Y2K BUST

The paralyzing blizzard of Y2K problems predicted by some didn’t amount to a snow flurry. Gary North, Hal Lindsey, Chuck Missler, Grant Jeffrey and other doomsayers warned of bank collapses, utility failures, aircraft disasters and 1 billion people dead on account of computer failures.

The only catastrophe appears to have happened to the Y2K doomsayers themselves. Their disaster-preparation products were up against a Jan. 1 deadline and despite all the pessimism the Y2K gurus could muster, sales did not come close to meeting expectations. Stockpiles of goods went unsold as consumers began to put more trust in the sound and reasoned responses of government and civil officials.

Perhaps these would-be Jeremiahs knew all along that their prediction of global crisis was purely oversell — or at least they were not confident enough to put their money where their mouth was. Last year, the Christian Jew Foundation issued what it called a “$25,000 Y2K Challenge” to doomsayers such as North and others. It was quite simple: If only half of what was predicted to occur would happen, the foundation would write a check to the favorite charity of any who would sign a contract accepting the challenge. If, on the other hand, Jan. 1 arrived with only minor or inconsequential snags and business proceeded as usual, the Y2K alarmist must write a check for $25,000 to the Christian Jew Foundation for its ministry work. No one accepted the challenge.

Some of the doomsayers had merely jumped from one bandwagon onto another, from Bible Codes to Y2K. No doubt they will now latch on to some new fad or conspiracy theory. Most of these men have offered no confessions, no apologies, no repentance, no acceptance of any responsibility for their erroneous forecasts. There has been one noteable exception: Gary North.

Late last year, it appeared North had begun to hedge on his prediction. He informed the Y2K merchants who logged onto his web site that the rush to buy their goods would come in 2000, not in 1999. North wrote: “You figured people would finally wake up this year. So did I. We were wrong. The world would go into 2000 almost as unprepared as it was a year ago, or five. The world is oblivious.” The windfall, according to North, for these entrepreneurs was yet to come. “Why do you want to sell it now, when nobody wants to buy it? Why do you ask for minimal mark-ups now when people will trade their heirlooms and appreciating currency for it next year. ... The bonanza lies ahead,” North told readers.

Then on Jan. 10, 2000, North wrote:

“Clearly, as of this week, I was wrong in my predictions. ... I will now pay a price. I do apologize if I have embarrassed you or made your life worse. ... I believed that Y2K would create havoc. It still might, depending on how many bugs are still in the systems, but I will not here appeal to the ‘still might’ argument. So, let me say without hesitation that my predictions did not come true. The events did not take place. ... So, at this point in the aftermath of the rollover, I look foolish. I was prepared for this. I thought it was better to risk my reputation or credibility in a life-saving effort than to tell people, ‘yes, Y2K will cause problems,’ and then refuse to define what degree of problems and what to prepare for.”

Still, some may question the sincerity of North’s wordy confession. Anybody who writes that much to apologize (over 4500 words) isn’t really apologizing — especially when North, throughout, puts the blame onto others. As well, his confession falls short of Christian reconciliation in that he fails to ask forgiveness. His apology also concludes with an appeal for ministry donations to continue the work.

Moreover, his words of regret are posted, not on his ministry’s web site (www.GaryNorth.com), but on the DiscoverTruth.com web site. (If it does appear on North’s site, it is not readily available and is well hidden among a maze of documents.) North’s ministry, on its web site, continues to publish and promote the same “doom and gloom reports” of Y2K devastation. As such, web surfers who log onto the site are completely unaware that any apology was issued.

—MKG

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