Out of 50 randomly surveyed people in Portland, 23 said they feared the problems that may be caused by the Y2K bug. The survey conducted by The Voice staff also showed that most people think the problems are under control, which leads them to believe the hysteria is superficial.

The biggest fear Portlanders felt about the year 2000 is that riots will lead to mass confusion. "I think half the population is going to die," a Buddhist said at Pioneer Square. "I'm going to be in the woods for two-and-a-half weeks." A woman at a convenience store said she feared being trampled. "I'll be in a small city," she said. A limousine driver said he plans to leave town because of the panic that will take place. One agnostic said he fears another Los Angeles riot.

Another big fear is that people will lose the money in their bank accounts. A business administration major at Portland State University said she fears "stuff with the bank losing track of our money." A wiccan at the waterfront said, "I was thinking about closing my account. It freaks me out; I'd rather not take a chance." He said he could prove through the Bible the end of the world is coming in 2000.

Many people believe these fears are the result of media exaggeration. "I think it [the Y2K crisis] is overblown," a dog-walker at Mount Tabor said. A shopper at Borders bookstore said there is a "media-induced hysteria about the Y2K. There may be a brief interruption in utilities or controlled infrastructure." One woman said she would only take her money out of the bank "if they made it into a big thing."

One example of media hype is the cover of the Jan. 18, 1999, Time magazine. It depicts Jesus wearing a panel that reads, "The End of the World!?!" His hands are stretched out to a horrified crowd as computers crash down from the sky. A crosswalk signal reads, "Panic, don't panic." But in spite of thefears, most respondents didn't think the end of the world as we know it is going to be caused by the computer bug. Although 46 percent feared some form of disaster, only 8 percent of the people surveyed said they needed to prepare for the possible problems. "People have things under control," one man said. A Christian witnessing at Pioneer Square said, "If you have Christ, you have no reason to worry about it."

Dick Hofland, Portland's Y2K specialist, said in the Dec. 2 issue of the Willamette Week: "Something won't go right. But I think it will be trivial, rapidly repairable anomalies rather than systematic breakdown." Hofland also said about 80 percent of the city systems are already Y2K compliant, compared to 60 percent a year ago, which paints a much prettier picture of the future than the one most people have imagined.

Because of the contradiction between an uncontrollable catastrophe and nothing happening at all, many people are confused and don't know what to believe. "If it happens, it happens," one woman surveyed said, adding, "I hope it wipes out my student loans." One self-proclaimed non-practicing Christian said, "I'm going to party while I'm still alive." Many Americans have seen the Y2K scare as a chance to make money, giving the hysteria free advertising. "People are using it to make money off of others," one person said. "It's all created out of fear."

No one is exactly sure what will happen in the year 2000. But many experts believe the transition to the year 2000 will be far less painful than many people are making it out to be. The experts do not foresee "death by cold and starvation," as one person at the waterfront predicted. A more probable death would be through a car wreck, as one Columbia Colllege student said.

Stephen Heckman claims that he will speak fluent Italian by the year 2000.



A downtown computer store advertises products designed for the potential Y2K crisis.



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