Silly Little Country

Best Day of TV Ever?

I think so and it is partly because it was so unintentional (and it is not ever).
Seeing the Chilean miners emerge one-by-one every 45 minutes or so has been so satisfying that I have had no urge to switch over to what I would normally watch. I have flipped around among various news stations but they are also all locked on the rescue effort.
Each appearance of a new miner has its new delights; these guys are so tough, and so happy when they emerge, that the pleasure of watching them emerge and re-connect is deeply satisfying. It is hard to fight back tears.
I'm in my early '60s so I have seen a lot of history on television. The Kennedy assassination day was major, as was the railway trip of Bobby Kennedy's body. I was institutionally otherwise engaged on 9/11 so missed much of that coverage until about 3 pm Eastern.
But this last day is unforgettable and delightful in ways none of those events were because:
a) the story is meted out at a really nice rhythm
b) the key players, the miners, are just ordinary working-class Joes
c) nobody is in this game for any reason other than just trying to help someone else
d) the reunifications are just flat out SO delightful.
I can think of many other things - in a poorer world, these guys could never have been rescued - this is the world our aggressive environmentalists want - just let 'em die underground!
Whoever was behind this rescue was really impressive. I liked Steve Sailer's comment this morning

Take your time and do it right.

And throw several approaches at it to see which one pays off first.
I loved the fist-pumping from one of the early emergees, getting the crowd to chant and cheer. Imagine what would have gone in your head after the initial mine collapse; who among them could have thought we above ground would care so much?
I do find this unique in my lifetime and spectacular. Maybe it can teach the rest of Latin America how to run a country.
Perhaps that is hoping far too much.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 4:14 PM