The lighter side of higher oil prices
The Internet has changed how we live. It’s a giant evolving knowledge-base that allows us to reference information on any subject at the click of a mouse. The emergence of the so-called ‘blog’ site enables individuals to share their diverse views without
Those guys who set fuel prices are ganging up on us
While conducting our regular online research we spotted a South Africa Press Association (Sapa) article on the iafrica.co.za website. The article topic is one that elicits an emotive response from ordinary citizens because it deals with one of the country’s pet hates – the petrol price. “Fuel price is unlikely to drop,” trumpeted the headline, no doubt causing a collective sigh from the online readership. Why the despondency?
Despite the existence of a comprehensive formula that is religiously applied to a set of pre-determined variables in calculating the domestic fuel price, most South Africans are convinced that prices are set to their detriment. We (not all of us) believe that prices are hiked more than necessary – and that price reductions are never as much as they could be. A quick look through our trusty Chambers dictionary reveals a word that accurately describes this obsession – paranoia, a “form of mental disorder characterised by fixed delusions...” But we digress.
Turning back to the article, Automobile Association of SA spokesperson, Rob Handfield-Jones commented that “Oil prices are at their lowest levels in more than a year, which would usually be a good sign for motorists. Frustratingly though, the decrease in the oil price has been offset by the slump of the rand against the dollar. And this means that dramatic reductions in the fuel price are unlikely in the short term.” Do you feel your blood pressure rising? Readers of this article did, and they immediately reached for their keyboards to offload!
Don’t shout too loudly until you do the math!
The first reader response to the article weighed in with a complex mathematical calculation. Reader one decried the continued abuses that local motorists have to put up with… “Simplified mathematics tells me that at $68 [per barrel] multiplied by R10/$ each barrel costs R680. Compare this to $80 [per barrel of oil] multiplied by R8, which gives R800. Now how does this not reflect in a cheaper petrol price? The oil price is declining much quicker than the rand is weakening…” If you read this quickly you’re probably going to respond like reader number two.
An incensed number two continued the onslaught: “You are 100% right, these idiots have no interest in reducing their prices – more taxes from the oil companies are attractive to the government – so why reduce the price?” This comment probably left many text-skimmers nodding in agreement. Why should we allow government to fleece us so? We have to go back to Standard Two (Grade Four) to find out why these Internet-age experts’ argument falls flat. As the third reader so eloquently put it: $80 per barrel multiplied by R8.00/$ is actually R640 per barrel...” As they say in Internet parlance: LOL!
This chain of responses demonstrates something we all suffer from. We are easily influenced by what we read; but don’t always make sure the facts presented to us are correct. We cannot blame someone for getting the math wrong when he dashes off an incensed emotional response to something he reads; but we should definitely keep our finger off the trigger until we’ve properly absorbed the facts.
Are you crazy – you’re not anonymous!
On a related issue we’re always amazed at the assumed anonymity of the people who make these Internet posts. They seem to think they can speak freely without their comments being traced back to them. The unfortunate result is that many article posts we’ve seen are littered with racist sentiment. Just because you’re sitting in the UK and making comments as ‘honestjoe99’ doesn’t absolve you from certain responsibilities. For those people who love mouthing off on the Internet we say the following…
Everything you do on the Internet leaves an electronic footprint. Every website you visit is logged (on your machine and on the website server). Every comment you make is recorded… And every recorded comment can be traced back to you with a bit of effort. So don’t make a statement in cyberspace that you’re not prepared to back up in the real world!
Editor’s thoughts:
Times they are a-changing. In today’s fast-paced world anyone can be a media commentator. You only need a bit of time, a computer and an opinion. We’d love to hear about your favourite ‘blog’ site or your best ‘blog’ experience. Add your comments below, or send them to [email protected]
