Perspective
Victims of the World Trade Center attacks, September 11, 2001: 2,996 [source]
Victims of the earthquake/tsunami, December 26, 2004: 33,000 56,000+ [source]
From today’s IMDb Studio Brief:
New York Post TV writer Linda Stasi was among those who called coverage of the disaster a disaster in its own right. Pointing out that a CNN anchor, after asking a seismologist what fascinated him most about the tsunami, quickly switched to a report about travelers dealing with holiday delays at airports, Stasi commented: “Think about the difference in the solemnity with which 9/11 was reported and how this disaster was reported. Can you imagine switching from Ground Zero coverage in the first few days to, say, back-to-school shopping sprees?“
(emphasis mine)
With the death toll now exceeding 80,000, I am finding it very hard to imagine that many people, let alone imagining that many all being killed by a single natural disaster. In order to adequately express how I feel, I think it is first necessary to invent new words, as the ones I know today are insufficient.