deadliest catch: Who Profits When Natural Disasters and Pandemics Strike the Same Week?
As a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the Pacific Coast this week—just as a new WHO pandemic warning hit the news—viewers of the reality TV show "deadliest catch" might have noticed something odd. The series, which chronicles the brutal Alaskan crab fishing season, has been heavily promoting a "survival gear" line from a major defense contractor. Now, that same contractor is the sole supplier of emergency response kits being doled out by FEMA in the disaster zone. While the media packages this as a heartwarming public-private partnership, a skeptical look reveals a carefully orchestrated crisis: the same natural disaster and viral scare that fill "deadliest catch" with footage of heroic fishermen are generating record profits for the very companies that own the networks and supply the "solutions." Ask yourself: who really reaps the rewards when the narrative shifts from a fishing show to a national emergency?