When a problem is prevented, we don't see its values because there is no problem to be seen. We glorify those who solve a high-profile problem because there is something to show for, even if it causes more casualties than if the problem was thwarted in the first place.
We were enthralled by politicians who gave financial aid (using our tax money) to home owners whose home was destroyed by tsunami. Meanwhile, the same fate befell people who made a living selling food at the disaster site. Over the course of a year, these jobless people suffered more financial difficulty than the former, but they received no financial assistance. Both are the victims of the disaster aftermath, except that one is conspicuous and one is not.
It is safer to reward actions that are visible because after all they are visible.
