Los 33: an outpouring of unity
October 15, 2010 by marisolly
There is so much that’s surreal about the scenes at Copiapo these past few days, I hardly know where to begin. A international news sensation with a happy ending? How often does that happen?
Chile on the news 24 hours a day? Unreal. I’m worried I won’t get it all down, so I’m reduced to writing a list:
The Pixies played “un concierto inolvidable”, their longest ever set in Santiago last night to celebrate the miners’ rescue. My cousin Janda watched them a few nights ago. I can’t think of anything more perfect by way of celebration.
The scenes of jubilation show an outpouring of unity, long overdue for a nation that has been bitterly divided since the coup. Chileans are united by their humanity and relief. Chile is redefining itself on the world stage through this episode.
I’m astonished at the way Pinera has played the whole affair. He was clearly made for TV. His timing and wording are totally maximising gain for him both nationally and internationally. Popularity ratings of more than 80% for a right wing president in Chile? Did I mention how surreal this is?
Even today’s follow up story, carefully worded and timed to get to the nub of the issue, the issue muttered in the shadows by the deepest cynics – that of the mining industry’s negligence – now addressed by Pinera. “Pinera vows to reform Chile’s mining industry” the headlines ran this morning.
Will this have any impact on the world’s mining industry? Could it change things for the better as the developing world properly taps into the untold wealth beneath its surface? Or will lesser spotted miners continue to be trapped in cycles of poverty that mean they have no choice but to mine in unsafe conditions for ever more?
The extraordinary sharing of airspace between Pinera and Morales, two men who might as well be from different planets. No doubt this is a very good thing for Chilean-Bolivian relations.
The Daily Mail complaining about the number of BBC journalists covering the story. Is that really the best they can come up with?
Fact: people will read whatever they want to into this story. Check these articles passed on by my cousin Miguel Aranda, a journalist in Chile. One from Spain’s El Pais on the real winners and losers of the ordeal, the other from Wall Street Journal: Capitalism Saved the Miners
And finally, word has it that mining minister Laurence Golborne could launch his presidential bid of the back of this. Is he the dark horse and the real winner?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chile, Copiapo, disaster, Los 33, media, mining, Pinera, politics, rescue, San Jose, The Pixies | 2 Comments
The real winners could be the mining company who apparently discovered previously untapped reserves of gold, diamonds and other jewels when drilling various escape tunnels.
It’s an amazing story that bucks the usual trend but I expect (along with the Hollywood movie) crass ‘Final Destination’ style reporting everytime something happens to one of the miners.
It will be interesting to see if the Los 3 are allowed to lead a normal life from this point forward.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Russell Watkins, Ophelia Bottom. Ophelia Bottom said: Excellent blog from @marisolly about "los 33" and what it means for Chile http://wp.me/pzYoX-1X #miners […]