Humanity as an aeroplane crash

The French economist Jacques Attali calls the tragic aeroplane crash in Madrid a symbol for humanity: "Of all the tragedies that have dolefully afflicted this summer, ... one stands out particularly in my mind: the Spanair flight in which more than 150 people lost their lives. Not because of the cause of the accident, which is not yet known, but because of the course it took, illustrated by one passenger, Ruben Santana, who was forbidden by the pilot from leaving the plane before it took off. ... In a way this tragedy is a symbol for the human condition. People ... act like air passengers who drink champagne in full knowledge that they will soon crash against a mountain. The Spanair accident extends this metaphor, evoking a humanity that dies during take-off because it neither questioned the profit margins nor took basic precautions to protect human lives. ... A humanity in which responsibility is so watered down that those who give the fatal order perish along with those who struggled against them to come out alive. The financial crisis and climate change are further examples of this blindness. ... This must change. When we return from holiday this summer, let us not forget Ruben Santana."

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