SOC 148 Lecture Notes - Nuclear Meltdown, The China Syndrome
Document Summary
The stereo-type of the public panicking (panic-flight-shock) and of human stampedes resulting has not been borne out by the evidence . Caveat: this also depends on who is helping: timing: finally, timing is crucial; being present early in a crisis makes altruism more likely than arriving to the scene later when fate appears to have run its course . An enduring image public disaster/ crisis panic!!!! Myths regarding public panic in disaster, crisis, and emergency contexts endures, in part, because they are easy explanations for complex events and failures where responsibility often also lies with; it deflects responsibility. Plant would have saved itself, if people did not intervene the way they did. Press conference of three mile island ensured the people that things were being taken care of. Company ensured that there was nothing to be concerned about. People were upset w/ the way things were being handled and the way people were being lied to.
