Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Just Asking Questions
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Print Subscription
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Culture

Godzilla vs. Real Life

Jesse Walker | 3.11.2011 10:19 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

The word "Godzilla" was trending on Twitter this morning, as an army of would-be wits reacted to the catastrophe in Japan with identical wisecracks. The joke is dumb and tasteless. But it's actually worth taking a moment to think about Godzilla right now, because what happened last night illustrates an important but terribly underappreciated point: the striking difference between the ways people respond to disasters in the movies and in real life.

Here's a panicky crowd stampeding away from the monster in a Godzilla flick:

Here's real people reacting to a real disaster:

Human beings tend to be far more calm and resourceful in an emergency than the movies -- and far too much of the news media -- will ordinarily admit. Unfortunately, officials often make decisions with Godzilla's footprint on their mind, withholding important information from the public for fear of "spreading panic."

More on that subject here and here.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Reason Writers Around Town: Matt Welch at CNN.com: "Defund Public Broadcasting"

Jesse Walker is books editor at Reason and the author of Rebels on the Air and The United States of Paranoia.

CultureWorldJapanNatural DisastersMovies
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (74)

Latest

The Constitution Does Not Allow the President To Unilaterally Blow Suspected Drug Smugglers to Smithereens

Rand Paul | 10.8.2025 5:54 PM

States Are Banning Retail Sales of Dogs and Cats. It's Doing More Harm Than Good.

John Stossel | 10.8.2025 2:50 PM

Supreme Court Declines To Address Section 230 in Two Cases for This Term

Joe Lancaster | 10.8.2025 2:30 PM

Trump Calls for Arrest of Chicago Mayor and Illinois Gov. Pritzker

C.J. Ciaramella | 10.8.2025 1:15 PM

Trump's Labor Department Admits That Trump's Immigration Crackdown Is Causing a Shortage of Farm Workers

Eric Boehm | 10.8.2025 1:00 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300