The RAE defines the term anomie as the absence of law and as “all situations which derive from the absence of social norms or their degradation”. Following Émile Durkheim, who is the father of the concept and one of the fathers of modern sociology, we would say that an anomic state can occur in all or part of a population when the social structure as a whole is unable to meet the needs of individuals. of what they need. And we will agree that the lack of foresight of a tragedy of biblical proportions like that of Valencia, and the subsequent absence of the State for days (regardless of the presence of more or less organized extremist elements – of which we do not speak -, instrumentalizing it), added to the sadness, pain, rage and indignation, have rightly plunged the ordinary people affected by DANA in Valencia into a state of collective anomie easily transformable into sticks, stones, insults and mud.
And, in times of confusion, it’s always a good idea to turn to the classics – which never disappoint – to provide some light. If the rules don’t work, if there are no laws, there will be no laws for presidents or for the king.
In addition to the difficulty, cost and time it will represent for all these people to recover material things, and the unspeakable pain of not being able to recover what is most important, the hoaxes, the exaggerations, the falsehoods declarations and lies (malicious or not) are multiplying. to make things difficult. In addition, so that almost a million people affected by the October disaster can get their lives back and escape this deep feeling of anomie. And I think it is the responsibility of everyone else, of the more than forty-eight million remaining Spaniards, to avoid that. It’s a question of respect and empathy for the victims.
One of these hoaxes – probably one of the cruelest – was the one that referred to the parking lot of the Bonaire shopping center, which, contrary to the lies that have been told, is one of the few joys that a country still in life shock was taken: there was not a single victim.
It is not necessary to comment on the merits of this matter because who else, who least, has followed with soul in the fist all the news and informative files since the fateful night of Tuesday, October 29. So, beyond the mud on mud and mud on mud that may have been dumped at this precise moment, it is appropriate to ask ourselves: was there really sincere concern about the consequences that the poor management of a crisis like the one that could have caused in this shopping center? Have we become aware of the need to take concrete and clear measures in places where people may be particularly vulnerable in the event of disasters caused by extreme phenomena?
If we don’t want to fall into total nihilism, if we don’t want to remain anomic and lost, if we still have an iota of confidence left in ourselves and in the society of which we are a part (and if you can’t find it, think to volunteers of all conditions who have not missed a single day), then we will only be able to answer these questions with a Yeah. Despite the sensationalism, despite the sensationalism, we can, we must say yes.
And that’s it Yeah precisely the one who animates the main goal of this article, who, from the conviction of this affirmation and from humility, wishes to make a modest contribution to those who want it and can collect it, and to those who want it and can put it implemented. For surely, in the light of what has been sadly experienced, it has more possibility of being judged by its purpose, by its usefulness and by its value. It is as follows:⁸
On February 4, 2021, a non-legislative proposal (specifically PNL-21/2021) was defended in the Parliament of Madrid, of which the propositional part, where the measures proposed to the government (regional in this case) are presented, are written, there were four points that literally said:
“1.- Establish communication channels and protocols – not only internal – and standardized messages for the population by the Government of the Community of Madrid in the event of the issuance of red alerts from Aemet (extreme weather risks, phenomena unusual weather, exceptional intensity and with a very high level of risk for the population) which not only “recommend” but also give precise indications according to the risk in question.
2.- Regulate and automate the order to stop commercial activity in any area, or throughout the Community of Madrid where applicable, affected by the alert level mentioned in point 1.
3.- Delineate the risk level of shopping centers and parks in Madrid based on their ease of isolation in the event of an extreme weather event, due to their location and connections, to establish a protocol that prioritizes their closure and the safety of workers. . and workers with a secure margin of time.
4.- Include this type of prevention in the VI Master Plan for the Prevention of Occupational Risks.
As those who have arrived this far will have already imagined, this proposal was made following the passage of storm Filomena in Madrid. It was written after speaking to workers who were stuck or experiencing difficulties, including accidents, on the roads. And this was done because this did not happen in all the malls affected by the storm. Why not ? Well, quite simply because, as there were no specific regulations or action protocols (they still don’t exist), the decision to send people home or not, the decision to close or not was freely left to the discretion of managers, first. of all, and the leaders and management of companies and stores, in second place. The same thing happened again on October 29. And as everywhere there are people who have good and bad judgment, there were those in charge who, at 3 p.m., sent everyone home and, a few meters away, others threatened to fine workers and businesses that closed before 9:20 p.m.
Rules, laws, protocols of action serve, and must serve, to protect both workers and ordinary citizens from the bad judgments of foolish officials. As we unfortunately saw in Valencia, sometimes umbrellas are not even enough when the madness is unbearable (Baltasar Gracián already said that Fortune frequently covers the height of the position with the inferiority of the bearer). But if these regulations don’t even exist, what can protect us from stupidity and incompetence?
When, in early September 2023, the Community of Madrid was cautious and published a notice to the entire population regarding a DANA, it was criticized and even ridiculed by politicians, journalists and community leaders. opinion of his own ideological arc, some of which referred to the intrusion into private life (indicating complete ignorance in this regard) and others emphasized the possible economic damage of this action. They even said that you had to be one hundred percent sure that the event was going to take place before making an announcement like this. There was even ridicule despite the fact that this DANA caused several deaths. How many people would have to lose their lives to take this seriously?
Recent painful and heartbreaking experience – the facts – have taught us that in reality it is exactly the opposite: we need to be one hundred percent sure that an event will not happen. No warn the population who could suffer from it. Here there can be no further discussion about the correct order of these factors. We learned this late and to our cost.
It is precisely, from the beginning, that Durkheim proposed the solution to resolve states of social anomie: to recompose the system of values of the society that suffers from them. Avoid collapse by putting our priorities in order, putting them in the right order. This would be a good way to start, because anomie can also be as contagious as the worst pandemic.
