Why Do We Care More About The Gulf Than The Amazon?

Ecologically speaking, devastation of the Amazon rainforest is far greater than the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. So why do we care more about the Gulf?

Dan Aierly of Need to Know on PBS explains:

Here’s what we know about human caring and compassion. First and foremost, it is based on our emotions rather than our reasoning. Joseph Stalin said, “One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic.” Mother Teresa said, “If I look at the masses I will never act, but if I look at the one I will.” In oil spill terms: We see pelicans and turtles mired and dying in oil, and we want to cry. We hear about families who have had their homes ruined and their livelihoods horribly affected or even destroyed, and we sympathize with their helplessness and want to do something to help them recover. Our compassion isn’t necessarily proportional to the magnitude of the catastrophe. It depends on how much of our emotion is invoked. [...]

Here are a few characteristics that might differentiate the BP oil spill from the destruction of the Amazon. First, it is a singular event with a precise beginning. Second, while the tragedy was ongoing (and we are not yet sure if it has ended or not) it seemed to become more desperate by the day. Third, we have a single organization that we can villainize. In contrast, in the Amazon, there are many organizations and individuals at fault, both in the countries where deforestation is occurring and abroad. And fourth, the Gulf is so much closer to home (at least for Americans).

Link - via Holy Kaw!


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ehm...
"... the Gulf is so much closer to home (at least for Americans)."

I don't want to knit-pick here, but...
Should this not be -north- americans?
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The comparison has some major holes. The destruction of rain forests is an act that is driven by economic factors and is intentional (note that intentional does not necessarily imply justifiable). The choice could be made to stop the destruction and even reverse some of it.

The oil spill is an accident that at best will have only regional affects on food supply and animal life. Imagine the worst case scenario. Had BP not been able to stop the flow for years, the impact could include destroying the underwater ecosystem throughout the Gulf and Caribbean and contaminating the food supply throughout the North Atlantic.
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saying people care more about his than that is purely a daft presumption

people might and probably do care more about our rainforests for all we know it's just that the oil is the mess du jour and is what is in the news
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