If you believe the news, we’re a nation transfixed on the BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, I propose that we’re a nation obsessed with ascribing blame and demanding an immediate fix, and the story we’re told fits within those constraints.
There’s no question that this situation is an ugly one. There’s no question that more than one player bears responsibility for what happened a mile under the ocean. And there’s no question the president, either of this country [or BP for that matter], can fix this disaster. It’s a job for the experts, people who’ve trained for years in their field, but given our want-it-now attitudes, we’re upset they haven’t shot the silver bullet into the oil well.
We Want Heroes
In a perfect world, the people put in positions of immense authority (i.e. presidents of countries and companies) would be able to solve every problem that crosses their paths immediately. After all, they do have power. The reality is much murkier and more complicated than we like to acknowledge.
Contrary to popular opinion, President Obama can’t do much more than he’s doing at the moment. He isn’t an oil engineer, a deep-sea diver, or a scientist. Take him to task for not better managing the agencies he oversees, but stop following the crazy logic that he has magical powers he’s choosing not to use to cap the well. Does anyone believe he wouldn’t rather focus his time and attention on the million other things a president has to face?
BP Pays a Price
As I’ve listened to the commentators go on and on about BP’s failure to cap the well, I’ve heard little about the price it’s paying. [Yes, I'm aware it doesn't compare to the livelihoods lost by individuals.] BP may be a big company, but you’ve heard of dying by a thousand cuts. Lawsuits will last years, BP is literally bleeding as its product spews into the ocean, and off-shore drilling will be forever changed by this event.
BP and its contractors will be fined, heavily one suspects, and they’ve completely lost whatever ground they gained when they rebranded themselves as “beyond petroleum.” Be angry at BP for not being better prepared, for not asking more questions about fail safes. But keep in mind that BP wishes like everyone else that this had never happened. BP’s main goal is not to upset the entire ecosystem of the Gulf. It’s to make money. So when you’re yelling, “Why can’t BP fix the problem?” know they’re probably yelling the same question at each other.
Why Presidents Can’t Fix Disasters
If you believe that the guys on the ground aren’t giving it their all to fix this problem, I question your rationale. The only people who have anything to gain are proponents of alternative energy, and even they must cringe at the thought of benefiting openly from an oil spill.
In our 24/7 world we believe the solutions to problems should be immediate. We believe that all worse-case scenarios should have perfected reactions. And we believe that the man or woman who holds the highest office should be able to fix our problems. This argument isn’t political, but logistical. To assume that the guy or gal in charge is the road block to solving the problems we face gives him or her too much power.
You may have resources others do not as a president or leader, but those resources don’t necessarily work any better for you because they’re still manned by humans. You know, that imperfect creature you see in the mirror every day.
Challenge the systems that aren’t working. Challenge the people in charge to push for more information, for more answers. But don’t fall into the trap of believing one person can fix a disaster. I’d like to believe that if that was the case, said person would rise to the challenge, but we don’t elect or hire Superman or Wonder Woman. We hire real people, people like us who don’t always have the answers. If they’re incompetent, they need to be fired. If they fail to ask questions, they need to be fired. But if they’re doing everything that’s possible, we’re fools to set expectations that no one can live up to.
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Article makes a good point about objective reality vs. imaginable. To solve problems such Gulf of Mexico disaster money and power are great thing to have. But not enough. There should be sufficient technological infrastructure and corporate culture both oriented to safe exploration of natural resources. Both certainly exist. But far below from their maximum efficiency. And they will not materialize magically in matter of days to safe reluctant society who believes that their citizens duties end after president election.
But it is not the whole picture. Because there is no sign of any rational analysis yet of damage brought about by oil leak so far. And as such there is no way to estimate how much and how quickly should be spent to fix the problem. Looking back to this event we will see tons of questions why resources were allocated so slowly? Because nobody wanted to see government spending for fixing the problem more then it is absolutely necessary. Even when it was obvious that situation extraordinary and may require reaction of same extend.
@Denis: You've correctly assessed the situation: if the technology doesn't exist, money and power aren't enough to solve the problem. As we've learned, our hindsight always indicates that more could have been done at a given point. However, I'm curious what resources haven't been allocated that should have been? Any insight you can over on this point would be much appreciated.
Absolutely brilliant (and what should be obvious) post. Presidents – of anything – get far to much credit when things go well and even more blame when things go bad; neither is usually earned. The spill qualifies as a “disaster” precisely because it overwhelms our ability to respond. Knowing that doesn't make the situation any less devastating or our responsibility to respond less real; it should, however, urge us all to do what we can to help or get out of the way.
@Mario: Precisely. It wouldn't be a disaster if the solution was immediately available. An attitude that in a disaster we can have the same level of expectation of the people trying to solve it is ludicrous. Scrambling for answers in a disaster is significantly more messy and uncertain than responding to a measurable crisis. We must hold people accountable, but this notion that any one person can fix the problem by giving an order is short-sighted and bound to lead to disappointment.
What concerns me is the fact that Exxon, Shell and others are also drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. What do they have in place for such a disaster and, if they have something, why are they offering it up to BP or the government (even for billions of dollars) to mend this situation. It is scary to me that there really is nothing that can be done if one of the other companies has the same misfortune. Did they have the same federal inspectors as BP? Is anyone looking into that?
My understanding (according to comments from the Coast Guard commandant last week) is other oil companies have indicated that BP is doing everything they'd do. You are correct that it begs the question what would happen if a similar incident occurred with another drilling platform. In theory, if their cut-off valves are in working order, a similar disaster would be avoided. One would hope that based on recent events all other oil companies with drilling platforms are testing their cut-off valves.