In the context of several disasters, the book talks about people who experienced joy, camaraderie, peace, and connection in the aftermath of disaster that resonated with some of what people were feeling early during the pandemic. One thing that was different with the pandemic is that this positive community connection usually happens through in-person connection, helping neighbors you haven't met and bonding over the shared experience. But with the pandemic we were bonding with total strangers on the other side of the country or world over shared experiences, while simultaneously keeping a wide berth from our neighbors.
Another common theme in the disasters she talks about is that organized government response often makes things worse. This was particularly true in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, where the city probably would've been better off if the army had never shown up, but also shows up in earthquakes in Mexico City and Managua, as well as Hurricane Katrina. Government response is often centered on protecting property, preventing looting, and avoiding mob rule. But in practice, those are typically pretty rare in a disaster, and people tend to self-organize in pro-social ways. I'm reminded of a video I saw a day or two after Katrina. Someone was narrating what they saw in a Whole Foods in New Orleans: basic staples were cleared off the shelves, but the fancy cheeses section was still pretty well stocked. This too felt both similar too and different than the protests this summer, where police presence wasn't exactly helping defuse the situation. But also, since the disaster that black people are experiencing isn't always as tangible to their white neighbors[1], there's been animosity between neighbors and some looting and property damage for property damage sake, rather than survival.
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Another common theme in the disasters she talks about is that organized government response often makes things worse. This was particularly true in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, where the city probably would've been better off if the army had never shown up, but also shows up in earthquakes in Mexico City and Managua, as well as Hurricane Katrina. Government response is often centered on protecting property, preventing looting, and avoiding mob rule. But in practice, those are typically pretty rare in a disaster, and people tend to self-organize in pro-social ways. I'm reminded of a video I saw a day or two after Katrina. Someone was narrating what they saw in a Whole Foods in New Orleans: basic staples were cleared off the shelves, but the fancy cheeses section was still pretty well stocked. This too felt both similar too and different than the protests this summer, where police presence wasn't exactly helping defuse the situation. But also, since the disaster that black people are experiencing isn't always as tangible to their white neighbors[1], there's been animosity between neighbors and some looting and property damage for property damage sake, rather than survival.