Catastrophe reps cause a focus on practical solutions

The notable feature of the perilous times that humanity has faced over the past half century is that the response has made them seem manageable enough that we roll up our collective sleeves and work on practical solutions. There have been relatively few panics involving spontaneous outbreaks of irrational behavior. Work, family life, and other routine activities have continued. Individuals have sometimes shouldered the small tasks of learning about impending crises and pitching in to support research or protect their families. These responsibilities, though, have seldom required great sacrifices on the part of large populations, at least not in the Western world. Social movements have emerged and policies have been affected, but regimes have rarely been toppled as a result. None of this can be understood simply as denial. Were denial the correct interpretation, billions would not have been spent on weapons, deterrence programs, research, and communication. Millions of readers and television viewers would not have paid attention to warnings and documentaries. People responded, but in ways that incorporated the problem solving into ordinary roles and competencies. Nor can the normality of the response be explained by arguing that the dangers envisioned generated little upheaval because they never happened. A nuclear holocaust did not occur, but enough destruction did take place that people could imagine the results. There were also chemical spills, accidents at nuclear plants, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters. Enough went wrong, even with well-intentioned planning, that danger could not be ignored. Indeed, it is truly surprising that more chaos, more panic, more soul searching, and more enervating fear did not ensue.