pikachu]

One gallon is equal to 3.785412 liters/litres.

So 128 cents per litre would be about 485 cents per gallon. 140 cents per litre would similarly become 530 cents per gallon. (I'm keeping it as cents because I'm not sure if a cent is also a monetary unit in Australia, so I don't want to translate it into U.S. dollars.)

If "cents" does indeed refer to U.S. pennies, then the conversions are $4.85 and $5.30, respectively.

America feels nice when you think about it that way.

[phaedrus]

if you account for inflation, US gas prices still pale in comparison to the 70s (during the reign of OPEC). until oil hits 100$ a barrel, don't complain. it seems like it will happen, though.

[PancaKe]

im so confused.

its cents and dollars.

So um...
I pay $1.20 a litre.
So overall I pay about, $50 a week for petrol.
Just convert that to US monies, and maybe you can be like "oh wow, we pay less/more we are so happy/sad"

[Razola]

You have to drive to get all those items, and people have to drive to deliver those items to your store. You do not need any of those items to drive.

Fyi, according to articles, the price of a barrel of sweet light crude is around 70 bucks, but Gasoline prices are as if it was around 95 or so.

Basically, they are coming up with BS excuses and we are getting gouged. SHOCKING, I KNOW.