Okay, so I guess world events and politics are OT for Asian Sirens, but as this relates to the first major update to my web site for a while it is Asian model news. Besides, as Asian Sirens is hosted on my server I guess I have the right to bend the rules a little bit. 😉
Anyway, I’ve just posted a very lengthy new entry to My Diary about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the implications of it. I focus mainly on the Bush administration’s handling of it (and a few other related matters), but one particular aspect of this disaster I thought might be an interesting topic for discussion.Here’s a quote from my diary entry:
“…am I the only person who was shocked and appalled by how the people of New Orleans themselves handled this disaster? It is interesting to contrast this situation with the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster earlier this year. That disaster was on a far greater scale than Hurricane Katrina, killed many times more people, was totally unprepared for and devastated entire countries. Yet while there was some looting, the level of lawlessness there was far less than in New Orleans.
For example, emergency workers were actually being shot at while they were trying to help people and get them out! At least in the countries devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami, emergency workers were able to go there without fearing for their lives. And many of the people in these countries are Muslim, the same people many westerners like to think of as ‘uncivilised’. Yet they were a lot more civilised than the people of New Orleans. What does this say about America today?”
I give my own opinion in my diary entry, but I’d be interested to know what other people think about this. Why was there such a disastrous breakdown of law and order in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?
Personally, I think people don’t come to this site to read quotes from an update on another site.
Good thing you mentioned that…good analogy though…its very chaotic there…suicides, killing and looting…very apocalyptic…i guess westerners when it comes getting out of their comfort zones they arent equipped psychologically to handle these problems…us asians have dealt with hardships and live by it so i guess the tsunami event showed how asians handle themselves vs the trying times they are faced…this is my opinion and open to rebuttal:D
Well Pixelchaos, pretty much everything on Asian Sirens is references to updates on other sites, and she simply used the quote so she wouldn’t have to write again about the topic she wanted to discuss.
Hi tavern,
I certainly think there is some truth in what you’re saying, and it’s actually the first thing I thought of. But on the other hand, if the same thing happened in Australia, for example, I really don’t think people would behave the same way. We don’t have ready access to guns here, and have more of a ‘collective’ sort of culture. Still, the Howard goverment here is promoting exactly the same ‘dog eat dog’ politics of fear as the Bush administration, so I believe the fabric of Australian society is being damaged too.
I was quite impressed by the way the people in parts of New Orleans organised themselves into ‘tribes’ and did a better job than the government. Also volunteers were there much quicker helping out in the little way they could. Which for me proves local self government works better than central government.
In contrast the local and federal authorities were talking about ‘retaking the city’ and were murdering innocent people in their attempts to regain power.
Their aid was actually quite minimal.
The looting and raping was a downside, some of it came from prisoners who fled the massive dehumanising American jail system. The local people did quite well defending themselves though I hear, and some of the ‘murders’ were of, rather than by, rapists and thugs.
On the other hand this was an exceptionally poor area so some looters were only doing what comes natural and reappropriating from the rich. These were exceptional situations and surely anyone who respects the property of the wealthy in such situations is rather stupid?
Yes, I think it is undeniable that this situation is at least partially attributible to the great divide between rich and poor in America, which is only getting worse – not only in the US but in the rest of the world too. There is a lot of resentment amongst hard working people who can’t feed their families while company directors fire their workers, run their companies into the ground and pocket millions of dollars. Perhaps this anarchy is a sign of a new ‘worker’s revolution’ to come?
Anything would be better than the poverty some people in America have to suffer
Mama Mia…she is just beautiful…and not shy about thoughts and ideas…that’s my type of Asian beauty….just beautiful
Sachiko, I am a Gold Coaster who is a lover of Asian women, how can I have a chat with you
Bush administration really hasnt call it right in 4 years. Iraq, katrina, and other issues have hurt them. The key thing here is the lost of the party and trust with the people of the world.