Kayne West is an Ignorant Fool
So Kayne West decides to use a benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina as a platform to bash President Bush. According to the Associated Press, West appeared about 2/3rds of the way through the show on NBC and said "George Bush doesn't care about black people", that America is set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible" and "I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food."
Well, well, well. Mr. West, you have a lot to learn and while I doubt you are a regular reader of this blog, in your vernacular, I will try to school ya. First of all, let's consider those images, haunting images of the victims of Hurricane Katrina from the city of New Orleans. They are truly horrific and it appears that almost all of the victims are black. Which makes it seem like there is someone to blame for the disproportionate amount of black victims, since blacks make up roughly 11 percent of the population of the United States.
But wait. New Orleans is a city with a predominately black population. The population living within the city limits at the time of the hurricane was 67% black. Or to put it another way, just over 2 out of every 3 people living within the city limits of New Orleans when the levees overflowed was black, and likely a victim of poverty as well. There was no government mandate for blacks to live within the city limits. The only reason for the absence of whites living within the city limits of New Orleans is that phenomenon known as "white flight" to the suburbs surrounding the urban area of New Orleans. The whites are in Metairie and Kenner.
As to the differences between looters and those looking for food, when we see images of looters carrying armloads of guns, flatscreen and plasma televisions and other items that are not edible, it is difficult to see or portray them as anything but looters. Were they to be carrying food and water, it would be a different issue.
Is assistance slow in arriving? Probably. But remember, this is a representative democracy, in which the federal government can only act based upon requests from the local and state governments. President Bush could do nothing except order FEMA to stand by and prepare to render aid until the governors of the impacted states asked for aid. Even then, when helicopters intending to rescue survivors approached the Superdome, they were shot at. Makes it kind of hard to render aid, doesn't it?
Fats Domino was a victim who had to be rescued and yet, he wasn't poor and he had the resources to flee before the storm arrived. Instead he chose to "ride it out". That was a mistake that he and everyone like him, who had the ability to get out and chose not to made, and in doing so, increased the burden upon the rescue and aid systems. What has happened is that the order to evacuate has come before, but the hurricane has missed the city and people have grown tired of evacuation when it seemed there was no reason to. This time, the reason did exist, but the people in the line of danger failed to heed the warning. Just like with Hurricane Camille, just like with Hurricane Betsy.
You see, Mr. West, this has happened before. But those who refuse to learn from the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.
Well, well, well. Mr. West, you have a lot to learn and while I doubt you are a regular reader of this blog, in your vernacular, I will try to school ya. First of all, let's consider those images, haunting images of the victims of Hurricane Katrina from the city of New Orleans. They are truly horrific and it appears that almost all of the victims are black. Which makes it seem like there is someone to blame for the disproportionate amount of black victims, since blacks make up roughly 11 percent of the population of the United States.
But wait. New Orleans is a city with a predominately black population. The population living within the city limits at the time of the hurricane was 67% black. Or to put it another way, just over 2 out of every 3 people living within the city limits of New Orleans when the levees overflowed was black, and likely a victim of poverty as well. There was no government mandate for blacks to live within the city limits. The only reason for the absence of whites living within the city limits of New Orleans is that phenomenon known as "white flight" to the suburbs surrounding the urban area of New Orleans. The whites are in Metairie and Kenner.
As to the differences between looters and those looking for food, when we see images of looters carrying armloads of guns, flatscreen and plasma televisions and other items that are not edible, it is difficult to see or portray them as anything but looters. Were they to be carrying food and water, it would be a different issue.
Is assistance slow in arriving? Probably. But remember, this is a representative democracy, in which the federal government can only act based upon requests from the local and state governments. President Bush could do nothing except order FEMA to stand by and prepare to render aid until the governors of the impacted states asked for aid. Even then, when helicopters intending to rescue survivors approached the Superdome, they were shot at. Makes it kind of hard to render aid, doesn't it?
Fats Domino was a victim who had to be rescued and yet, he wasn't poor and he had the resources to flee before the storm arrived. Instead he chose to "ride it out". That was a mistake that he and everyone like him, who had the ability to get out and chose not to made, and in doing so, increased the burden upon the rescue and aid systems. What has happened is that the order to evacuate has come before, but the hurricane has missed the city and people have grown tired of evacuation when it seemed there was no reason to. This time, the reason did exist, but the people in the line of danger failed to heed the warning. Just like with Hurricane Camille, just like with Hurricane Betsy.
You see, Mr. West, this has happened before. But those who refuse to learn from the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.
posted by me at 5:53 AM
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