No disaster porn here

CBS News called the office yesterday morning and said that they wanted to bring a crew down to film the effects of the quake.  We had some discussion about who should be showing them around; a few handy and knowledgeable folks were discussed as options.  When I found out it was happening I put the kibosh on it.  “We are not doing disaster porn here,” I said in one of the animated conversations about it.  In this case, as often happens, the TV crew never called back, so I never got to tell them they could not come.  That is, they couldn’t come do the disaster porn piece they wanted; if, like one of the local newspapers, they were willing to carry the story we were excited about, they would be more than welcome. Rather than the destruction of the quake, we’re excited about how the community pulled together in the face of this extraordinary event.

These are the times when we shine:  it is an externally induced problem,  there are no bad guys, and there is a place for anyone who wants to shine to step up.  There was lots to do and, more importantly, there was lots to do together.  We of course don’t wish for natural disasters, but when they happen, our structure and our culture serve us.  No one here felt alone or uncared for, unlike many of my Babylonian counterparts who were caught in the quake.

With that said, I promised Disaster Porn on my blog, and I certainly am going to deliver.

Our worst hit building

Upstairs Oneida immediately post quake

Sci Fi library

Upstairs Ta Chai. The bookcases are hiding the fish tank that tried to kill me.

Out of the ashes