From Gulf to Gulf

[dkc at UMICH.EDU]

Can you provide a cite on that?
On Sep 3, 2005, at 11:16 AM, JULIA EVANS wrote:

> you might add that when the media was describing white people breaking 
> into stores for food etc. they used
> the turn borrowing.....
>
> looting seems to be saved for minority populations, sadly
> -J
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Christian Nelson <cnelson at COMM.UMASS.EDU>
> Date: Saturday, September 3, 2005 10:14 am
> Subject: Re: From Gulf to Gulf
>
>> An analysis of the discourse related to this event could really
>> serve
>> to cast a light on race/class relations in this country. Like the
>> others who've posted on this thread, I've been struck by the
>> class/race
>> disparities in the government's (non)response to this disaster. (As
>> another example, I learned that all the hospitals were quickly
>> evacuated EXCEPT for the public ones, which serve the local poor,
>> and
>> which were only evacuated when their situation had gotten so dire
>> that
>> the administrators gave up begging the Louisiana Governor, etc. for
>> help and called a radio station to air their grievances.) Those
>> disparities are clearly reflected in the media's discourse about
>> the
>> people trapped in New Orleans--for instance, many of the reports of
>> "looting" I've heard turn out to be about people breaking into
>> cafeterias, etc. to find food. I find it hard to call this looting
>> when
>> engaged in by people who are running out of water and have gone
>> without
>> food for days, and when the food and drink involved will be
>> uselessly
>> spoiled LONG before anyone can retrieve it in order to sell it (a
>> process that would take weeks if not months by all accounts). I
>> hope
>> someone has the time and inclination to analyze this discourse in
>> order
>> to expose the depths of racism and classism in America. Having said
>> that, I think some historical perspective might focus light on
>> where
>> that racism and classism is deepest. In that regard, I think I'm
>> remembering correctly that Bush Sr.'s loss to Clinton was in some
>> part
>> attributable to the poor performance of his FEMA director in
>> response
>> to another but smaller disaster (in fact, I think it was another
>> hurricane--Hugo in '89, but I could be misremembering). Further, I
>> recall that Clinton was hailed for appointing James Lee Witt to
>> head
>> FEMA, as he was only the first FEMA director who had any
>> professional
>> disaster relief experience. (Witt proved his worth by reforming
>> FEMA,
>> and the Clinton administration went on to distinguish itself for
>> its
>> responsiveness to natural disasters.) On the other hand, it might
>> also
>> be useful to recall the words of Marilyn Quail (the wife of Bush
>> Sr.'s
>> Vice President), who had chosen disaster relief as her pet project.
>> If
>> memory serves, when asked about her experience with disasters she
>> said
>> she didn't have any because she hadn't been "invited" to one--as
>> though
>> these were cotillions.
>> --Christian Nelson
>>
>
>
>
Deborah Keller-Cohen
Professor, Linguistics and Women's Studies
Program in Women's Studies
2110 Lane Hall
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285