Commentary Re: Negative Responses to Tragedy

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Re: Negative Responses to Tragedy


In recent days, I’ve been disappointed to see posts criticizing or demeaning the emotions of sympathetic people that have been brought on by the Katrina disaster. Even more concerning to me is the criticism of ANY action, including simple empathy and prayer, that people have for neighboring citizens in such dire and unprecedented circumstances. Some of the blogger posts I read referred to anyone “jumping on the bandwagon” with articles, donation links, empathetic statements and prayers, as insincere and under the surface, uncaring individuals. Another referred to the “tears” of Americans watching this tragedy as pure BS.

While this is a disturbing picture of how one might view fellow citizens, I am even more appalled by those that open their mouths and criticize the people of NO who did not get out before the disaster occurred. Clearly, these are people without experience in how the limitations that poverty, age, illness, mental capacity, responsibility for other people and lack of mobility, physical ability or even simple confidence can paralyze even the grandest efforts to take action.

And what about fear? I’m speaking of the desperate hope that you can hang on; the fear of leaving what little you have and going to an unknown space with no personal resources or means of income to support yourself (and maybe others) for an undetermined amount of time. Have you ever been truly afraid?

While I wonder about the decision making process of people who weren’t in these circumstances and chose to stay despite warning, I have the greatest and most heartfelt empathy for those with no choice. It’s not like we sent the National Guard in ahead of time to help them out. The government had just as much warning as the people.

If you are wearing the criticism shoe and find the squalor, death, starvation and dehydration of thousands of US Citizens acceptable because they didn’t have your excellent hindsight, education or resources…take another look at the stripping of simple humanity from your neighbors and put yourself there with the water rising and no place to go.

Hang on to the eaves on your rooftop in the dark of night with water lapping and spraying all around you and keep counting to see if any of your family is gone.

Wait endless hours in the heat with your parent dying and your child raw from diarrhea and dehydration.

Do it without water for almost long enough to kill you, and without food.

Do it while you are soaked to the bone with rancid water, while your own sweat and the stench of death and human waste are all around you.

Sleep on trash bags and refuse in the streets for almost a week.

Then answer to the criticism of flippant bloggers and talk show wannabes that think this is somehow your fault.

So put me on the empathy bandwagon, tears and all. There are short articles, donations links, empathetic statements and heartfelt prayer on this blog for the benefit of the victims, for the sorrow and shame of our country in the slowness of aid and comfort to the displaced and homeless, and for a revelation in attitude and human kindness from those that are wearing the “other “shoe.

Everyone has a right to a voice in this country…think what you may, speak as you wish, but as a parting thought; try to remember that kindness and human compassion have value, even to you. A good cry is in order.

Paula