Hurricane so-called Katrina - in its effects - was clearly an 'equal
opportunity' employer - a geographically large swathe, consuming city, town
and village including folks of diverse origins, races, etc.
In terms of Federal response - particularly in terms of New Orleans - the
consequence of the Federal Government not responding in a timely manner
(Cheney on vacation in Idaho, the President diverting to give fund raising
speeches in California, C Rice shopping for shoes on 5th Ave./NY - is
clearly racially defined. Poor and black victims, primarily. Indeed, in
terms of African-Americans, what is happening in New Orleans - I fully
suspect - is experienced, perceived and will be ultimately re-imagined
'aesthetically' as one more dramatic version of Middle Passage. For those
unfamiliar or who want reminding of the specifics of the first version:
The "Middle Passage" was the journey of slave trading ships from the west
coast of Africa, where the slaves were obtained, across the Atlantic, where
they were sold or, in some cases, traded for goods such as molasses, which
was used in the making of rum. However, this voyage has come to be
remembered for much more than simply the transport and sale of slaves. The
Middle Passage was the longest, hardest, most dangerous, and also most
horrific part of the journey of the slave ships. With extremely tightly
packed loads of human cargo that stank and carried both infectious disease
and death, the ships would travel east to west across the Atlantic on a
miserable voyage lasting at least five weeks, and sometimes as long as three
months. Although incredibly profitable for both its participants and their
investing backers, the terrible Middle Passage has come to represent the
ultimate in human misery and suffering. The abominable and inhuman
conditions which the Africans were faced with on their voyage clearly
display the great evil of the slave trade... (Thank you Google!)
The current New Orleans' version of the Middle Passage, however, is done not
to arrive in New Orleans to sell slaves, but to banish them. These are
people no longer valued for their labor. They are dispensable, long shut out
from public view - considered a nuisance, a welfare expense, etc. I
understand this is a broad generalization - one will point to those don't
fit the category, cultural assets, etc. The Bush administration does not
refine categories. I won't further belabor the argument.
Stephen V
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