HSEP 302 Class Discussion Questions for Tuesday, January 26, 2016.
Kaja’s Questions
Metaphors Matter
1. This article talks about the disaster myth that social chaos occurs during disasters. Do
you think that, in a sense, social chaos does occur, just not at “ground zero”? For
example, during Hurricane Katrina, there was widespread reporting of looting and
lawlessness, which did impact how officials responded to the people involved in the
disaster. Subsequently, people did not receive the help that they needed. Is that not, in
itself a form of social chaos?
2. Given the response of federal resources (the deployment of the national guard in efforts
to “restore order”), do you think that military should be as involved in future disasters? Or
should we rely on systems already in place (i.e. local law enforcement, civilians, etc.) to
handle the situation in order to avoid escalating issues like we saw during Katrina?
3. Is it justifiable that the National Guard responded the way that it did given the reports
that the mass media made?
4. Do you think that the media should be able to be held accountable for their negligent
reporting as the government can be held liable for negligence?
Disaster Mythology & Availability Cascades
1. It is human nature for us to have a more urgent response to negative/threatening things.
It’s a means of survival. Things are supposed to go good, but when things are going
bad, it requires our attention and reaction. With that said, do you think that it is really
possible to avoid the prevalence of disaster myths?
2. Kuran and Sunstein made the suggestion that defamation laws would be one way to
deter availability cascades. But is that particularly fair given that it impedes on
filmmakers’ right to make these films according to their own imagination? They are
fictional, not documentary-- which I think would be a different story.
3. Given that the media is supposed to be reporting what is “true”, do you think that they
should be held to a higher legal standard regarding their reporting?
4. Do you believe that the disaster myths perpetuated during Hurricane Katrina would have
been as damaging if the racial/class demographic of New Orleans did not look the way
that it did?
5. Is it at all beneficial to ignore possible external influences on disaster myths during
Hurricane Katrina (i.e. race, class, etc.)?
6. The reading states that there is empirical evidence that supports that education of local
emergency managers would be beneficial in counteracting disaster mythology. Do you
think that such education should be taught in schools in efforts to better educate the
general public?
Chris’ Questions
Questions for Metaphor Matters for Tuesday January 26:
1. In the reading it talks about how the media failed to accurately report what was really
going on? Do you think that the media intentionally mislead the public when it reported
about all of the so called looting after hurricane Katrina?
2. Do you think that if the media had been able to see more of the relief efforts after
hurricane katrina that the outcome of the reporting may have been different?
3. Do you think that if the media had been able to go into the superdome and the
convention center after the hurricane? That the reporting by the media may have been
different and more accurate of what was really going inside of those places.
4. Should the Governor of the state of Louisiana have diverted the police from saving lives
and search and rescue missions? To policing people who were looting the stores for
goods after the hurricane was over? Was this a smart move on the part of the Governor
and other government officials who were in charge of making decisions about relief
efforts.
Questions about Disaster Mythology And Availability CASCADES
1. In the article it is mentioned that one of the failures of fema was not providing adequate
resources after the hurricane. Do you think that this was intentional or was this an
accident that was not intentional?
2. In the article it is mentioned that the having local emergency managers is key to
coordinating disasters. Do you think that the Governor of Louisiana should have the
talent and expertise of the emergency managers? Do you think that they should be
required to meet certain qualifications like having a college degree and having a certain
number of years in the field? Do you think that it should be be a requirement that local
emergency managers should have to complete ongoing training in that field to keep up
with new developments in the field?
3. In the article it is mentioned that there should have been buses used to move people
from the superdome and the convention center to Houston Texas. It is it reasonable to
say this was done accurately and in a timely manner?
4. It is appropriate to militarize the response after a hurricane to have the military act as
police officers then to take part in search and rescue operations. Do you think that the
federal government responded appropriately in the days and weeks following the
hurricane? Did all three levels of respond appropriately in terms of coordinating relief
efforts or is there room for improvement?