Race a factor?
September 2nd, 2005 | by john |Issue about race…? No.
Make it an issue about how President Bush failed to do his job to save the citizens of the United States.
Make it an issue about how the media failed to portray the reality of the ACTUAL situation on Monday…
Make it an issue about how the relief operations at the scene on Monday didn’t know how to get started.
Make it an issue about how the Feds talked too much and failed to get things moving.
Make it an issue about lack of organization and confused relief operators.
Make it an issue about communication failures.
Make it an issue about how relief workers couldn’t do much because they were being assaulted and shot.
BUT, don’t make this ‘slow Katrina relief’ thing an issue about race. Call me ignorant, but I absolutely fail to see how race would or can become a factor in saving American lives in America in such disasters. When it comes to saving lives, every beating heart is a heart to be saved and sheltered if possible. Don’t accuse the American people of being racist, don’t accuse the Federal government of being racist. If there is racism, then it exists locally within a select few. Don’t tell me the help was slow because everyone stranded within Katrina’s destruction was a certain race; that is like fueling an out of control blue flamed fire with a long-awaited red flamed one just because they could be mixed to create a bigger multi-colored flame (no pun intended with the colors nor with the eccentric analogy). Let us at least get the issue resolved before putting blame on any specific cause. Don’t try being angry about issue #164,342, when we still have people suffering in the Gulf Coast area, which is issue #1. Just stop blaming people when you’re just sitting there pointing at an arrogant issue; it’s not like you’re the one that’s needing help or are even taking any action other than talking to the media. If you think race is the issue that has prevented fast-action federal aid, then why didn’t you do anything?
Personally, I had no idea the amount of help that was needed down in the South until Wednesday night. Sure, I saw fly-by images of a city flooded but who the heck knew there were over 50,000 people waiting to be rescued until Wednesday when we finally saw all the people coming out of their shelters that were deteriorating. I’ve seen much worse Hurricanes that passed by since I’ve lived in the South but most hurricane relief was all about trying to get people affected by the hurricanes back on their feet. I put blame on the media for not correctly portraying the reality of the situation down in New Orleans until days after Katrina passed; shame on you so-called reporters who failed to get the proper information to the public in a timely manner. I also put some blame on the Federal government who didn’t seem to know that Katrina’s aftermath was completely different than all those other hurricanes that cut through the US in the past few decades; as they merely provided passive relief until the media broke out the reality of the situation on Wednesday.
Disagree with me all you want and call me an ignorant moron, but putting blame to some negligible social issue way before you take action to help out… is simply the most unbelievable thing I’ve witnessed in my entire life as a Citizen of the United States of America.
