# Why is the Boardwalk fire such a big story? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 13, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804 "2013-09-13T22:52:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/41 "2013-09-15T02:09:27Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > _::cough::_ Follow my link. I don’t make shit up. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/42 "2013-09-15T02:19:25Z")
Whether or not people knew about the Jersey shore from MTV’s The Jersey Shore I tend to doubt that this show’s existence made people care (or have any affect on news coverage) more about Hurricane Sandy hitting New Jersey’s coast line or to the more recent fire. Nor would I think the fact that Two and a Half Men is set in Malibu makes people care more about the mudslides and wild fires that occasionally happen there. Natural disasters are considered news wherever they happen. Some people like to rubberneck to see what is happening in other necks of the woods, no matter if shows they recognize are set there. I think the somewhat odd OP was answered succinctly with the second response. Nice work, jayjay. ---
**Author:** ![furlibusea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@furlibusea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furlibusea)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/43 "2013-09-15T03:36:26Z")
I was actually thinking how refreshing it was that there was actually something that could be counted as really being news bumping George Zimmerman from the top story slot ABC News… Wait I spoke too soon. Now the top story is Prince William talking about the baby. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/44 "2013-09-15T03:41:59Z")
And people wonder why I never watch TV news. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/45 "2013-09-15T14:50:12Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I feel bad for the people who were injured and lost their jobs, but why is this getting so much coverage? Those of you who live(d) in the area would know, I guess. > > 😕 What fire? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/46 "2013-09-15T15:37:01Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > And people wonder why I never watch TV news. I got my news from Google news and other places and I was aware of it. > [@FXMastermind](#): > > What fire? Thus showing that some do live in a cave ant avoid specific sources. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/47 "2013-09-15T18:42:24Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I got my news from Google news and other places and I was aware of it. I was responding to: > [@furlibusea](#): > > I was actually thinking how refreshing it was that there was actually something that could be counted as really being news bumping George Zimmerman from the top story slot ABC News… Wait I spoke too soon. Now the top story is Prince William talking about the baby. I was fully aware of it. I just didn’t care beyond an “Ooh, that’s so sad about those people.” With Syria and all it just didn’t seem all that important. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/48 "2013-09-16T00:04:57Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Because this was an area that had JUST rebuilt from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, and they actually had to pull up a good portion of the new section of boardwalk to make a firebreak. It’s a defeat-snatched-from-the-jaws-of-victory story. Now the area’s economy is back into freefall from the loss of businesses and venue when they’d JUST finished recovering from the last disaster. I live in Philly, so it’s local news here (I know **Jayjay** lives in PA but I’m not sure if he’s closer to AC or further away). But, the angle of ‘we had just recovered from Sandy and now we get hit with an inferno’ is what they’re hitting in the news here. Whatever governmental agency in New Jersey is in charge of tourism had been running a Stronger Than The Storm campaign all summer. The campaign informed us that although Sandy had done a lot of damage, everything was repaired and ready for tourists to have fun. Then the fire happened. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/49 "2013-09-16T15:16:18Z")
Gee, why would a six alarm fire that destroyed fifty businesses rate anything more than a blurb on page 6? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/50 "2013-09-16T15:36:32Z")
Fire looks cool on TV. I live in NJ and get shown video of wild fires out west. Even ones that aren’t burning houses. This was a spectacular fire with multiple buildings burning furiously and collapsing. Along with the visuals you have the human interest angle of people coming back from adversity and getting knocked down again. Why would anyone wonder why it was newsworthy? You think the news is supposed to be about economics or the actual workings of government? No good video of that. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/51 "2013-09-16T17:03:45Z")
I’d never heard of the Jersey Shore until Diamond Dallas Page formed a tag team with Bam Bam Bigelow. Page is from Fort Myers, Florida, so I never really figured out what the Jersey thing was about. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/52 "2013-09-16T20:11:09Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Because it’s in New Jersey and it’s on the…shore? > > Just so no one will be confused in the future, here’s a map of the Jersey Shore with some of the major beaches highlighted: > > [http://www.shore-guide.com/beaches/beach-map-1a.jpg](http://www.shore-guide.com/beaches/beach-map-1a.jpg) I’m from New York, my wife is from Philadelphia, and we lived in NJ and vacationed at the shore (Brigantine and Seaside Heights) for several years, and I never heard anyone say they were going to the Jersey Shore when they were actually going to Atlantic City. Cape May is Cape May also. Yeah, Atlantic City is in NJ and on the shore, but it is not what was meant by Jersey Shore, at least the way the people in my town used it. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/53 "2013-09-16T20:28:57Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I feel bad for the people who were injured and lost their jobs, but why is this getting so much coverage? Those of you who live(d) in the area would know, I guess. > > 😕 You are an idiot so it’s not really surprising you’re confused. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/54 "2013-09-17T15:02:33Z")
“On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City” was recorded in 1946. Unfortunately, I can remember when it was popular. Here’s a link to Dick Haymes singing it: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cIRO_4Tvi9k/hqdefault.jpg "Dick Haymes - On the Boardwalk (in Atlantic City) (1946)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIRO_4Tvi9k) The Boardwalk is not just a Northern thing known only to coastal dwellers. It has been an American landmark for as long as I can remember. I feel horrible for those who have loved it and especially for those who have earned their living from the stores. My understanding is that 80% of the Boardwalk burned along with 50 or more businesses. I don’t think that empathy has to be offered to only one tragedy at a time. Of course people are sickened and concerned about what has happened in Syria too! And Colorado and Washington. Slavery and the Holocaust don’t cancel each other out in our conversations. Pain is experienced on an individual basis. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/55 "2013-09-17T17:11:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Honestly, how much less would people have been concerned about the Jersey Shore during Sandy or now during the fire if the show “Jersey Shore” had never been on the air? I’m guessing most people that don’t live on the East Coast or have some reason to have previous knowledge of it had never heard of it before the reality show. > > I’ve never watched the show, but without it I don’t think I would have ever even heard the term Jersey Shore. Having seen an episode of _Jersey Shore_, I am now in favor of fire, floods, and any necessary pestilence to rid us of, uh, Jesey shores. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/56 "2013-09-17T20:44:37Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Having seen an episode of _Jersey Shore_, I am now in favor of fire, floods, and any necessary pestilence to rid us of, uh, Jesey shores. Having seen a snippet of the show on another program, I’m inclined to agree. Though I live in NYC (Queens), I assiduously avoid both the Jersey Shore and Hamptons getaways. Not my scene, even when I was younger. P.S. To my Jersey friends, that is said entirely tongue-in-cheek, and I feel bad for the residents affected by the most recent disaster, most of whom probably would have been edited out of any episode of _Jersey Shore_ even if just appearing in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/57 "2013-09-17T20:51:06Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Having seen a snippet of the show on another program, I’m inclined to agree. Though I live in NYC (Queens), I assiduously avoid both the Jersey Shore and Hamptons getaways. Not my scene, even when I was younger. Since most of the cast was actually from New York wiping out the city would have more effect. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/58 "2013-09-17T21:14:13Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Since most of the cast was actually from New York wiping out the city would have more effect. Nah, too much collateral damage. Wait for them to migrate to their mating hole and wipe them out there. Far less collateral damage as they are all collected in one spot. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/59 "2013-09-17T22:09:23Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > The Boardwalk is not just a Northern thing known only to coastal dwellers. It has been an American landmark for as long as I can remember. An American landmark that many Americans (like me) who live a mere 5 hour drive away couldn’t tell you where the fuck it is, and have never been there. Is it at all surprising that _Americans_ who live in Chicago or Wisconsin don’t know much about it, if _I_, who could go there on a weekend trip, nevertheless have never been there? Even though I’ve been to ~20 states, and half of the Canadian provinces? All I knew about it before this thread was that it was somewhere in the NYC/NJ area, and I live in commuting distance of [Syracuse, NY.](https://maps.google.com/maps?q=syracuse&hl=en&sll=42.746632,-75.770041&sspn=2.089432,4.251709&hnear=Syracuse,+Onondaga,+New+York&t=m&z=11) I just never had any reason to want to _go_ there. Really important and notable landmark you’ve got, there. Wouldn’t want anything to _happen_ to it… I blame the mob. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804/60 "2013-09-18T01:48:34Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > You are an idiot so it’s not really surprising you’re confused. Now wait, lets be charitable. If he was on fire, wouldn’t we piss all over him in the hopes that he’d go out? I mean, turn about is fair play… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-boardwalk-fire-such-a-big-story/668804.md?page=2)