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Chile earthquake: ‘Looters run wild’? Not quite

Santiago, Chile; and Mexico City – In the aftermath of Saturday’s massive 8.8 Chile earthquake, news media around the world have reported on the pillaging of supermarkets, gas stations, pharmacies, and banks. They have described Chileans fighting one another over dwindling resources. One headline reads: “Looters run wild.”

via Chile earthquake: ‘Looters run wild’? Not quite. – Yahoo! News.

There’s only one thing in advertising that sells better than sex. That’s catastrophes and train wrecks. At least there are some people offended by sex. But we all can’t seem to resist a great disaster.

What local news station doesn’t have a traffic department. Where somebody makes a big salary telling us where all the “Rubber-Necking” delays are. You know those half hour crawls because we all had to gawk at the fender-bender. So imagine the advertising traffic that is being generated on something as terribly traumatic, and curiously fascinating as an Earthquake.

Here we are not two days after the quake hits and these people are already being portrayed as looters and rioters in the media, if you read the headlines. The profit hungry media machines carelessly pollute the public perception. With their form of subliminal justification for these would be survivors being subject to tear gas, and other forms of militaristic restraints and discipline.

Is it now incumbent on the mass media to conduct itself in such an irresponsible self-serving fashion as to exploit and jeopardize the health and welfare of the victims of natural disasters? Is this just another sad example of how they continue to place profits before people? These poor people have enough difficulties and impossibilities facing them already. Merely trying to survive something of such magnitude, most can not begin to imagine.

I am nothing short of ashamed for the spoiled reporters writing these stories. Who would be among the first ones looting if they were living in the middle of a disaster area. My bet is they don’t come from a background conducive to surviving in the streets, especially when their Platinum Cards won’t pay for their beers and hotel suite.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a major distinction between looting a business for bread and water, vs. the appliance store for a Plasma TV. Especially in a time of severe humanitarian crisis. Let’s be honest, do we really believe any of these people are steeling food and water just so they can make a profit. I have not seen one picture so far on any article showing unruly, riotous or violent crowds running from stores with anything other than the basic provisions for life and survival.

Try to imagine, you’re in your bed sleeping and 90 seconds later your literally shaken out into the street. Maybe your wife or husband is dead, maybe a child or two. There is no lights, power, water or services in general. Food that once needed to be refrigerated is now rotting and rancid. It would take you days, if not weeks to clear your mind from the shock and horrors that you would hear and see.

The word is that aid, and the help of the worlds greatest nations is on the way. So why should people be allowed to suffer and die, waiting for all this promised help to arrive. That swift aid and support that Hurricane Katrina Victims received. The same rescue Haiti is still waiting for. If they’re so sure all this food is coming, why not just resupply the looted stores when it gets there.

Maybe these profit mongers should donate a portion of the proceeds they make off this event. Instead of wasting resources on empty souled politicians. Who have the audacity to publicly implore the already poor and economically castrated to donate cash.

With the political and civil bonfires currently blazing in every corner of the globe, I don’t think we need the mass media doing any extra fanning of the flames. I am very confident that if they just tell the straight truth, instead of with added flare and innuendo, their revenues will be more than sufficient enough.

I don’t believe it very ethical to increase the readership of a publication by treating a situation such as this like tabloid fodder.There is a time, place and certainly more appropriate news worthy subject mater in which to exercise marketing tools and strategies.

I for one, would like to believe that any food shop owner, under these extraordinary circumstances would willingly give the people his keys.

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