Thursday, September 01, 2005
Who's Katrina?
After digesting some of the news over the past few days, I suppose I should attempt to post something about this thing called Katrina that's shaking up the US. It's shaking us up bad, and I don't think people quite realize yet how much worse it's going to get in the following months, in regards to the economy, race relations, human suffering and health, and politics and finger pointing. Some people are saying that New Orleans is nearly completely destroyed and that it's a lost cause to spend money trying to repair it, since it more than likely will happen again in the future, it being below sea level and all. My question is, where will all those people go? Can you even imagine a world in which you were not only unable to go back to your homes due to forces beyond your control, but also were not allowed to go back? It's like Mother Nature's relocation tactics - these refugees from New Orleans have become like our own personal Gaza refugees, forced into relocation from the place they've called home for generations. Life will never be the same for them. In a way, my mind is saying that they should be relocated, so that it doesn't happen again - but on the other hand, I can't even begin to imagine the sadness they must feel when confronted with the possibility that they will never be able to return to their homes.
Honestly, I can't help but say, "It sucks to be them." Because it really does suck to be them. And I am incredibly happy that it isn't me. But it very well could be me - and its ripple effects will definitely affect you and me - and that's what makes it so scary. That's what makes tragedies such as these conditions of human suffering, not just conditions of South Eastern United States suffering. To those people saying, "Damn, those dumb people who chose to live below sea level just got what they deserved, and in the process fucked everything else all to shit" can bite me (and there are a lot of those people out there, just read a few of the comments following this blog entry, which I linked to above - it's just sad). You type those words from thousands of miles away - in your tornado alleys or on top of massive fault lines just waiting for the right moment to shimmy and shake your house down the cliffside - and the sad thing is, I think you really believe that you are right. That they just got what they deserved. Because they chose to live there. Bullshit. Circumstances chose for them. Perhaps their jobs led them to New Orleans, perhaps their families have lived there for generations, perhaps they truly cannot afford to just pack up and move. Regardless, it effects us all because it could happen at any time, at any place. This time it was the Gulf of Mexico - next time, take your pick of all the big cities in the United States or the world. It's going to have long-term consequences for sure.
To conclude, causes and effects amaze me and make me feel very small. There are patterns, there are causes, and there are effects - and you can see them all in hindsight - but that doesn't help us much in the present, now does it? And, if history has taught us anything, it won't help us much in the future either. People will continue to do stupid things that will effect everyone on a much larger scale than they ever could realize - be it deciding to build a city below sea level, surrounded by water, or not providing adequate protection for said city, or not perfecting search and rescue tactics ahead of time. Let's just face it, the human race is pretty much lazy when it comes to planning ahead.
As I type this, conditions are getting worse and worse. This report makes me want to punch a wall.
And yet, the internet proves that there are still good and just people out there trying to help. The lists of people trying to find loved ones are rampant, and it seems that the internet community has reacted and coelesced into an organic and ever-growing group of saviors even faster than search and rescue crews. Being a lover of all things Flickr, I am especially impressed by the speed at which this Flickr auction has been organized. It's just too bad that the people who are actually the ones being affected by the situation the most are acting like animals and shooting at rescue crews, thereby increasing their own suffering. It hurts my heart.
If you want to donate and haven't yet - or haven't been able to decide how or what to donate - try this site, which is a good resources for every-which-way to donate.
Honestly, I can't help but say, "It sucks to be them." Because it really does suck to be them. And I am incredibly happy that it isn't me. But it very well could be me - and its ripple effects will definitely affect you and me - and that's what makes it so scary. That's what makes tragedies such as these conditions of human suffering, not just conditions of South Eastern United States suffering. To those people saying, "Damn, those dumb people who chose to live below sea level just got what they deserved, and in the process fucked everything else all to shit" can bite me (and there are a lot of those people out there, just read a few of the comments following this blog entry, which I linked to above - it's just sad). You type those words from thousands of miles away - in your tornado alleys or on top of massive fault lines just waiting for the right moment to shimmy and shake your house down the cliffside - and the sad thing is, I think you really believe that you are right. That they just got what they deserved. Because they chose to live there. Bullshit. Circumstances chose for them. Perhaps their jobs led them to New Orleans, perhaps their families have lived there for generations, perhaps they truly cannot afford to just pack up and move. Regardless, it effects us all because it could happen at any time, at any place. This time it was the Gulf of Mexico - next time, take your pick of all the big cities in the United States or the world. It's going to have long-term consequences for sure.
To conclude, causes and effects amaze me and make me feel very small. There are patterns, there are causes, and there are effects - and you can see them all in hindsight - but that doesn't help us much in the present, now does it? And, if history has taught us anything, it won't help us much in the future either. People will continue to do stupid things that will effect everyone on a much larger scale than they ever could realize - be it deciding to build a city below sea level, surrounded by water, or not providing adequate protection for said city, or not perfecting search and rescue tactics ahead of time. Let's just face it, the human race is pretty much lazy when it comes to planning ahead.
As I type this, conditions are getting worse and worse. This report makes me want to punch a wall.
And yet, the internet proves that there are still good and just people out there trying to help. The lists of people trying to find loved ones are rampant, and it seems that the internet community has reacted and coelesced into an organic and ever-growing group of saviors even faster than search and rescue crews. Being a lover of all things Flickr, I am especially impressed by the speed at which this Flickr auction has been organized. It's just too bad that the people who are actually the ones being affected by the situation the most are acting like animals and shooting at rescue crews, thereby increasing their own suffering. It hurts my heart.
If you want to donate and haven't yet - or haven't been able to decide how or what to donate - try this site, which is a good resources for every-which-way to donate.
Comments:
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You are totally right on so many things. Those people i don't believe should be moved. It is (or was) their part of the world and now it is destroyed. I think that if maybe we worked together as a country all at once instead of letting those people die would make a world of a difference.
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