Remember that faraway Wednesday two days ago when the rescued miners were heroes whose tales of survival and triumph over adversity gave us a reason to believe in this crazy, mixed-up world? Well, now that they’re out and the public has no miracle rescue to look forward to anymore, the media is already starting to turn. Take, for instance, the AOL homepage story on whether the miners will end up honoring their pact to split the proceeds on any publicity. Bonded by their shared trauma, the men signed a contract to divvy the financial windfall. Well, AOL’s experts seriously doubt they’re going to stick to it, particularly when some miners — like Yonni Barrios, whose love triangle has captivated Intel staffers, and Mario “Super Mario” Sepulveda, who brought rocks up as presents (so thoughtful!) — are already receiving more attention. After Victor Segovia said he wasn’t going to add the $50,000 he received (for the rights to his diary) to the common pot, Carnegie Mellon professor George Loewenstein told AOL, “This is the beginning of the unraveling … Self-interest has a nasty way of interfering with group solidarity.”
How dare they let supporting their families sully our heartwarming narrative!
