The Associated Press has a fascinating essay today concerning ‘disaster fatigue.’
The numbers are almost too large to fathom, so many Americans stop trying. As bodies pile up in disaster after global disaster, even the most sympathetic souls can turn away. Charities know this as “donor fatigue,” but it might be more accurately described as disaster fatigue — the sense that these events are never-ending, uncontrollable and overwhelming. Experts say it is one reason Americans have contributed relatively little so far to victims of the Myanmar cyclone and China’s earthquake. Ironically, the more bad news there is, the less likely people may be to give. “Hearing about too many disasters makes some people not give at all, when they would have if it had been just one disaster,” says Michal Ann Strahilevitz, who teaches marketing at Golden Gate University and specializes in the factors at play in charitable giving. Compared with disasters like the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, those in China and Myanmar have generated just a trickle of aid. As of Friday, Americans had given about $12.1 million to charities for Myanmar, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The group said on Monday that it was too soon to count contributions to China. A number of factors may be at play in the slow American response, including a lack of sympathy for the repressive governments involved, doubts about whether aid will get through, and an inclination to save pennies because of shaky economic times at home.
But read the entire essay. It’s strangely sad that we Americans are becoming hardened to tragedy because it has become more frequent.
“the sense that these events are never-ending, uncontrollable and overwhelming.”
The simple fact is that these events ARE never-ending, uncontrollable and overwhelming. Earthquakes, floods, famines, etc. have been part of our existence on this planet forever.
What has changed is our exposure to them. How long would it have taken for news of the Indian Ocean tsunami to reach the west in 1804? 200 years is merely a tick of the clock in geological terms. A sailing vessel would barely notice the waves in deep water and when it arrived at a port would have been amazed to see the devastation. How long to sail back to England noting the destruction all along the way? Six months? More. By the time the scale of the disaster was even known in the west there would have been no practical response possible. Whoever was going to die would have died and whoever was going to live would have lived and there would have been no international relief effort.
Now, within seconds of an event we hear about it and it gives the impression that these things are more frequent now than in the past. Perhaps Ted Turner is the “anti-christ?”
Another reason why giving for Burma may be lower is the evil actions of the Myanmar government who are blocking the entry of aid, or stealing it before it reaches citizens of Burma. (NB for any reader who is not aware Burma and Myanmar are the same place Myanmar is the name the ruling junta of generals call it.) Perhaps it needs to be better known that organisations like Partners http://partnersworld.org/ and similar addresses in .ca , .nz, .uk, .no and even .au
and MSF http://www.msf.org/ are getting aid to the worst affected people, despite the generals!