Apparently one of the subjects “Los 33” discussed while waiting 69 days to be rescued was how to feed the appetite for their story once they emerged. An article published today on Huffington Post says the miners agreed to not disclose details of their saga until they had a plan to market their new-found celebrity. Apparently, they’ve told their family members to also remain silent on the subject. And a shift foreman close to the men reported that they already hired an accountant to manage their income from public appearances.
My immediate reaction to hearing this was disappointment. We’ve been hoping for their safe return for weeks now. I stayed up later than usual to watch the rescue of the first man. I wept tears of joy for his son who was understandably beside himself. That they’ve already hatched an opportunistic plan was not part of the happy ending I was envisioning.
But as I thought about it further, I guess I can’t fault them. The Chilean authorities clearly made their rescue a highly produced media event — Anderson Cooper even expressed his shock at the pomp and circumstance. If they didn’t band together and agree on plan to tell their story and split the proceeds, they would have been taken advantage of immediately by all kinds of people trying to get a piece of the action. In the end, their celebrity is simply another adjustment they need to make as they re-enter society. They may need to keep those dark sunglasses for a bit longer.
I concur with all you have said so well, but somehow the mercenary approach takes away from what seems such a divine miracle. I wish them all very well.