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DJ Shuffle: The Fuck is This?

[Since resuming programming, DJ Shuffle has been playing Christmas and winter music, from traditional to songs that he first heard listening to the Doctor Demento show back in New York. Once he's gathered his information and his thoughts, though, he cracks the mic and begins to talk, much more calmly than usual. If there was ever a chance to recognize his voice, this is it, as he sounds sedate and serious.]

So. I'm gonna assume that if you're listening to me, you've got power. Or a battery-powered radio tuned to me, and what does that say about your priorities? But if you're stranded out there and you hear this, call the studio line, I'll get help sent out to you.

See, I could be my usual flaming asshole and shit on everyone for not knowing this was coming and we weren't prepared and all that rot. But you know what? There's bigger fish to fry. We've learned a lesson from all this: the Deck's weather isn't as stable as we'd like to believe. Snowstorms in October are possible. An early spring heatwave might be possible. Town could end up flooded by massive rainfall. And we're not ready for that.

We paid for our unpreparedness in lives, ladies and gentlemen. While everyone at the castles was fine, there are reports of roofs caving in in Town, crushing people in their houses. And even those who made it out okay had dehyrdation and frostbite issues. I'm so not blaming anyone, not this time. What I want to ask the Deck is this: what can we do to prepare for next time? How can we create an effective disaster preparedness team? Can we effectively get a roster of every member of every Suit and account for them? Can we create centralized safe locations for disasters--schools, perhaps?

I know, this is probably something the High Cards are going to want to talk about. But here I am, and I'm not one. I want to know, what can we all as individuals do, next time the Deck goes weird on us all? Open forum for discussion, for everyone, rather than my usual schpiel.

Phone lines are open.

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"You know, when disaster strikes people show their true colours and yours, Sir, are quite impressive."

This call came from someone involved in current events, someone who often listened to DJ Shuffle's shows but, until now, had not phoned in. The main reason for this is that radio transmissions are scratchy at the best of times and Margo cannot see lip movement to assist her listening. She holds her cellphone against her good ear, turning the volume up a little.

"Now, when compared with towns of a similar standing on the Outside, I agree the Deck is lacking in support structures for the most vulnerable members of society. When any kind of turmoil occurs, it is the poor, the elderly and the disabled who suffer most. This kind of Social Darwinism is going to have to be flipped on its head."

He's going to very loudly ignore comments about his true colors, glad no one's in his studio to see the blushing that he's doing right now.

"Well, we don't so much have poor. Everyone's a member of a Suit, and every Suit is taken care of adequately, down to the lowest servants. But the elderly and disabled--how can we help them?"

Margo won't embarrass him any further. She is just glad to hear that the DJ has some substance. His question came through fairly clearly so she gives it a moment's thought before answering.

"This is a place where the extent of one's welfare is determined through challenges. Those who are at a mental or physical disadvantage sometimes do not have access to the facilities provided at the castles. They may find themselves living in isolated locales such as the houses that had caved in. Perhaps more facilities could be made available at the center of Town?"

"That's why I thought of the schools--the gyms could fit lots of people, and there's space to store water, blankets, canned foods. But it would take people moving on it officially. Paper trails and so on."

Her point about the mental and physical disadvantages is actually a good one to address. He scrawls it down for a later date.

"Yeah schools and gyms are good sites for makeshift facilities. It may just be an idea to have more permanent structures in place. Like a fully staffed medical center. If everything is centralised, teams can reach people from virtually any Suit with relative ease."

Most of Margo's observations mirrored those of the smart people under whom she had worked over the years.

Edited 2012-10-08 19:06 (UTC)

"So, a proper Town-based emergency response center that isn't run by any one Suit?" He thinks about that for a moment. "Or did you mean for each Suit to have one?"

"Just one neutral center-- a place that can admit anyone. It may cut through all the red tape of working out who falls under which Suit," she answered, a shrug apparent in her tone. "Or I could just be oversimplifying the whole matter."

"Well, out in Town, rank matters less. It's quite possible to see a Four of Clubs working under a Three of Diamonds in a shop. But that might complicate where funding for the place comes from. I honestly have no clue." There's a bit of a laugh. "Yeah, listeners, you heard it here first. Sometimes I have no clue what I'm talking about, and I throw out ideas without really thinking."

"Fund raising, yet another issue worth investigating. Maybe I can spur the Trump into action," she mused. Margo worked for the newspaper but sometimes she spoke as though she were editor-in-chief. "Take comfort, you're not the only one who needs a brain-mouth filter."

"Maybe see if your bosses will donate a percentage of profits from every Special Storm Edition sold? Assuming there is such an edition, of course." He 'hm's softly as he thinks.

"I'm sure the storm will be all over the news now that the power is back on in places. There has been a lot of miscommunication over the past few days, stories need to be straightened out. Now I'd better stop before I loose my job."

Many would argue that the DJ's show was more about opinions than facts. At least he was being proactive, he needed some encouragement. She could tell he was young, most teens were prone to exaggeration.

"I would hate for that to happen, miss. But I'll buy a copy, just to see what you write." And her encouragement is rewarded with a friendly tone of voice.

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