![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Sep. 4th, 2005
Black and White Revisited
Sep. 4th, 2005 08:23 amThere was a lot of talk recently about photos taken in New Orleans, supposedly captioned so as to suggest a racist subtext ("looting" vs. "finding" associated with dark and light skin colors, respectively). It turned out that the captions were factually correct, according to the photographers.
That, however, was just the beginning of the racist commentary.
Kanye West broke from the script during a national, multichannel concert to assert that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." (IMO: True.) Jesse Jackson said racism was partly to blame for the slow and inadequate response of rescue and relief efforts.
There has been a great deal of debate about the language of homelessness: "refugee" and "insurgency" have both been debated in ways that suggest that they only apply to folks of certain skin tones, and are therefore inapplicable.
And, then there are the old tired white supremacists. David Neiwert exposes the latest crap being spewed by David Duke and his buddies.
The saddest thing about that entry is this, probably accurate, prediction:
The problem isn't black and white. The problem is whether the incompetence demonstrated in handling this crisis was intentional, or even foreseeable. Because if it was, the only word that we can use for those responsible is criminal.
That, however, was just the beginning of the racist commentary.
Kanye West broke from the script during a national, multichannel concert to assert that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." (IMO: True.) Jesse Jackson said racism was partly to blame for the slow and inadequate response of rescue and relief efforts.
There has been a great deal of debate about the language of homelessness: "refugee" and "insurgency" have both been debated in ways that suggest that they only apply to folks of certain skin tones, and are therefore inapplicable.
And, then there are the old tired white supremacists. David Neiwert exposes the latest crap being spewed by David Duke and his buddies.
Duke has been claiming that white genocide is occurring in the city, and earlier described its "descent into savagery"
...
Meanwhile, over at the "academic" white supremacist organ, American Renaissance, they're busy pushing the same line. The [sic] prominently feature a piece from American Spectator editor George Neumayr penned a piece describing what a cesspool New Orleans was, with hopes that the flood would give the city a clean slate, while the rest of the site touts the Duke line that the violence isn't a result of the incompetence of disaster-prevention and -relief officials, it's a result of the race of the victims.
The saddest thing about that entry is this, probably accurate, prediction:
This probably won't be the end of it. As it becomes increasingly clear that the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress played a significant role in this disaster -- particularly for their failures to adequately fund levee upgrades and federal disaster relief, and to provide National Guard equipment and manpower that have instead been deployed to the wasteful war in Iraq -- look for them to respond as they always have whenever their mal- and misfeasance is pointed out: Blame the victims.
And the easiest way to do that, of course, is to suggest that their race (we'll hear a lot of talk about "black culture") is the real cause of the violence and the looting -- instead of the desperation and chaos brought about by the Bush administration's incompetence.
The problem isn't black and white. The problem is whether the incompetence demonstrated in handling this crisis was intentional, or even foreseeable. Because if it was, the only word that we can use for those responsible is criminal.
Frustration
Sep. 4th, 2005 08:13 pmFrom the You-Can't-Win, You-Can't-Break-Even Department:
As I have mentioned previously, my family history is rife with adult-onset diabetes, and I am going to confirm my self-diagnosis with a doctor RSN.
As I ALSO have mentioned previously, I have until recently been a Coca-Cola drinker as my preferred form of feeding the caffeine monkey.
As of this weekend, I've switched to Diet Coke instead. (I prefer the sort made with Splenda, but it doesn't seem to be commonly sold where I shop.)
When I come into work, I buy 3 liters of soda for a 12-hour shift. (I drink a lot. The thirst and dry mouth are two symptoms that strongly suggest the diagnosis.) For a long time, I have noted that the local (24/7) Duane Reade tends to be out of Coke, but laden with Diet Coke, on weekend nights.
So, naturally, when I came into work tonight, I stopped off per SOP to buy supplies. And damned if the store didn't have TWO FULL SHELVES of Coke, and NO Diet Coke. (So tonight, we try Coke Zero. I'll get back to you on that.) Ain't it just the way...
As I have mentioned previously, my family history is rife with adult-onset diabetes, and I am going to confirm my self-diagnosis with a doctor RSN.
As I ALSO have mentioned previously, I have until recently been a Coca-Cola drinker as my preferred form of feeding the caffeine monkey.
As of this weekend, I've switched to Diet Coke instead. (I prefer the sort made with Splenda, but it doesn't seem to be commonly sold where I shop.)
When I come into work, I buy 3 liters of soda for a 12-hour shift. (I drink a lot. The thirst and dry mouth are two symptoms that strongly suggest the diagnosis.) For a long time, I have noted that the local (24/7) Duane Reade tends to be out of Coke, but laden with Diet Coke, on weekend nights.
So, naturally, when I came into work tonight, I stopped off per SOP to buy supplies. And damned if the store didn't have TWO FULL SHELVES of Coke, and NO Diet Coke. (So tonight, we try Coke Zero. I'll get back to you on that.) Ain't it just the way...