crying wolf

[anotheranon]

I found out about the tunnel closings earlier today from danicia's LJ. Seems it was another alleged terrorist threat, which again, turned out to be nothing (and am I the only one having problems getting to domestic links of this story? I pulled this one from The Australian :P)

It seems like since 2001 we've had quite a few local "scares" that didn't pan out - strange powders found in Metro stations that turn out to be dishwashing soap, tularemia that could be native, not planted, and more orange alerts than I care to count. Though the first time it happened my eyebrows raised a bit, I frankly don't pay attention to the "Report Suspicious Behavior" displays over the Beltway anymore.

Still, my own complacency probably should bother me, because it's likely that something will happen again, at some point, but my inner cynic just doesn't believe the hype.

Local folks: do you or anyone you know actually pay attention to these alerts - apart from when they might affect your commute?

Non-local folks: does the DC/Baltimore metro area really seem much scarier since 9/11?

Comments

[curiousangel.livejournal.com]

am I the only one having problems getting to domestic links of this story?

I think it's just you. The Baltimore Sun is all over it, I've seen coverage in the Washington Post, there was a story at CNN, and local TV and radio have been covering it intensely.

Local folks: do you or anyone you know actually pay attention to these alerts - apart from when they might affect your commute?

The trick is to give them the respect they deserve, but not to overreact. If there's a threat to a tunnel under the harbor, I go around. I don't freak out about weird behavior on the subway, but I do try to keep an eye out for things that are hostile. I don't really pay much attention to the color-coded alerts, nor to the "Report Suspicious Behavior" signs -- if I thought something really *was* suspicious, I'd damn sure report it, and I wouldn't need a highway sign to tell me that.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

What he said.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I think what jars me the most is that it's not made clear with "suspicious activities" what anyone is supposed to be looking for. The displays asking us to report such over the freeways make the least sense of all - I joke that if I ever see someone building a rocket launcher in the HOV lane, I'll call TIPS, but outside of that, what can a motorist really see going 50+ mph?

I do, and have, taken note of plausible threats. Once, years before 9/11. D. and I were out in DC and saw an unattended backpack, and we did report it to a nearby policeman and he did look into it. It's the nebulous, undefined "be panicked all the time" meme that bothers me.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, I agree with you. The 1-800-Hot-Tips number is a sad joke. It doesn't even go to a government office. It's more to make people think the government is doing something than anything else.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

That last was me.