Qinghai quake spared media circus
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When the earth shakes, the world's media trembles with anticipation. Although earthquakes are random acts of nature and unevenly distributed, news consumers everywhere can instantly empathize with the shock, grief and loss when the very earth underfoot unexpectedly sways or gives way.
Although earthquakes are natural tectonic adjustments, they produce devastation and human tragedy comparable to war. While wars are wholly man-made and a reflection of the foibles and follies of humankind, earthquakes cannot rightfully be blamed on people, though the desire to find fault in the aftermath of a tremblor is potent.
I remember walking through the ruins of Kobe in January 1995, when homeless citizens clustered around bonfires to keep warm and lined up to get drinking water and hot noodles. There was palpable anger at the Japanese authorities for not saving this or that location, for allowing fires to burn, for allegedly favoring rich areas and ignoring the poor. While Japan's response did not meet the high expectations residents had of their "anzen kuni" or "land of safety," much of the criticism was emotional rather than rational.
That people seek to vent anger in the face of heartbreaking tragedy is natural. Pointing one's finger at the earth itself is futile, but frustration builds by the day and the human blame game begins. It's not entirely fair or logical, but perhaps comprehensible for cathartic reasons, that rage and grief seek a convenient lightning rod on which to unload their charge.
There are no known cases where a government is actually responsible for an earthquake, rather governments bear the brunt of anger because ever since humankind has gathered itself into tribes and nations, there is an unspoken pact that society's appointed caretakers should rise to the challenges of natural disasters with competence and concern. In ancient times in China, this was called the mandate of heaven, and subjects judged their rulers by the response to such upheavals. So, too, it is today.
China has been unlucky to have suffered two big earthquakes in two years in a region so remote and mountainous that just getting to the epicenter and carrying out rescue efforts is difficult, but lucky to have so many people of courage.
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has been on the scene within hours in both cases, perhaps a record response time for any national leader. More importantly, his visits to devastated areas are a symbolic reminder that society's most vulnerable citizens require immediate attention from those empowered to provide the most help.
Reputable international aid organizations and United Nations relief efforts can provide supplementary help, but generally there is no actor on the scene better placed to respond to such a disaster than a sovereign government which possesses the material resources, manpower and logistical leeway to address tragedy of such a scale.
