Reply #19: The fires have hit some very wealthy areas as well as some

[JDPriestly]

areas that are not so wealthy. Ramona certainly is not a wealthy area, for example. But, Malibu and Rancho Santa Fe are very wealthy. The homes in Arrowhead are modest, but many though not all are second homes.

If you stop to think about it, the press always focuses on celebrities. It is just par for the course that they are focusing on the fates of the stars and the rich. That's the way our country is. Everyone wants to be rich and famous and know what the rich and famous are doing. News about tragedy in the lives of the rich and famous sells.

Yes, in part the sympathetic coverage of the rich and famous in Malibu as opposed to the critical coverage of the poor in New Orleans is meant to divide us. It is also meant to cater to our crass curiosity about how the rich and famous live. Above all, perhaps it is meant to distract from the sad reality of so many people losing their homes and everything they have worked for at this time. We will all share the economic losses in the form of higher insurance premiums, taxes, etc., but nothing can pay for the loss of family photos, keepsakes, things that mean a lot in people's lives. That is just too sad a story to have to tell. That is the story that was never really clearly conveyed with regard to New Orleans, and it won't be clearly conveyed here either. The focus on the rich and famous makes the fire story easier to deal with for the media and their audiences.