But who has time to follow it all?
So, to save you some aggregating time, here's a Cliffs Notes version of the themes, memes and metaphors that the media will almost certainly be mining and extracting from the entrapment and its heroic consequences.
The Abiding Power of Selflessness and Community
While cynics delight in pointing out how we've devolved into a dog-eat-dog, "Lord of the Flies" society, the story of these miners is a gutsy corrective. We'll be reading heartwarming stories about the sociological implications of the underground society they created -- with rules and norms -- and the nobility of the decision of the 33 to forgo any hospital visits until all of them are safely on terra firma.
Then Again, Human Nature Is Human Nature
Contrarian reporters, meanwhile, will burrow for examples of conflict and tension during the long entombment, as well as examples of fighting and jealousy among the miners' families. The latter has already been reported on, as have reports of miners confessing to affairs and illegitimate children. All interpretations of human character and fallibility will find support and solace.
Why Do We Care So Much?
Why did the fate of these 33 people capture the imagination of the world, when there is so much death and destruction happening every day? Expect an exploration of what behavioral psychiatrists call the "identifiable victim effect" -- we tend to be more generous when those suffering can be personalized and don't fade into an amorphous pool of victims. (Or, as Josef Stalin bluntly put it, "The death of one man is a tragedy; the death of millions is a statistic.")
America as the Indispensable Nation
For those who want to find evidence of the unique blend of American power and generosity, the rescue effort provides ample supply. The drill that broke through to the men early Saturday is an American-made Schramm T-130 borer, and the operator is American Jeff Hart, who was brought in from Afghanistan. (There's a used one on sale for $630,000 should you have a need.). Also, NASA played a big role -- consulting with minors to keep them mentally fit, putting them a special diet and designing the escape pod.
Media Handwringing About Too Much Coverage
More than 2,000 reporters are swarming over the vicinity of the mine collapse -- more than family members. So there will doubtlessly be fiscal grumping about the excessive turnout, given the enormous financial pressures news organizations are under and the limited access each crew will have to the triumphant event itself. There will be a lot of time-filling chatter and interviews with tertiary characters, like the vendors who sell food to the miners' families in the "hastily-built" camp. Seems like this was an opportunity -- if ever there was one -- for smartly pooled coverage.
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The miners will be freed of their entrapment. But what about the rest of us? Don't be surprised to see stories about how millions of families are still trapped in homes they can't afford and credit card debts they cannot be rescued from. How the president remains trapped in Afghanistan, how he's got no room to move. This is a metaphorical field day.
Then there are the special sunglasses that the miners will be given, required so they can adapt to the light after being in darkness for so long. What kind of cultural and personal darkness have we become acclimated to, without even realizing it? A veritable tsunami of symbolism awaits.
Distress About Our Celebrity Culture
We will see an instant transition from victims to media celebrities. As one report has noted, "The first thing they asked for was media training ... the 33 men are already planning for a lucrative life on the surface."
What's more, in true "Treasure of Sierra Madre" fashion, the miners have "summoned a lawyer to the desolate mine site so that they could all sign a pact agreeing to equally split any proceeds from TV, publishing and endorsement deals."
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No doubt, we'll all be reading outraged editorials about the crassness of today's celebrity culture and the cynicism of the relentless news machine that is turning these innocent heroes into media sharpies. And no doubt the story of their newfound media successes, tribulations and inevitable personal disasters will provide endless raw material. Any mine operator would be thrilled by the supply.The Other Side of Global Warming
Environmental reporters have their own proprietary angle: The coal mine disaster won't let us forget that it isn't just the planet that suffers from our addiction to dirty forms of energy. We may like to think of our world as high tech and clean and safe, but Los 33 remind us of how many people are still putting their lives at risk for the lifestyles we lead.
Do you think there's an angle I missed? That's what the comment box is for.