The Politics of Panic
Do you know who panics the most during disasters?
It's the rich.
It's the politicians. It's the elite. It's the riot police. They don't panic about actual death and suffering. They panic about money.
They panic about their investments. They panic over property. They panic over the possible loss of their comforts and privileges. Most of all, they panic over the loss of their authority. They panic about the rest of us. They believe that the first chance we get, we'll break into their mansions and steal all of their stuff. Instead of helping the public, the elite collude with the government and media to preempt any imagined disobedience and to protect their own assets while amassing resources for themselves.
They hide crucial information.
They deceive us.
In most cases, the elite's abuse of power winds up making disasters far worse than they would've been. Meanwhile, communities themselves often pull together during disasters and emergencies. If anything, individuals underreact to thre…