In Eli\u2019s post \u201cThe perverse and often baffling economics of disasters,\u201d he examines Kevin Rozario\u2019s \u201cWhat Comes Down Must Go Up: Why Disasters Have Been Good for American Capitalism.\u201d Rozario believes disasters may have positive economic effects particularly on capitalism. It does seem odd, as Eli notes, that a disaster where homes are damaged, property destroyed, resources ruined, industries interrupted, and lives lost may be counted as an economic good. It appears that any economic good may happen in the long run rather than immediately after the disaster. This argument reminds me of an article we read last week, Richard Schneirov\u2019s \u201cThoughts on Periodizing the Gilded Age: Capital Accumulation, Society, and Politics, 1873-1898.\u201d Schneirov credits much of the United States economy and capitalism to Civil War and Reconstruction. Schneirov does not state capitalism took off immediately at the end of the Civil War. Rather, the Civil War started economic trends that continued through the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.<\/p>\n

Eli\u2019s comparison of disaster and capitalism is an interesting one. Disasters, he writes must destroy things, and capitalism must also clear previous technologies to move forward. As Rozario puts it, capitalism \u201cmust constantly destroy to create.\u201d I think the point holds to an extent, but capitalism and progress does not always need to destroy the past. Casting capitalism as a destructive force seems negative, and also belittles the effects of disaster. New technology often\u2014if not always\u2014builds on previous knowledge. Eventually, the advancement may come to replace earlier models, but it is not the same destruction inherent in a disaster.<\/p>\n

Another point I find unusual in Rozario\u2019s article is that many Americans have \u201ca longstanding conviction that calamities are blessings.\u201d Disasters are useful for exposing flaws in society and motivating people to address the issues. They can clear space for innovation. I do not entirely agree, however, that Americans commonly perceive disasters as blessings. It seems that people might have a tendency to be hopeful or optimistic; they must look for the best or the disaster could be overwhelming. The art on Hiroshima from the State of Emergency <\/i>that I examined suggested this optimism. The pieces, while about something as terrible as thousands of deaths, held a sort of peaceful promise in their serene colors. Disasters are much more than economics; they involve people\u2019s lives, hopes, and dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Eli\u2019s post \u201cThe perverse and often baffling economics of disasters,\u201d he examines Kevin Rozario\u2019s \u201cWhat Comes Down Must Go Up: Why Disasters Have Been Good for American Capitalism.\u201d Rozario believes disasters may have positive economic effects particularly on capitalism. It does seem odd, as Eli notes, that a disaster where homes are damaged, property … <\/p>\n

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