The RAE defines the term anomie as the absence of law and as “the set of situations that derive from the lack of social norms or their degradation.” Following Emile Durkheim, who is the father of the concept and one of the fathers of modern sociology, we would say that an anomic state can occur in all or part of a population when the social structure as a whole is incapable of providing for individuals. of what they need. And we will agree that the lack of foresight of a tragedy of biblical proportions like that of Valencia, and the subsequent absence of the State for days (regardless of the presence of more or less organized extremist elements – which are not discussed -, instrumentalizing it) , added to the sadness, pain, rage and indignation, have plunged the common people affected by DANA in Valencia, more than justifiably, into a state of collective anomie easily transformed into sticks, stones, insults and mud.
And, in confusing times, it is always a good idea to turn to the classics – which never disappoint – to shed a little light. If the rules do not work, if there is no law, there will be no laws either for presidents or for the king.
In addition to the difficulty, cost and time that it will mean for all these people to recover material things, and the unspeakable pain at the impossibility of recovering what is most important, hoaxes, exaggerations, misrepresentations and lies (malicious or not) are going to make it difficult Furthermore, that the nearly one million people affected by this October’s catastrophe can recover their lives and escape that deep feeling of anomie. And I think it is the responsibility of everyone else, of the more than forty-eight million remaining Spanish men and women, to avoid this. It is a matter of respect and empathy for the victims.
One of those hoaxes – probably one of the cruelest – was the one referring to the Bonaire shopping center parking lot, which, contrary to the lies that were told, is one of the few joys that a country that is still in shock has been taken: there was not a single victim there.
It is not necessary to comment on the substance of this matter because who else, who least has been following with their soul in a fist all the news and informative specials since the fateful night of Tuesday, October 29. So, beyond the mud upon the mud and the mud upon the mud that may have been poured at this specific point, it is worth asking: has there really been a sincere concern about the consequences that the poor management of a crisis like the one experienced could have provoke in that shopping center? Has there been awareness of the need to have concrete and clear measures in places where people may be especially vulnerable in the event of disasters caused by extreme phenomena?
If we do not want to fall into total nihilism, if we do not want to remain anomic and lost, if we have an iota of confidence left in ourselves and in the society of which we are a part (and if you cannot find it, think about the volunteers of all conditions that have not missed a single day), then we will only be able to answer those questions with a Yeah. Despite the sensationalism, despite the sensationalism, we can, we must, answer yes.
And it is that Yeah precisely the one that animates the main purpose of this article, which from the conviction of that statement and from humility, wishes to make a modest contribution for those who want it and can collect it, and for those who want it and can implement it. Because surely in light of what has been sadly experienced, it has more possibilities of being judged by its purpose, by its usefulness and by its value. It is the following:⁸
On February 4, 2021, a non-law proposal (specifically the PNL-21/2021) was defended in the Madrid parliament, the propositional part of which, which is where the measures that are being proposed to the government (regional in this case) are written, It had four points that literally said:
“1.- Establish communication channels and protocols – not just internal – and standardized messages for the population by the Government of the Community of Madrid in the event of the issuance of red alerts from Aemet (extreme meteorological risks, unusual meteorological phenomena, exceptional intensity and with a very high level of risk for the population) that not only “recommend” but also give precise indications based on the risk in question.
2.- Regulate and automate the order to stop commercial activity in any area, or the entire Community of Madrid if applicable, affected by the alert level mentioned in point 1.
3.- Delimit the level of risk of Madrid’s shopping centers and parks depending on their ease of being isolated in the event of an extreme weather event, due to their location and connections, to establish a protocol that prioritizes their closure and the safety of workers. and workers with a safe time margin.
4.- Include this type of prevention in the VI Master Plan for Occupational Risk Prevention.“
As those who have come this far will have already imagined, this proposal was made following the passage of Storm Filomena through Madrid. It was written after speaking to workers who were either trapped or had difficulties, including accidents, on the roads. And it was done because this did not happen in all the Shopping Centers affected by the storm. Why not? Well, simply because, as there was no specific regulation or protocol for action (they still don’t exist), the decision to send people home or not, the decision to close or not was freely left to the discretion of the managers, first of all. , and the managers and management of the companies and stores, secondly. The same thing happened again on October 29. And, since everywhere there are people with good and bad judgment, there were people in charge who at 3:00 p.m. sent everyone home and, a few meters away, others who threatened to fine workers and businesses that closed before 9:00 p.m. 20:00.
The rules, the laws, the action protocols serve, and must serve, to protect both workers and ordinary citizens from the bad judgments of foolish officials. As we have unfortunately seen in Valencia, sometimes they are not even enough umbrellas when the foolishness is unbearable (Baltasar Gracián already said that Fortune frequently covers the height of the position with the inferiority of the bearer). But, if these regulations do not even exist, what can protect us from stupidity and incompetence?
When, at the beginning of September 2023, the Community of Madrid was prudent and issued a notice to the entire population regarding a DANA, it received criticism and even ridicule from politicians, journalists and opinion leaders of its own ideological arc, some of which referred to to intrusion into privacy (indicating, by the way, a total ignorance in this regard) and others placed emphasis on the possible economic damages of this action. They even stated that you have to be one hundred percent sure that the event is going to occur before launching an announcement of that type. There was even ridicule despite the fact that this DANA left several fatalities. How many people would have had to lose their lives to take it seriously?
The painful and heartbreaking experience recently suffered – the facts – have taught us that in reality this is exactly the opposite: we must be one hundred percent sure that an event is not going to occur to No warn the population that may suffer from it. Here there can no longer be any discussion of the correct order of these factors. We have learned it late and the hard way.
Precisely, going back to the beginning, that was the solution that Durkheim pointed to to solve states of social anomie: to recompose the value system of the society that suffers from it. Avoid collapse by putting our priorities in order, putting them in the correct order. That would be a good way to start because anomie can also be as contagious as the worst of pandemics.
#Hoaxes #mud
