Katrina: A Case in Parrallel
Reading about the Katrina and its aftermath, seeing all those visuals on television, one is overcome by the deepest remorse. There is a feeling of helplessness at the hands of nature, and then other questions begin cropping up. Firstly however, the world at large has nothing to offer the victims, and this must be shamelessly admitted. All of us, people who are not directly affected by the misfortune, are collectively 'participating' in the world's largest exericse in clearning out the cupboard, and indeed, we are doing it without an iota of guilt. Post-mortem dissection is one of civilized mankind's perennial techniques of sympathetic participation.
America is a vast land with power diffused in umpteen layers of official hierarchy. And, it must be said to their credit, the blame is usually squarely put on quite irrelevant agents. (This tendency has somehow improved in the recent years due to more and legititmate public attention on the US press). So we have it that the Mayoralty, the Governorship, the US Presidency, are all responsible in this "All-American" misfortune: for, by, and of America, to be precise. The matter ends there.
What stings the most is such human-petpetrated monstrosities would not occur in a place like, say, India. I, a resident of a little state in lowly India (percapita income in India being roughly equivalent to what an American university professor earns in one day), with so many population-related ills, have a parallel to make. Last year, Kerala (located on te southwest coast of India) bore the brunt of a tsunami that had been reported six hours early from Sumatra and Java, but gleefully overlooked, by the officials. The tidal waves struck, and the Kerala coast was littered with carcasses and debris, and the state government did not respond at all. No assistance was to come. Everyone was engrossed with the massive scale of destruction in Sri Lanka (even the Indian Government was busy promising aid in men and material to Sri Lanka), but the NGOs acted quickly, organized relief camps, and effectively distributed food, medicine, and clothing to no less than 300,000 homeless. Not one helicopter was used (there were none any way). No UN aid, nothing. When the tragedy struck, and reports of the missing first came in, there was perfect pandemonium. The people galvanised themselves into a group, and quickly came a stage when the refugees stopped accepting clothing and food. The secondary steps such as building homes and shelters progressed just as smoothly. It maybe a while before these fisherfolk are completely rehabilitated, but there was order, there was harmony, and the unity of people overcame the worst possible disaster.
I am not comparing either the scale or the international exposure. The point is that any calamity can be surmounted, with minimal loss of life, because nature is not too violent, she gives warning signals that something is going to break. But the two-legged creatures: there is no escaping them, they pose the bigger threat, and this was underlined in Orleans.
Even if you completely plan for things, it will turn out in a different way. But the attempt was not made. The Katrina tragedy is cause for All-American shame.
And, sitting so far away from both Iraq and USA, one can't help wondering if nature's balance is not at work: the preacher needed a dose of his own medicine, perhaps?
America is a vast land with power diffused in umpteen layers of official hierarchy. And, it must be said to their credit, the blame is usually squarely put on quite irrelevant agents. (This tendency has somehow improved in the recent years due to more and legititmate public attention on the US press). So we have it that the Mayoralty, the Governorship, the US Presidency, are all responsible in this "All-American" misfortune: for, by, and of America, to be precise. The matter ends there.
What stings the most is such human-petpetrated monstrosities would not occur in a place like, say, India. I, a resident of a little state in lowly India (percapita income in India being roughly equivalent to what an American university professor earns in one day), with so many population-related ills, have a parallel to make. Last year, Kerala (located on te southwest coast of India) bore the brunt of a tsunami that had been reported six hours early from Sumatra and Java, but gleefully overlooked, by the officials. The tidal waves struck, and the Kerala coast was littered with carcasses and debris, and the state government did not respond at all. No assistance was to come. Everyone was engrossed with the massive scale of destruction in Sri Lanka (even the Indian Government was busy promising aid in men and material to Sri Lanka), but the NGOs acted quickly, organized relief camps, and effectively distributed food, medicine, and clothing to no less than 300,000 homeless. Not one helicopter was used (there were none any way). No UN aid, nothing. When the tragedy struck, and reports of the missing first came in, there was perfect pandemonium. The people galvanised themselves into a group, and quickly came a stage when the refugees stopped accepting clothing and food. The secondary steps such as building homes and shelters progressed just as smoothly. It maybe a while before these fisherfolk are completely rehabilitated, but there was order, there was harmony, and the unity of people overcame the worst possible disaster.
I am not comparing either the scale or the international exposure. The point is that any calamity can be surmounted, with minimal loss of life, because nature is not too violent, she gives warning signals that something is going to break. But the two-legged creatures: there is no escaping them, they pose the bigger threat, and this was underlined in Orleans.
Even if you completely plan for things, it will turn out in a different way. But the attempt was not made. The Katrina tragedy is cause for All-American shame.
And, sitting so far away from both Iraq and USA, one can't help wondering if nature's balance is not at work: the preacher needed a dose of his own medicine, perhaps?
posted by Zeinab at 12:18 AM
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