Flaws: Shark Bites and Emotional Public Policymaking

Description

This book examines the policymaking process following highly emotional events. It focuses on the politics of shark “attacks” by looking at policy responses to tragic shark bites in Florida, Australia, and South Africa. The book reviews these cases by identifying the flaws in the human-shark relationship, including the way sharks are portrayed as the enemy, the way shark bites are seen as intentional, and how policy responses appear to be based on public safety. Flaws identifies politicians as the true sharks of this story for their manipulation of tragic circumstances to protect their own interests. It argues that shark bites are ungovernable accidents of nature, and that we are “in the way, not on the menu.” Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii Introduction (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 1-12 The Rise of Shark “Attack” Discourse (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 13-38 Governing Emotion: How to Analyze Emotional Political Situations (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 39-62 A Political Frenzy During Florida’s Summer of the Shark (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 63-89 Bureaucratic Success and Cape Town’s Shark Spotters Program (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 91-118 The Rogue Minister and Sydney’s Adoption of Aerial Patrols (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 119-147 Reviewing a Framework for Emotions and Public Policy (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 149-161 Considering Sharks from a Post-Jaws Perspective (Christopher L. Pepin-Neff)....Pages 163-188 Back Matter ....Pages 189-192