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Hammer’s Mark: The one buy gas on April 15” group

Does a day make a difference?

 
  
 

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By Jeff Hammersmark

hose of you who frequent
Facebook, which is probably

all of you, have probably seen
an event titled “Don’t Buy Gas on
April 15” pop up. As usual, when gas
prices explode, so too does public anger
towards oil companies, gas stations, and
anyone else whom people believe to be
responsible for the gouging. It shouldn’t
be surprising that people are quick to
point the finger at “oil companies”.
After all, they rake in billions of dollars
in profits every year from selling us a
product, that we literally cannot, as a
society, live without. In that sense, some
people go as far as comparing them to
tobacco companies, unethically making
money off of an addictive product. Of
course, it’s not as simple as blaming the
oil companies; there are many variables
in the equation that determines the price
of gas, many of which the market itself

is to blame for. Since this effort to “sock °

it to the oil companies” on April 15 is

. becoming so popular, it’s fair to say I’d
be wasting my breath trying to convince
you that it’s partially our fault. So I
won't.

The only real solution to the gas .
price shock is to use less gas. Using
less gas decreases demand, which in
turn increases supply, which in turn
forces prices to drop. It also saves you
money, is better for the environment,
reduces air pollution, and funnels your
money into transportation alternatives
and infrastructure. After commenting
on the “Don’t Buy Gas” event’s page on
Facebook, I was messaged by a guy who
created a competing group, “Alternative
Transport Day”. He is proposing that
instead of not buying gas on April 15,
we all use less gas instead. Once you
understand the futility of not buying gas
on one particular day, it seems obvious
which of the two events has the greatest
potential impact. As I’m writing this,
the “Don’t Buy Gas on April 15” event

has 413,856 people “attending”, while
“Alternative Transport Day” has 606. So
much for common sense prevailing.

What I’m trying to shine the
spotlight on here is the current public
attitude towards fuel and fuel prices.
Clearly, many people are upset enough
to want to take action against climbing
fuel prices. When it comes to actually
taking action though, most people seem
content to just click a button and sit
back. I understand that people join these
groups out of a combination of emotion
and, dare | say it, ignorance, and that
many will likely not even follow through
with avoiding the pump on April 15.
The fact that 400,000 people made a
conscious decision to click “yes” on
the event though, tells me that there is a
lot of potential energy sitting out there
behind the computer monitors. There are
400,000 people who believe in the idea
that we can collectively have an impact
on the bottom line of oil companies.

I’m mostly an optimist, so I can’t
help but imagine just how much less
gas would be used on April 15 if those
400,000 people, instead of driving
past the gas pump, instead chose not
to drive at all. Perhaps, if only for a
day, it would send the message that the
average consumer doesn’t need gas as
much as it seems we do. That we do
have alternatives, and we’re not afraid to
switch to them when prices get high, or
corporate profits get too disgusting.

I may be an optimist, but I try not
to let myself slip into naivety too often. I
understand why “Don’t Buy Gas on April
15” is hugely popular, and I understand
why “Alternative Transport Day” is not.
In all likelihood, nothing will become
of either groups, and April 15 will pass
unnoticed by anybody. All I can hope is
that these 400,000 plus people, likely to
be closer to a million by the time the day
rolls around, won’t lose their interest in
making a difference, and that at some
point they are exposed to the information
they need to guide that desire in a

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Don't buy gas on April 15th

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positive and meaningful direction.

I also take it as'a good sign that over
200,000 people said they would not take
part in the event; while that is undoubtedly
made up of a lot of people who simply
clicked “no” on a spam invite, that’s still
encouraging. If you’re on Facebook, take a
look for yourself at the groups. If you drive,

consider taking part in Alternative Transport
Day: While it may not turn into a global
phenomenon, you’ll still likely be saving
money and doing something positive for
yourself, your community, and the world.
It’s just another small step you can take
towards being a more responsible global
citizen.

 

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