I don't want to get off on a rant here, but..

[docwebster]

I've seen a lot of people pissing and moaning because one of the mayors down in the path of Hurricane Katrina called it "our Tsunami".

I'll tell you what, Cha-Cha, I'm sure they'll put up a Post-It Note to give a rat's ass what you think about what that mayor named their own personal hell on Earth they're going through. They'll mark it as a priority somewhere south on the list of "Things To Do" after burying their dead, pumping out the water, burying their dead, tending to their injured, rebuilding their homes and businesses, and trying to find some tenuous foothold so they can start their lives over.

I have a question: who died and made you King Asshole? These people and that mayor can call that event "Pinky Tuscadero" if they want to, it's none of your fucking business.

EDIT: Okay, let me offer a question: How long do you think that mayor had been awake at that point? How many living, waking, breathing nightmares had he heard about or seen at that point? How many nightmares do you think he has to look forward to over the weeks and months - who am I kidding, years - ahead? If he fumbled for something to name it and that's what he came up with, then forgive the man his mortal sin. I'm inclined to give those poor bastards a little slack over what is at this point mere words when they've got all that horrific work ahead of them. Frankly, I'm more worried about fixing up an event of some kind to help these people than I'm interested in bantering semantics.

Comments

[frankenchris.livejournal.com]

Then again, that's just your opinion. You could be wrong.

...fuck it. Who wants pie?

[rosefox]

There are two issues for me: the mayor who said it, and the far-away commentators who say it (and by it mean "America's" when they say "our"). For the first, honestly, I expect a little more perspective and calm-headedness from elected officials, even in the face of tragedy, because I have seen elected officials with more perspective and calmer heads in the face of a tragedy that wasn't expected (as this was), was caused by other people (as this was not), and claimed twenty or thirty times as many lives. For the second, it seems smug and condescending, as though one American life were worth a thousand Indonesian lives, and I find that no less than vile. I found it pretty vile when people put the tsunami death tolls in terms of "that's seventy-eight 9/11s", too, just as I would have if someone had called 9/11 "fifteen Lockerbies". Comparing disasters is ugly no matter how you look at it.

Will I cut the mayor some slack? Sure. Will I continue to think that it's not unreasonable to expect better? Yes.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

A-frickin-men Doc!

Doesn't matter shit what they call it, it's still a disaster.
[although wanna bet someone's going to call it judgement from God about some narrow-minded shit or other?!]

[acedyth.livejournal.com]

A-damn-men!

I'm from Biloxi, and I evacuated...
I'm gonna need people to stop being stupid and pull together to help the victims... me included.

Thank you Doc

[hellfirefae.livejournal.com]

From someone that is actually dealing with this everyday, thank you Doc.
It is so frustrating to see people bitch and criticize this stuff when they have no idea what its like. I have friends and family that are homeless now. I have a friend trapped in NOLA as we speak. I have a cousin and her husband that haven't been heard from since Katrina hit. Perhaps some officials may "over dramatize" this in some peoples opinions... They aren't trying to make the lives lost in Indonesia seem less important, they are just trying to find some way to explain what is going on. It is easy to expect people to have a little more perspective and calm-headedness, until you're put in that place. Until you realize that New Orleans is gone... Homes are gone... Lives are gone...