USA hurricane....not much sympathy

[Dom Tuk]

There does not seem to much sympathy for the plight of the US states caught up in the devastation. Is there a part of us that relishes something like this that happens to a rich country. It is suffering after all. But is the suffering of the rich somehow acceptable to that of the poor.

[stevie21]

Further to the question that's directly below this one, I honestly believe that this is entirely due to the fact that the tabloids haven't told us to be in mourning and wailing our eyes out yet.

[georgit79]

Not that much sympathy? I for one am very sympathetic- it's horrific, and they're going to be living with the consequences for years to come. I do, though, think that we, as a 'rich' nation, have more time and empathy for the suffering of the poor.

[vespaboy]

' America' is a rich country, the people that live there (especially in the deep south) are inveriably poor.

Therefore the nation gets no sympathy, whereas the individuals do.

Funny how everybody was quick to mourn the 9/11 casualtys (probably all in well paid jobs and high standing respectable members of the community) whereas the poorer (mainly coloured) members of 'joe public' are not mourned.

'All pigs are created equal' - I think not in this case.

[metagirl]

I think people are still just REALLY shocked right now. The fact that a natural disaster created such devastation in a modern city is unbelieveable. Not that I think Bush is terribly empathetic even on his best days, he did only just return to Washington from his holidays yesterday. Americans don't think things like this can happen to them, unfortunately this only contributed to the tragedy.

[luckyboy]

Do it matter where the disaster happens, people lose lives and their livelyhood where it be indonisia or america, i for one have plenty of sympathy for them.remember theres plenty of poor people too affected by this...still i suppose there will be plenty of anti americans looking on in glee.. 

[january_bug]

Any anti-Americans looking on in glee are just sick!  I'm not suggesting there are any of those people here though! :-)

I agree with stevie, and am flattered by the reference to my own post! :-)  I do think that when the disease kicks in, people will be told to start to be sympathetic by the tabloids. 

Perhpas part of it is that people haven't yet grapsed quite how bad it is... I know I haven't.  I'm working 6-9pm this week (I'm not lazy, it's all I could get)  so haven't seen any evening news broadcasts.  The picutres do tend to bring it home to people.  Also, the last we heard before the storm, was that there was a mass evacuation, so perhaps people think everyone's ok. 

PS - I'm never sure of the up-to-date, non-racist terms to use these days, but I'm sure that "coloured" isn't one of them. 

[libertie]

Personally I think it's an absoloute tragedy wherever it happens, God only knows how you pick yourself up from something like this.......can't even begin to imagine what it must be like!

[libertie]

Sorry, meant to add that there's a wee thread going on about this in People & Places also!

[Booldawg]

lets face it: it won't be long before some crazy UK residing muslim cleric says its Allahs punishment on the US for being greedy debauched capitalists.

Of course the richest capitalists in the world are in fact the people who control the worlds oil supply, ie, not your average US citizen living in the southern states

[jake-the-peg]

With regard to radical preachers, people love to make links when they aren't there

Hurricanes punishing the US for Iraq

Aids punishing the Gay population

I'm waiting for someone to comment on the supposed irony between the hurricane and Bush's reluctance to act on global warning - not that there's any link.

It's an appalling tragedy but so was the stampede in Iraq that killed 700.

I think I know which group of sufferers will get the most assistance.

[Booldawg]

the question you have to ask yourself - are YOU sympathetic? I know I am, theres something pretty wrong with you if you arent

[Chapel]

Any human loss is tragic.

I think the reason the mass population isn't showing an outpouring of sympathy is that the States is:

a) hit by several hurricaines a year

b) rich as a nation

c) carrying out so much damage to people in other parts of the planet.

And yes, there are people in the world who look on in glee. Partly, I think, because the US and UK governments have done such a great job convincing the population that the countries are faceless - so that when a bomb drops, we don't see the human factor, just statistics. The net result is that when a tragedy like this happens, we don't envisage the suffering of the man or woman, just some damage to a place we don't know or care about. These people may be someone's husband/wife/father/mother/child, but we're so desensitised to human suffering we stop caring.

[jno]

wait no longer jake I have already posted a suggestion linking warming and hurricanes in another thread... It is, I know, unproven, but not implausible, and some people certainly see a connection. See here for instance.

[Buddy]

I personally like any human being have so much sympathy with the losses suffered on a humane level.

However I feel the USA have made a rod for their own backs in the White House.

If a major disaster occurs in a 3rd world country,which incidentally has just happened.it rates after the cricket scores in the news.

Is life cheap there?

[january_bug]

What do you mean "is life cheap there?"?  Where?  And cheap by world standards, or by local standards?  Or by something like the Big Mac hour wage measuring standard thing that I can't remember the name for?

[Buddy]

January - are u on your high horse or what!

I put a question mark after that comment for more than obvious reasons.Of course - if I have to explain myself - I dont think any life is cheap 

And no I am not patronising you - but if you dont get it dont respond.

I give up - I'm being haunted!!!

[Stretts]

God Bless the United States of America - or does He ??

perhaps there is a feeling of comeupance - was there a suggestion that the USA was frugal towards the appeal for the tsunami. What Americans I have met individually have been great but as a nation aren't they just full of themselves - everything has to be bigger, better and fatter!! America used to have an isolationist policy - perhaps they should go back to that for a while and sort their country out before trying to change others.

Had better get of my horse before it's too far down

[nedflanders]

Remember the tsunami? It took a few days to realise the enormity of the disaster and I think that this will be the same! Even in this day with the media all over the place.  I too feel total sympathy with the people of the affected areas I just hope they start shooting the looters!

Oh and for the record if you hear anything linking this to global warming just ignore it ! Media scaremongering !

[Clanad]

I suppose this could soon deterioate into a nasty discussion on how bad the U.S. actually is, but i couldn't let Stretts comments go unanswered, especially concerning the tsunami relief...

By January 12, the day following a conference of donors in Geneva, Switzerland, about $88 million -- out of the $350 million in relief funds for the region pledged by the U.S. government -- had been committed to specific projects in the affected nations. That figure did not include the cost of military relief efforts. As of January 12, more than 15,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in providing relief support in the affected region. Twenty-five ships and 94 aircraft were participating in the effort. The U.S. military had delivered about 2.2 million pounds of relief supplies to affected nations, including 16,000 gallons of water, 113,000 pounds of food, and 140,500 pounds of relief supplies in the previous 24 hours alone. On February 9, President Bush asked Congress to increase the U.S. commitment to a total of $950 million. This was also granted.  Additionally, over 1 billion dollars has been contributed from private sources in the U.S.  I haven't noticed, yet, the armada of relief ships and supplies coming from Europe and other areas to assist in helping with the massive devastation caused by hussicane Katrina.  I'm sure, however, they are on their way...

I suppose we should revert to isolationism, as we did in WWI and WWII?... then we could certainly get ourselves all sorted out...

[Clanad]

Oh, by the way, wouldn't now be a really good time for the U.S. to get repaid for the Lend Lease Act of WW II?  Let's see.... ummmm. $50 Billion (with a "B") in 1941 dollars, plus interest.... ummmm... sorry my calculator won't handle it...