Selling stuff to people who are waiting for the next disaster


I just saw a commercial on YouTube aimed at people who are preparing for the next disaster. And yes, they used the term "the next disaster", and it caught my attention both as an old Marketing guy and as a time traveler about preparing for disasters.

Of course, how anyone defines a disaster is a matter of personal opinion, all of which are correct. Opinions are always correct, you know! In my opinion the Rolling Stones are the greatest band of all time, and while you may disagree with that as a fact, you can't disagree that it's my opinion - that's how opinions work.

And this is where it gets kinda tricky if you're selling things, and want to be doing so with a clear conscience, which has always been my goal. In my opinion it's a good idea to have spare light bulbs around your house, and in the event of a power outage, a flashlight. I lived in Los Angeles for many years and I was one of those people who always kept a spare gallon of water sitting around, in case of an earthquake. When I moved to Arizona I always carried water in my car whenever I crossed the desert. In my opinion it's better to not be thirsty while you wait for help to arrive!

And now it's just a matter of degrees until, in my opinion, you have gone too far with selling people stuff for the next disaster, and it simply becomes fear-mongering. What if? What if?

Throughout history people have been selling stuff to people for the next disaster, and I'm inclined to be OK with it. If someone wants to go sit on a hill and wait for the world to end, I think that it would be nice if someone set up a hotdog stand nearby, or maybe sold blankets for people who didn't realize that they would get cold. 

The longer I live on planet earth, the more I learn that there's always a possibility of the next disaster. I mean, the dinosaurs never saw it coming 65 million years ago, and probably should have been more prepared! And in all seriousness, bad things do happen that impact people, sometimes causing a minor inconvenience (like the electricity going out for a few minutes and having to figure out how to set the clock on your microwave) to much more serious stuff, that can be fatal, and absolutely horrible.

Speaking for myself, I like to find a comfortable place in-between being careless about the next disaster, and being obsessed with worry so much that I can't enjoy life. And if someone gets more enjoyment out of their life by stacking a month's supply of beans, and it gives them peace of mind, I'm all for it.

Thank you for the encouragement! If you want to see daily pics of my adventures on my recumbent trike in suburban Phoenix (just for fun, of course!) you can follow me on buymeacoffee.com/bradhall, and you can buy me a coffee if you'd like to!

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