Within 24 hours of the Space Shuttle Columbia's horrific demise, fallen debris from the craft was up for sale on e-Bay. Imagine being a family member of one of those killed in the tragic accident, going online and seeing your loved one's charred personal belongings for sale to the highest bidder. Imagine being a government official and witnessing the sale of your country's multi-million dollar shuttle being auctioned off piece by broken piece.
Yes, some people reached a new ethical low last week when they illegally sold off pieces of the catastrophe with complete disregard of those in mourning. However, as despicable as the acts might seem, they're not a long way off from the average mentality of the American people.
When students on campus are more interested in the latest news regarding the Girls Gone Wild activity on campus than in a national tragedy, there is a severe apathy problem. We've reached the point where sex no longer sells--it monopolizes. And where lust falls short, greed is quick to pick up the remaining interest of society. Real concern and introspection are becoming harder and harder to find.
When the news first struck that Columbia had suffered a fiery fate, it hardly struck the public as earthshaking. Despite the steady flow of news updates and half-mast flags, it was business as usual for most U.S. citizens. Few took the time to let the gravity of the situation sink in. Seven national heroes had fallen in the course of duty and it barely registered among young people.
Society has grown so accustomed to disaster and tragedy that it no longer pays due respect to tragic events. Since Sept. 11, few incidents, American or otherwise, have managed to rate high in public concern. We are doing much worse that just becoming a callous nation--we are turning inward and isolating ourselves from the horrors around us.
Yes, it's easier to believe that disaster is routine and we should just go about our daily lives, but it ignores the underlying fact that when our nation bleeds, we all have a responsibility to acknowledge that wound. It is our duty to console those in pain, even if by simply having sympathy for those who lost loved ones.
The Columbia space shuttle catastrophe is certainly no exception. Those who lost their lives were heroes in every sence of the word. They risked their own lives to carry out important experiments for their fellow Americans and the world community. Despite the dangers, the crew opted to carry out their task and, as a result, paid a tragic price. Their families and friends will miss them dearly--the least we ought to do is set aside our greed for a while and pay our respects with genuine concern and attention.
Mike Price is a journalism/mass communication freshman. Reach him at mikeprice@asu.edu.
