Well, whether you believe it or not, there was a toilet paper shortage in the United States in 1973. The entire episode started with a Johnny Carson Tonight Show monologue. On December 19, 1973, the writers for the show had heard earlier the federal government was falling behind in getting bids to supply toilet paper and that it might be possible that in a few months the United States could face a shortage of toilet tissue. They took the words of this Wisconsin congressional representative, Harold Froehlich and decided to add a joke for Carson for the evening show.
Carson did in fact use the joke in a monologue stating, “You know what’s disappearing from the supermarket shelves? Toilet paper. There’s an acute shortage of toilet paper in the United States.”
Much to the amazement of not only the show but of toilet paper factories across America, 20 million people that watched the Carson show that evening ran out in the morning and bought as much toilet paper as they could carry. By noon on December 20, 1973, practically every store in America was out of stock. Many of the stores tried to ration this valuable paper but they could not keep up with the demand no matter what they did.
A few nights later, Johnny Carson explained there was no shortage and he apologized to his viewers. However, this did not help with the scare. As soon as people noticed the empty shelves, they wanted this paper even more.
It took a total of three long and grueling weeks to get the shelves stocked again and finally the shortage was over.
What’s the point of this story? THE MEDIA AND EVERYTHING WE SEE ON TV, THE INTERENT AND EVERY OTHER SOURCE OF MEDIA MOVES US INTO ACTION! Whether it’s because of fear or for good, TV, the internet and many other media sources move the public into action. With that being the case let’s start to use this truth as a tool to help move people into action for the good of our fellow brothers and sisters in this world.
What would be a good statement to make to get this done? How can we move people into action through different sources of media?
Not only that, but for all the people who hoarded all the Toilet Paper, did they really think they were gonna go to the bathroom that much? What if they bought their share and helped others who needed Toilet paper too? What are your thoughts on this? Does the media influence the world? Is there a way we can leverage every media source to influence people for good and for the purpose and will of GOD?
