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News Flash: Rita in Austin is not The Endtimes

David Nunez
David Nunez
1 min read

Maybe I’m a jerk for saying so and maybe this makes me the guy that plays the fiddle as his city burns down…

However.

For crying out loud, take a long, deep breath and settle down, people

I can maybe… maybe understand the mass exodus from Houston going on right now, but the long lines, messy traffic, and run on bread and bottled water I saw as I stopped in at the grocery store this morning, in AUSTIN, is just downright obnoxious.

If it makes you feel better to board up your windows in Round Rock and huddle in your underground bomb shelters off of South Congress then by all means, knock yourself out.

Yes. It’s going to rain. Yes. It’s going to rain very, very hard (maybe). We’ll see some flooding. Don’t be stupid. Don’t drive around so much (especially through running water). Deal with not having internet access for a few hours should the power go out.

However, we are not on the coast. We are not New Orleans. Apocolypse is not happening on my watch, despite what all the overly cautious “leaders” and ratings-grabbing media claim.

Monday, you better plan on going in to work. “Rainy Day” is not usually a good excuse.

Pssst. Look around. This is a minor, minor glimpse of what mass hysteria and panic feels like. I don’t like it. It brings out the worst in people; it depresses our collective consciousness.

Cut it out.

Live in terror, and live in fear? If we go on this way, we’ve already let Rita win.

And if it IS the End of the World? Well. You may as well party like there’s no tomorrow.

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David Nunez Twitter

Dir of Technology at the MIT Museum • Writing about emerging tech's impact on your life • Speculative insights on the intersection of humanity and technology 🤖

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