Libercontrarian

Crushed between the wheels of capitalism and big government.

Are They Victims Or Just Dopes?

I am guaranteeing that this post will cause a ruckus, assuming that anyone reads it.

What I am making such an inflammatory statement about is the situation of the "victims" of Hurricane Katrina, the killer storm that has swamped New Orleans and rendered hundreds of  thousands homeless, and possibly, thousands dead.

Many in and out of the Blogosphere have called for aid for the victims of this tragedy; indeed, even the German government has declared support, and my own employer has opened the bidding for your compassion at $250,000, with matching funds from its 80,000 employee base.

Very generous!

My only concern is the worthiness of the victims. The people who were slaughtered by the killer tidal wave in S.E. Asia were true victims of the aforesaid tragedy, having had no warning or method/idea of preparation for what is, in all likelihood, a one-in-a-million event. The people of New Orleans had not minutes or hours' warning of what was considered to be a likely event even in my lifetime, they had about two days warning - as much as had the millions of survivors of Hurricane Andrew some 13 years ago. Yet, it appears as if they are dead in the THOUSANDS, whereas the victims of Hurricane Andrew  numbered in the tens.

Why?

Did they not accept the idea that the City of New Orleans rested some 6 feet under the level of the sea? Was it not part of their understanding of the Way The World Is that if you live in a risky environment, you might suffer the hard result of taking said risk eventually? Why didn't these people prepare themselves for a possible move away from submersible New Orleans when the city was under its likeliest threat?

The reason they failed to look out for their own welfare is because they were self-assured that "it couldn't happen here." No expert told them as such, it was just that they could not discipline their minds and spirits to the idea that they were "hangin' it out on the edge," living in a place that was located in a hurricane zone 6 feet under sea level.

Should we feel sorry for them that they didn't understand the risky situation they put themselves in?

Probably. I don't want to sound ingenerous, after all. Nevertheless, aren't you really responsible, ultimately, for your own safety? Why did (potentially) thousands of New Orleanians perish in this tragedy?

I am sure that I will get viciously attacked for my hardness of views. That's OK. I am not suggesting that survivors not be helped. That would be both un-american and un-christian. I would just love to engage in a spirited debate about what extent people are responsible for their own safety, especially when they are duly warned about the dangers that lay in front of them by the governmental authority.

posted by: underwhelmed at August 31, 2005 17:23 | link | comments (6) |

Comments:

#1  31 August 2005 - 18:19

 

Every thing you said is true. The truth is insensitive. And I will continue to call for compassion and help, because it is the Christian thing to do.

I would love to discuss FEMA's and the "tax dollar" role in this beyond mere help and rebuilding govt infrastructure. That is a different question from the private donation role.

Anonymous

#2  31 August 2005 - 18:40

 

Hell, where do ya start? This is such a tough issue - individual rights and decisions vs.government's role as protector, the idea that you can do foolish things and suffer the consequences of them in a free society, what our role as taxpayers is in supporting your bad decision making, etc.

Well, where do we go from here?

underwhelmed

#3  01 September 2005 - 05:45

 

I understand your point & if you are speaking to the general idea of having the city there then it's not w/o merit.

But the city is there & has been for a few hundred years. Consequently some folks are there & have no viable means of moving on, due to economic or even social considerations.

For not evacuating - three types of folks; the ones who couldn't afford to leave; the ones who thought it best to stay with their possessions; & the ones who hoped it wouldn't be that bad cause they lacked another place to go.

When I lived on the SC coast I had a bunch of friends who rode out any threat of storms simply because they didn't want to come home & find their home ravaged by a storm & looters. I would suspect that many of those that could have left the city but didn't had similar reasons.

But that's all acedemic at the moment. What matters now is how to help them if we're able & how to adjust to the new gas prices.

- Publicola

Anonymous

#4  03 September 2005 - 02:53

 

You're an idiot. Can't you tell by looking at the news that a lot of those people were poor to begin with!???!!! Obvioulsy you don't know what it's like to be poo and not be able to afford even a used car, let alone a new one. If you can't afford a used car, then can you afford a plane ticket to escape like you said at least 2 days ago. Only an ignorant person who has not lived life very long or has not endured poverty and what results from that would make a stupid comment like you did.
signed: Disgusted

Anonymous

#5  03 September 2005 - 07:34

 

Well, good for you, Disgusted. I'm hurt by your piercing words [snore].

I've been poor. I have also not been stupid. I have been through three hurricanes (how many have you been through?), and have evacuated when the authorities told me it was unsafe for me to stay. I found a way to make it happen - unlike your well-warned, dimwitted, downtrodden inner-city heros, I take my own survival seriously enough that I am compelled to make arrangements, no matter how impovrished I am, to maintain it.

Being an apologist to people who made no provision for themselves brands you an idiot-enabler. It's people like you who are wrecking this country by encouraging people who are poor to continue to ignore the reality of their own, self-imposed immaturity and dysfunctionality.

You see, Disgusted, this is America. Anybody who has enough desire to do anything they want suffers the least insitutionalized crap/racism/religious intolerance/classism, the stuff that holds people back all over the world.

Your inner-city heros can achieve if they want to. They just don't want to.

underwhelmed

#6  10 September 2005 - 08:23

 

I agree - people like Disgusted are enabling those choose not to better themselves. Nature vs. nurture - are we a product of our environment? Because one is surrounded by poverty, drugs and uneducated folk - does that mean one is destined to follow those footsteps? This is America - everyone has choices to make.
Feeling sorry for these people only enables them to continue the way they are. Keep the empathy to yourself, Disgusted - that is not helping them at all.

Anonymous

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