How nowadays every tropical storm gets a name? That's because there haven't been enough hurricanes in recent times and they need named storms to keep folks riled up. They've been trying to name winter storms for a couple years now, but it hasn't caught on.
The TV weather in the morning now reports how many millions of people are "at risk" for weather events. At risk for what is left unsaid. Of death? Of bodily injury? Of getting wet? What? And why don't they use the same criterion when reporting on new federal regulations?
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They could probably name every bunch of clouds that put us Californians at risk of getting wet. They are not too many (clouds, not Californians), and we're a panicky bunch - should have the desired effect.
ReplyDeletePlus, think of the battles to make sure the names are not to wrongly-gendered or eurocentric or whatever. I'd need popcorn.
They pretty much always name storms "Eurocentric" things, actually, except for the occasional "stereotypically black pseudo-Arabic/pseudo-Swahili" name (by the special request of Sheila Jackson Lee). There's never a "Hurricane Uturunku" or a "Tropical Storm Tetsunosuke".
DeleteCan you imagine the outcry if they ever suggested millions were at risk due to an Other-named storm?
DeleteCompromise: Name storms only after white people who are 1) liberal icons; and 2) objectively racists: Tropical storm Woodrow; winter storm Margaret. Something for everybody!
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