Does our search for blame hinder preparedness?

It’s a simple fact of humanity. When something bad happens, we want to know why. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. One might argue it is what makes us human. Animals concern themselves with what and how but don’t care why – humans do. That simple question has arguably been the reason we are now affecting the world on a scale comparable to super volcano and meteor strikes.

It is unfortunate however, that while asking why, we also tend to look for blame. To put it bluntly, we may be on the level of volcanoes and earthquakes – but as volcanoes, earthquakes and storms are still subject to planetary and extra-planetary forces, so are we.

Take for example this excerpt, from an article discussing dangers of climate change. Kelman, I. (2017, August 29). Don’t blame climate change for the Hurricane Harvey disaster – blame society. Retrieved April 11, 2018, from http://theconversation.com/dont-blame-climate-change-for-the-hurricane-harvey-disaster-blame-society-83163

Weather and climate don’t cause disasters – vulnerability does. Perhaps counter-intuitively, this means that the widespread discussion as to whether the Hurricane Harvey disaster was caused by climate change or not becomes a dangerous distraction.

The opening line points right to “someone is at fault” for Hurricane Harvey. The problem is, WHO is at fault? This article is hardly unique – a google search of “disaster blame” turns up it and thousands more.

Finding blame is easy. But that doesn’t make it true, or fair. Where I live, still safe and sound (100KM from a rotting cache of the deadliest substance crafted by man), we often shake our heads at people caught in disasters. Is our smugness justified? Is it really fair to consider humans foolish for living in large coastal cities because storms hit them? We say the same thing about the great plains when a tornado strikes. California is falling off the shelf. Do third world citizens erect shanty towns in dangerous areas because they don’t know any better? Do we, living in the first world, force them to do so? It quickly becomes an endless circle of questions with mercurial answers, none of which serve to help when a disaster actually strikes.

I can’t answer my question. Not asking questions and researching what went wrong would hinder our ability to adapt and learn. I just wonder if we spend a bit too much energy looking for who did wrong than what went wrong. In a world with filled with forces we have yet to master, more time spent questioning the later might be more beneficial.