I don’t read the Record often, but when I do I like to read it online and I especially like to read the comments that follow the stories. The comments are usually more entertaining than the story. The comments are an indication of the public mood, a peek behind the curtain of popular thought. A place where Joe Average can put in his two cents worth, speak his mind and often get flamed by the other Joe Average that does not agree.
When a writer at the Record goes against the thoughts of the general public as sometimes happens, its fun to see the readership rise up in revolt and rebel agains the all powerful journalistic tradition (like what happened early this year when a journalist criticized the look of our new courthouse).
The story on Friday titled Residents asked to watch for water thieves resonated the readership. The story was about Kitchener Utilities saying that water thefts are on the rise. The utility is asking residents to be on the lookout for water pirates who fill tanker trucks from city hydrants.
I think this sounds like a urban myth to most people, comical to others. Of course the cost of water in Waterloo Region is an issue we can all identify with. Here are some of the comments:
In our neighborhood, we’ve set up rotating shifts for 24×7 coverage, and random watch posts. Water Thieves…BEWARE!!! well, my shift is about to begin, i’ll be hiding in a tree for the next 8 hours…i just can’t say which one, obviously!
Obviously, the water rates are too low. If the city raises the rates substantially, the thieves will be tempted to take water more often and thus they will be easier to catch. The city will have lots of money coming in to boot from the obviously under-taxed citizenry.
The story seems farcical, however these are crazy times we live in. Anyone who notices suspicious activity around a hydrant is asked to call Kitchener Utilities.
For me, I’ve got my dog Chichi on the case. She’s sniffing out clues.
