Disaster Tourism and end-of-the-world influencers
How the Palisade fires showed our addiction to end of the world content. Plus: A new poster for a new DARTZ tour!
Behind the Panels
Maybe it’s because it was in Los Angeles, but watching the coverage and reels/TikToks from influencers around the fires raging through the Palisades made me feel bleak about our future.
Starting with influencers, many were slammed for taking shirtless videos in front of the fires, shooting videos near the fires, or filming themselves packing while being evacuated - as if a national emergency was an opportunity to create content.
Some are also using the fires to milk unearned sympathy, as David Farrier reported this included notorious New Zealand attention seeker/grifter Anna Wilding, who Stuff reported on her experience of losing her “future home” (a rental) you can read that full piece here:
Then there’s the news media, who get rock-hard over disasters, going into every gory detail, pressing people to give interviews, and diving into their tragedies and life-changing losses, all for our entertainment under the guise of “news.”
This includes our news media, who did round-the-clock live coverage of the fires, and devastating loss - more coverage than they ever gave to the war in Gaza and the horrific crimes being committed there. This live reporting also included them speculating on what could have caused the fires, despite no official announcement or hint to the cause.
But you also can’t blame them, as we as an audience entertain it, we lap it it up. We love watching a disaster unfold, we love seeing the destruction. You throw in some celebrities, then you have some high click rates and a hit on your hands.
Maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age, but people creating content and spreading misinformation during an emergency, and news media looking for the saddest, most devastated people to throw a mic and camera in front of really seems like a telling sign of where we are at.
Danz
Speaking of the end of the world, my latest DARTZ Poster design kind of incorporates the idea of being blissfully aware of the warning signs, and destruction going around you, and trying to keep the party going.
DARTZ is heading on a small NZ tour to close off our ‘Dangerous Day To Be A Cold One’ Album era! This includes a set at Homegrown, opening for Elemeno P in Auckland, and stopping in for some rip-roaring sets in Hamilton and Christchurch. Grab a ticket and come along for a beer and bounce around!
My new book ‘Slices of Heaven: Uniquely Kiwi Comics about Aotearoa’ is out now! It’s a print collection of warm and witty comics about the DNA of Aotearoa, celebrating our quirks, institutions, identity, and shared experiences.
You can order a copy below, and check out a preview of what’s inside here and here. Thanks again for all your support!
