Where
there is tragedy, there are gawkers.
It’s inevitable. Which of you have NOT slowed down to check out a car accident you’re driving
past? You know what I mean. You can’t, not look. It’s human nature.
Unfortunately,
exploiting tragedy is another aspect of human nature. Where there is tragedy, there are also profiteers.
According to an NPR segment which ran
yesterday, Gray Line Tours is offering a Hurricane Katrina
Tour through the remnants of New Orleans. For $35, rubber-necking tourists can gleefully roll past the
carnage, merrily snapping photos, and otherwise oohing and ahhing at what Gray Line Tours is billing as
“America’s Worst Catastrophe.”
Although $3 will be donated to charity for each ticket sold, this is not enough to offset a growing anger towards
those companies, such as Gray Line Tours, who are making money of the misery of others. Check out the NPR broadcast and decide for yourself if this
is unethical, or perfectly within the rights of the average Joe to earn a buck.