Annoying Katrina interview

[Tiggeroo]

I was listening on public radio to a group of interviews of Katrina survivors. The whole situation angered me. I will try to condense it a bit.
The first part was on how these survivors felt treated. They described how after the hurricane nobody could house their entire family together. They had to watch as people said, I can take one, I can take two, etc. They likened it to being slaves on the auction block. Excuse me. These people were offering to house and feed your family members. I'm sorry if nobody could take in an extra six people. And apparently the family remained spread out like this for a very long time, perhaps still are.
Then they talked about how it had changed their outlook on life. They were not expressing joy or gratitude for life. Rather they said I learned never to save anything. I will never accumulate a savings of money again. If I am in the store and see something I will buy it. I'm going to Vegas this month. Over and over they emphasized that they will never save any money again. OK, you had no insurance on your home, you had no savings to even obtain temporary housing, etc. And your lesson is to not save any money.
This wasn't along the lines of I had a near death experience, I"m going to live more. I can understand thinking rather then hoarding all my money I'm going to take my kids to Disney, or get that nice haircut or buy my neice the pretty dress she loves. I'm doing a poor job of describing the whole interview, and I didn't hear everything, but this section of the interview on not saving money floored me. If anything you think you would say I will never be un-prepared for something like this again.

 

[Charade]

Ingrates.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Ingrates.

 

[Tiggeroo]

That's how I felt. I gave to Katrina victims. I believe we should pour plenty of our tax dollars into the area. But I believe in self-help. There was apparently a group of survivors in the room the interview was taking place. Nobody disagreed and several interupted the interview to say they could understand and relate to the sentiment.

 

[DVCLiz]

I believe I would have to live through a similar experience and be a member of that particular minority group before I felt like I could pass judgement on those remarks. Since I haven't, and I'm not, I won't.

 

[Planogirl]

I believe I would have to live through a similar experience and be a member of that particular minority group before I felt like I could pass judgement on those remarks. Since I haven't, and I'm not, I won't.

That's just what I was thinking. I can't imagine the frustration and sorrow an event like this could cause. Maybe these people didn't save or maybe they were already dealing with hardship before the storm hit. Not everyone without savings or insurance is worthless.

 

[janette]

Lets see you've lost everything are in a strange city and now they are separating your family. I don't think I'd be thrilled.

I can understand the sentiment of why have anything too. They lost everything and many aren't back in their homes yet. What good did those material things do them? Many of them probably had no bank accounts etc, not uncommon in lower economic areas. It's a different life than we can understand and I'd rather say thank you for what I have then judge them for what they don't.

 

[disneyjunkie]

It's a different life than we can understand and I'd rather say thank you for what I have then judge them for what they don't.

 

[WDWfan36]

exactly

 

[Charade]

I believe I would have to live through a similar experience and be a member of that particular minority group before I felt like I could pass judgment on those remarks. Since I haven't, and I'm not, I won't.

But we felt enough compassion for them to send them tons of money and goods (both private and federal) but you'd have to live "in their shoes" to understand better? If that's the case, why did we send them anything at all?

For them to be upset with extremely generous people can only afford to have one or two extra mouths to feed, heat, cool and clothe seems quite a bit ungrateful to me. I don't have any problem passing judgment on them. I don't need to be in their shoes before I can do that.

 

[Tiggeroo]

sorry. I can sympathise alot and don't expect people to go around saying thank you oh so much. I live in an area that is vulnerable. We've had our share of storms, nothing like that but we could. We prepare.
I'd be devastated to lose everything. I'd be horrified to lose loved ones. I really would. But I wouldn't be critical of people who helped me. And I can understand having a new attitude about possessions. I can't understand refusing to plan to keep my family safe in the event of a repeat. We've been stressed to around here that this is a long term hurricane cycle. It will mean increased storms for ten years. There is no logic to where these storms hit. It can hit somewhere and come back and pound them the next year or it could stay away for another 100 yrs.
I feel bad for judging them. I wish I could get across the feeling that was evident in this interview. Like I said, I'd give my shirt off my back to a hurricane victim and I wouldn't want a thank-you.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

I am a very sensitive person with compassion and the desire to help people and I do. In this case, I also feel the receiving end is starting to expect more and more and more without first thinking of how they could start helping themselves. Lord knows there has been plenty of aid sent to them in order to enable the start of that process.

 

[DVCLiz]

But we felt enough compassion for them to send them tons of money and goods (both private and federal) but you'd have to live "in their shoes" to understand better? If that's the case, why did we send them anything at all?

For them to be upset with extremely generous people can only afford to have one or two extra mouths to feed, heat, cool and clothe seems quite a bit ungrateful to me. I don't have any problem passing judgment on them. I don't need to be in their shoes before I can do that.

No, I guess you don't, so judge away. I'd rather not judge people who have been living in poverty, who have lost what little they might have had, who are still separated from their families, and who are likely suffering from stress disorders or delayed reactions to trauma. I'd rather not apply my standards, from my comfortable, secure, safe life, to people who had very little before and who have nothing now.

I don't have an answer for your comment asking why we sent them anything at all.

 

[Charade]

I'd rather not apply my standards, from my comfortable, secure, safe life, to people who had very little before and who have nothing now.

What happened to all the stuff that poured in from all over the US and other parts of the world? To say they have nothing now is inaccurate. If they were that poor before and had little, I wouldn't be surprised that in a lot of cases they actually have more. The donation center that my dgf and I sent stuff to stopped taking donations because they had more than they needed based on feedback from down in LA and Mississippi.

 

[schlepsnort]

I am a very sensitive person with compassion and the desire to help people and I do. In this case, I also feel the receiving end is starting to expect more and more and more without first thinking of how they could start helping themselves. Lord knows there has been plenty of aid sent to them in order to enable the start of that process.

Exactly! So much money federal and private was sent to help them get back on their feet and HELP them start the process. But then there are reports of some of those monies being used for ridiculous things like binge trips to Vegas, designer clothing, plastic surgery (and not due to trauma caused by the hurricane, I'm talking tummy tucks and ****y enlargements). So right now I have a hard time feeling 'bad' for some of the survivors who haven't done a whole lot to help themselves. A year later and some seem to think that the government gravy train should continue indefinitely and criticize that they aren't getting enough to begin with.

I feel for those survivors who ARE trying but due to shortages in contractors, sky high insurance premiums, and unethical people are having a hard time, but those aren't the ones who are demanding more and complaining about what they were given a year ago.

And to complain that their families couldn't be kept together? I'm sorry that happened but still, at the time EVERYONE was starting to feel the effects of Bush's war on terror and oil prices rising and the economy stagnating. So for anyone to open up their home to TOTAL strangers was very compassionate and I DO think a thank you is appropriate.

Plus I think it was brave of those people to open their doors because as more reports and investigations come out there were a few not so nice people who migrated to other areas and started trouble there. So to open your doors to your home and your life to a complete stranger is very brave and I think that should be respected in itself as well as greatly appreciated.

I am hoping that the survivors start picking themselves up and gain their own self reliance and then maybe they will also rebuild their confidence and respect for their community and for those who helped them in those horrible months following Katrina.

And for those making it into a 'race issue' that is just ridiculous. Quit throwing up the race card and just put all that effort and concentration on rebuilding your homes and lives.

Getting out the fire extinguisher and putting on the flame retardent suit now..

 

[HOGFAN]

my sister worked with the evacuees in Arkansas. They were housed at a church camp. The man that was in charge of the camp came to my sister and said that he couldnt take them anymore. out-in-public sex, drugs, rapes, child molestation. they were also going on local television complaining about how the state hadnt provided for them. A FEMA guy refutted with a long list of things that HAD been done for them. The people were also complaining that the state hadnt bought them CARS.

 

[DVCLiz]

I guess my real feeling about this whole thing is that we let this happen. It was more convenient for us - and by us I mean American society in general - to let a group of mostly poor, mostly black people live in poverty in New Orleans. More conveient than educating them, more convenient than requiring them to hold jobs, more convenient than providing them with social programs and structured opportunities to climb out of that life of only knowing how "to get', but not how "to earn." So it seems a little disingenuious to me at this stage to start expecting them to follow those rules.

It also seems to me that if I were poor and somebody gave me a card with two thousand dollars on it, and I didn't have much education or really know where I was going to go, and all I knew was that somebody had always given me housing and food before, that I might very well spend it on a **** job, or something equally ridiculous-sounding to most people, instead of funding a Roth IRA.

Anyway, I can certainly understand why people are frustrated with some of the stories they hear. But really, I think it's unrealistic to expect anything else. You can't expect an outpouring of material goods to solve a problem that society has been grappling with for decades.

 

[robinb]

Were you listening to Storycorps?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5704652

 

[Charade]

I guess my real feeling about this whole thing is that we let this happen. It was more convenient for us - and by us I mean American society in general - to let a group of mostly poor, mostly black people live in poverty in New Orleans. More convenient than educating them, more convenient than requiring them to hold jobs, more convenient than providing them with social programs and structured opportunities to climb out of that life of only knowing how "to get', but not how "to earn." So it seems a little disingenuous to me at this stage to start expecting them to follow those rules.

It also seems to me that if I were poor and somebody gave me a card with two thousand dollars on it, and I didn't have much education or really know where I was going to go, and all I knew was that somebody had always given me housing and food before, that I might very well spend it on a **** job, or something equally ridiculous-sounding to most people, instead of funding a Roth IRA.

Anyway, I can certainly understand why people are frustrated with some of the stories they hear. But really, I think it's unrealistic to expect anything else. You can't expect an outpouring of material goods to solve a problem that society has been grappling with for decades.

I'm stunned. Literally stunned. "WE" let this happen???

 

[DVCLiz]

I'm stunned. Literally stunned. "WE" let this happen???

Oh, please.