As an avid news consumer, I read a huge number of stories on my computer in any given week. Some stories, while not necessarily of tremendous news value, are newsworthy simply because they are unusual or because of the variety of responses they elicit about an event or situation. Last week, two such stories were prominent.
First, one that most of us in the South might believe has come from another time – anger over pumping your own gas. That’s right, self-serving your vehicle at the gas station has become a bit of a crisis to some in the state of Oregon.
On Jan. 1, a law passed by the Oregon state legislature took effect that, according to The Washington Post, allows “retailers in counties with a population of less than 40,000 to have self-service gas pumps.” The new law only affects 15 counties; it is not a mandate requiring that those outlets in the rural parts of the state automatically stop a fueling service. The law only removes from the books a statute that makes it illegal to pump your own gas.
Robin SmithOnline hilarity ensued as Oregonians posted their angry comments on KTVL’s local Facebook page. Quite a few folks should’ve thought better of exposing their uncontained anger. Here are a few samples of the outbursts:
» “I’ve lived in this state all my life and I REFUSE to pump my own gas … This [is] a service only qualified people should perform. I will literally park at the pump and wait until someone pumps my gas.”