New Orleans

[raven]

I'm no BNF or political pundit. No-one out there is particularly interested in what I have to say. That is why I have, thus far, desisted from posting about Katrina, either the natural devastation or the political storm that's following in its wake; I'm following news stories and links and taking in as much as I can, like everyone else out there, but not to saturation point, yet. I don't have much to add. Only that the death of Justice Rehnquist will only serve to complicate the situation, and I don't feel anything related to his passing beyond the political consequences of it. Sad, but true; I know too little about American politics for me to make the insightful commentary others have already given with more eloquence.

I do think, however, that when you live in a place with no real extremes of either nature or political thought, it's a wrench to see such images and hear such rhetoric and be told this is happening in America, a supposed superpower. The laissez-faire attitude of the Bush administration earlier in the week is something else entirely alien. The whole thing is a tragedy, on many levels. I have very little to add to that, and nothing original to say. I just feel (and from my flist, I'm not alone in feeling it) a little guilty, a lot guilty, in sitting here in my comfortable kitchen chatting about fandom and university when people are dying and drowning and living and being shot at and being ignored by their own government.

So I'm giving money, and good thoughts, with a little of the collective disbelief - money for America? - and sitting here aware that I can't do anything beyond read the news. I'm only going to post one link: the clean underwear pledges, which strike me as very necessary.

That's it, that's all I'm going to say on the subject. I now return you to your regularly scheduled friends page, etc.

Comments

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

*waves arm* I think you're a political pundit but I don't know that many people who know what politics are *points to her class*

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That's a nice thing to say. :)

[likethesun2.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way. Other people on my friends' list are more articulate and knowledgeable than I am, so I feel almost presumptuous saying anything about it. Plus, knowing someone who's suffered so much because of Katrina, I find it difficult to talk about the situation objectively, or on a grand scale.

You have my appreciation and gratitude for your thoughts and contributions, whatever that's worth--from me as an American, as a nominal Southerner, and as a friend of people who were affected by this.

[rosariotijeras.livejournal.com]

Bush's attitude certainly doesn't extend to the rest of the country, especially the southeast. People were lining up for gas earlier this week for at least an hour, places were gouging up to $6/gal (gee, like prices weren't high enough) and the world was generally going to end. I know gas is a lot more expensive in England, but you've got a way better public transportation system. I only live an hour and a half, at the most, outside of Atlanta but there isn't a HINT of public transportation here. Any. A car is necessary, everything is too spread out to talk. Besides, you'd get run over; sidewalks are a myth.

[warinbabylon.livejournal.com]

I'm interested in what you have to say. And I can agree with the guilt feeling. It's gnawing at me.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*nods* It's so hard to know what to say to begin with, and then when it's been said and people are reaching saturation point, you don't want to join the crowd.

Like I said before, it's a terrible thing to happen and I really feel for your friend whether I know him personally or not. I can't imagine how he's coping.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Every time America is mentioned in the media here, it's in the context of its being a major world superpower, it says jump the rest of the world says how high, etc., etc., and that's why the current news and what you've just told me is so alien. It's strange to think of America vulnerable.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh, me too, me too. This is such a dreadful thing to happen.

[rosariotijeras.livejournal.com]

It's strange to think of America as not vulnerable to me. Everything, absolutely everything, is fractured here. Something as terrible and human as Katrina turns into a diatribe against the Bush administration. There are still people in New Orleans; can we wait until they're out to discuss the terrible response and preparation? It's not just the news networks; Kanye West blasted Bush on a telethon. We're all guilty of it. But it also extends into our homes, our daily lives. Maybe one, two weeks ago I was waiting to use a computer in journalism class. I was standing next to a boy, and we were jokingly telling each other to fuck off, this is my computer!, etc. And then out of the blue, he says, "Well, I guess you can stay, unless you're a liberal." BOOM. Out of the blue. All I said was, "Uh...." He promptly called me a fool, an idiot, a terrible person, a slut (of all things). I think I walked away with an expression of total amazement. Things like this are all over television, in our homes, on the streets, everywhere.

So don't believe the hype.