Katrina Blows the Shit to the Fan
The uneasy paradox which so many live with in this country - of being first-and-foremost rugged individuals, out to plunder what they can and paying as little tax as they can get away with, while at the same time believing that America is a robust, model society - has reached a crisis point this week.
This is an excerpt from an insightful article at the BBC found here. Read the rest of the article. Go on. If this event ever becomes the political front that I would like to think it would, I hope it will be drawn up along these lines.
posted by Nicholas @ 4.9.05
13 Comments:
"Shame on anyone that makes this tragedy political, socio-economic or racial."
this comment is so stupid. if its not political, socio-economic or racial, what the hell is it!!? Supernatural!
all right all right, maybe the hurricane itself was an act of god but niggers in the streets with guns isn't, neither is "US Government, both Federal and local; and individuals, failed[ing]."
CAUTION: Your comment which refers to African-Americans as ****** could be construed as racist and derogatory. I certainly see it that way. The use of the term ***** is only acceptably used between one African-American to another. The proper and appropriate term for the rest of us is African-American or Black.
I've read the article from BBC. No crude or rude language in it, makes it sound so much more intelligent. I actually read the whole thing!
Concerning the comments made by Americans, it shows that there are always those that will keep their heads buried in the sand, and those that will sit up and take note of their problems and help to work out an appropriate solution.
Love Mom
If God existed, then the evils and horror we see happening in the southern United States today wouldn't take place!
whoa. what a second. what just happened. someone that isn't my mother or one of my best friends just posted on my blog. this diserves a hearty response.
i think you're right and wrong corey. the horrors and evils of new orleans and katrina could have happened if there was a god, but not under the watchful eye of the christian god as it's commonly constructed: omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.
essentially if he's so good and caring why would he cause something so horrible. it's superfulous even to freewill arguments.
oh and mom, **** more commonly known as nigger is only acceptable when used between afro-americans...? thats a pretty racist thing to say; it definately seems to single them out along the lines of colour.
this doesn't justify my use of the word, but sometimes i'm just an asswhole. seriously, i think it has more to do with context... something that many could spend a few more mintues considering in most situations. Ever sen a movie called boyz in the hood. it's a great movie with cuba gooding junior. anyways, in it a black guy calls another black guy a nigger and it sure ain't in a nice way.
To Charles. The African American peoples of the USA have specifically requested that if a person is not African American, would they please not refer to them as nigger, that that is a term they use amongst themselves towards one another, otherwise they see the term as racist. If you don't believe me go down south to a predominately black neighbourhood and call a black person a nigger and see what happens! I learned about what terms certain minorities in North America wished to be called by those of the dominate class in university. Perhaps you should take a few multicultural class? eh?
Love Mom
To Cory. Wrong, it is because God exists that we have evil and disasters in out world. God does not create evil. Man does. God has given us the gift of agency, to chose to do evil or good, as a test as to whether we will be faithful and obedient to his gospel, to pass our mortal test. He allows natural disasters to happen to give us the opportunity to exercise good in out lives. Just think, if there was no evil/sin, an opportunity to choose good over evil, then there would be no reason for our existence here on earth. Why be here? It would be all for nothing.
Love Mom
mom this isn't a site on theology. there was a post awhile back on theology snd we can debate there. this is a site of many other things - ebough with god, when dealing wiht athiests and folks of other faiths it will get you nowhere.
now just to humour you. if there is a god in the judeo-christian (mormon) sense, of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevelent, monotheist etc sense. he's a sick sick twisted irrational fuck head. and we don't need a reason to exist.
though the previous statement is rash and reactionary it stands on as much of a foundation as your theological one! are you getting the general idea here? the arbitrariness of the whole debate?
I'm getting that your opinion differs from mine which is what a debate is for isn't it? It's about presenting ones ideas and beliefs for the scrutiny of others. No? So I believe different from you. Is that any reason to get verbally abusive toward my God in your comunication? It would not occur to me to get verbally abusive towards your God, whether or not I liked him/her. It sounds like you have major issues with my God. Why what did he ever do to you? How did he let you down? How did he attack/hurt you? When a person becomes verbally abusive towards or about someone elses God, when they use the name of their God with a derogatory bent, it is often offensive to the person(s) that whorship that God, and may very well hurt their feelings. I didn't relize that I had raised you to behave like that. I am saddened.
there's a problem with theological arguments. in all logical contexts, by the nature of the argument(god must exist, so he does. or i know god exists and if you don't i pitty you.)they are inherently statements about nothing. nothing. nothing. any statement or claim concerning them using them as premises turn up the same problem. this is because there is no criteria for them to exist or not to exist. it is an equally arbitrary statement to say such and such happen because tere is no god. this doesn't mean that god doesn't exist it only means that debate about or involving divinities can't hope to formululate anything more than arbitrary discussions. any claims about the natural world and anything in general by default have no LOGICAL link between them and the divine.
Never commented before, but I thought I would.
It looks like someone else started the theological debate with your Mom and didn't stick around to finish it off, leaving you to take over the dirty work. Which wasn't very nice of them.
In regards to the article, I found this comment very interesting.
I think now America and Americans in general will learn to appreciate the problems of the 'developing world' they so easily dismiss disparagingly. Even so-called weak nations like Sri Lanka and India manage to routinely respond to natural calamities of similar and greater intensity. It is time America shook off its complacency and check how strong are its credentials as a free, equitable and prosperous country.
Haripriya, Delhi, India
I'm no expert, but I see American benevolency as imperialism only mildly disguised by the media as humanitarian efforts. Third world countries might be better off without their interference and exploitation posing as generosity. As for the second part of the comment, who can disagree with that?
sweet! thnx for the comments erin!
i totaly argee with you. wouldn't it be amazing if the good ol us of a turned that critical eye inward for a change. being from canada, it gets kind of upsetting sometimes, seeing the way things are and then trying to swallow the moral highground the leaders try and stand on. what scares me more sometimes though is when i read comments from everyday citizens like the ones posted above, in a total state of denial and self-righteoussness. thankfuly not all citizens think like that, and hopefully incidents like katrina will gradually discourage such atitudes.
Yeah, but it's arguable we're running right alongside them in many aspects. Lately I've been trying to step down from my American hating (as insanely hard as it's been) and focus criticism on the Western ways of life, which seems to be global. I don't know the world though, I can't say much. Then my other issue is Western thought stems from the U.S. So I start tripping all over myself. But it'd be good for us to turn an eye inward as well.
Granted, it seems like I'm constantly flooded with quotes by Americans that exemplify ignorance.
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