Planning ahead is part of human nature. Humans try to plan for every possible outcome so they are ready for whatever obstacles life may throw in their path.
Businesses are perhaps even more of a proponent of planning ahead than humans are, for the success of their ventures depend on it. Businesses have to plan for every nuance and every situation, not only to cover their own asses but to ensure their longevity.
I’m not a chief executive officer, but it doesn’t take one to see that the way BP has handled the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has been awful. For that matter, President Obama hasn’t been much better, either.
I recognize the need for oil, don’t get me wrong. Most of us drive cars and oil is a huge necessity for everyday life. That being said, I don’t think oil itself is the enemy here. The enemy is poor regulations, even worse safety precautions and terrible public relations.
BP as a whole has to know that it screwed up. All one has to do is look at the fact that the company’s market capitalization has dropped substantially since the April 20 Gulf of Mexico disaster. What is incredible to me, though, is BP CEO Tony Hayward’s seemingly blasé attitude toward the whole thing.
Who can forget his May 17 downplay of the spill itself, saying that the spill was “relatively tiny” in comparison to the size of the entire ocean? On face value, this is certainly a true statement – the ocean is huge, and the spill, when viewed against the backdrop of the entire ocean, is tiny. Does that mean it is OK for Hayward to write it off as an afterthought? Absolutely not. In addition, Hayward is just proving how ignorant he really is.
As with any oil spill, there are enormous long-term ramifications involving the area’s ecosystem. The “underwater dustbowl” caused by the spill in a mere two months is incredible. So, yes, while the oil spill is small, it will continue to adversely affect the Gulf’s ecosystem for decades, as is evident with the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.
Besides disputing the severity of the spill and saying that he “just wants his life back,” Hayward also took a day off last weekend to attend a yacht race on the Isle of Wight.
So as plumes of oil are poisoning sea life and raping the ecosystem of the Gulf, Hayward found it necessary to see his co-owned boat, Bob, race.
For some reason, when it comes to the environment, people just don’t find it as pressing of an issue as, say, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After all, it wasn’t just a bunch of pelicans with oil in their beaks. Actual human lives were at risk!
One of my favorite quotes has to be that of BP Representative Randy Prescott, when he matter-of-factly stated that “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp,” in response to the worry of Gulf restaurateurs facing raising shrimp and oyster prices.
How do these wildly ignorant and idiotic people maintain positions of power? It’s simple. To them, it really is all about money. First of all, BP needs to acknowledge that it has royally effed up. Secondly, it needs to cut off excess flack, starting with Hayward and Prescott.
The true cleanup can begin afterward.
Or maybe we can all just sit back and pray that the situation is divinely fixed, like Sarah Palin urged via Twitter? By the way, has Palin ever said anything intelligent?
Gerry Wachovsky is a graduate student and contributing writer for the Summer 49er.
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