Disasters and Human Nature

[Jan]

Done. I think the new title will garner more conversation.

Jan

[DGTWoodward]

Yes me too.

Sorry if I caused a misinderstanding, yes of course these situation do also bring out the VERY BEST in most folks. Thanks for the redirection in thinking...it is always best to consider the more positive aspects of our nature (whilst trying to improve on the less positive ones).

[Spoo Junky]

Yes, please

[Jan]

If only people were that nice every day of the week.

To an extent, I think it's because people don't feel good about asking for help except when they know that the other person might want/need help, too.

BTW, anybody besides me really want this thread title changed?

Jan

[Spoo Junky]

We had the same fellowship during the big blackout a couple of years ago that took out part of the northeast, including where I live. Neighbours introduced themselves and got together to talk and have barbeques.

Even during smaller crises like snowstorms, neighbours that normally don't say boo to each other help out. We don't have a snow blower but our neighbours use theirs to dig us out and we give them gas when they run out.

If only people were that nice every day of the week.

[Jan]

I can't say that a disaster doesn't bring out the worst. But I've been through something similar twice, and I have seen and remember more good than bad in the aftermath. God bless all the people that helped us here. In 1995 FEMA was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!! I was floored that they became such a disgrace. This should truly be a depoliticized agency, but that is too logical, I guess.

That was an excellent story, John, thanks. I'm very glad you came through it all safely.

I've been through several hurricanes, many snowstorms and various other states of emergency and I have noticed that, for the most part, people get together and help each other out and, in the end, almost end up having sort of a good time because of the interraction and comradery they generate.

There are always going to be lots of news stories about the bad things that happen and few about the good deeds that people do. I look for the latter and avoid the former and I'm generally happier for that.

Jan

[jahkneebee]

These situations ALWAYS bring out the worst AND the best in us.

When St Croix, USVI, got hit by Hugo, they published a picture of the National Guard with appliances from a store in the back of an open truck. Sure enough in two days they had the T-Shirt: "I got blown by Hugo and the National Guard stole my toaster." Meanwhile there were a lot of good people doing good things.

My neighborhood in St Thomas got trashed, but all the neighbors got together each night and we pooled our resources and fed each other. I work for a food distributor, and I was giving steaks, another guy had flown fresh fish in daily, and he opened up his fridges. We used whatever we could salvage before it went bad, but the cameraderie was the best part. I had never known all my neighbors (not your standard subdivision) until then, and I can't forget them even now. We had no electricity for weeks, so we made acoustic music, and entertained ourselves.

When Marilyn hit St Thomas in 95, I hid in my bathtub while the storm peeled off pieces of the roof and sent over 20 tornadoes within feet of my house (one after another- I would hear a distant freight train coming - no trains in STT- then my ears would pop about 4 or 5 times in rapid succession as the pressure dropped; then the whole wooden house-on stilts- would shake radically; then it got quiet, but off in the distance you could just hear the next train coming). When I came outside the next day, there wasn't a leaf on any tree in the rainforest around me, 20 of 30 homes in my new neighborhood were flattened. I could see into houses from above, some all the way to the foundation, because the house was gone. There were pieces of cars and entire roofs in my yard.

Within an hour, a neighbor from the bottom of the hill was leading all my neighbors up the hill with his back-hoe. We chipped in with machetes and chainsaws and cleared the mile-long Caret Bay Road to the main 'highway'. It was blocked by powerlines, houses, and rockslides. We were without electricity (except gennies) for 3 months, phones took 9 months to fix, and there was no TV for a year and a half (no cable, no nothing: and the Satellite Company went bankrupt in 6 months). But people were nicer (mostly) to each other.

I can't say that a disaster doesn't bring out the worst. But I've been through something similar twice, and I have seen and remember more good than bad in the aftermath. God bless all the people that helped us here. In 1995 FEMA was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!! I was floored that they became such a disgrace. This should truly be a depoliticized agency, but that is too logical, I guess.

End of story,

John

[DGTWoodward]

I know it seems incredibly obvious but this type of situation ALWAYS brings out the very worst in human nature, in every sense of the phrase.

To my mind it was an awful tragedy that was VERY BADLY handled. All those families that have lost loved ones. Wish we could have done more from over here in the UK. We can only hope now that law and order have been restored on ALL FRONTS.

All the best to those who have suffered.

[Milkman]

Interesting first post...

I have seen this same "article" and picture quoted on quite a few other forums. Its an... intersting... read.

Hopefully you will also post on some JMS related issues here as well.

[Jan]

The Associated Press caption accompanying the image with a black person says he's just finished "looting" a grocery store. The AFP/Getty Images caption describes lighter skinned people "finding" bread and soda from a grocery store. No stores are open to sell these goods.

Isn't this comparing apples and oranges since you're comparing two completely different news agencies with (very likely) different policies?

<snip the rest>

I'm afraid I can't address the rest of your post because I can't tell whether you're 'reporting' or expressing opinion. Was it a personal eyewitness account? Because it seems to be turning out that *many* (though not all, I'm sure) reports of lawlessness, vigilanteism and rapes are unsubstantiated.

Who, specifically, are the 'they' to whom you're referring? I'm reminded of an old saying that goes 'Never attribute to malice what can be accounted for by stupidity'.

Jan

[Laiden]

I will only reply in response to the pictures. one is from the AP and the other is from the AFP. these are two different presses and thus are phrasing things differently. if they were both from the same Press, then it would upset me, but its just news and the news always does things like this.

on a side note . . . in regards to everything else stated, I can truly sympathize and agree with what you are saying with those views.

[Jan]

Moved to the Off Topic forum as the General forums is for Babylon 5 discussions.

Jan

[while]

The Associated Press caption accompanying the image with a black person says he's just finished "looting" a grocery store. The AFP/Getty Images caption describes lighter skinned people "finding" bread and soda from a grocery store. No stores are open to sell these goods.



New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005 - It's criminal. From what you're hearing, the people trapped in New Orleans are nothing but looters. We're told we should be more "neighborly." But nobody talked about being neighborly until after the people who could afford to leave à left


There are gangs of white vigilantes near here riding around in pickup trucks, all of them armed, and any young Black they see who they figure doesn't belong in their community, they shoot him.


But nobody cares. They're just lawless looters ... dangerous


The hurricane hit at the end of the month, the time when poor people are most vulnerable. Food stamps don't buy enough but for about three weeks of the month, and by the end of the month everyone runs out. Now they have no way to get their food stamps or any money, so they just have to take what they can to survive.


Every day countless volunteers are trying to help, but they're turned back. Almost all the rescue that's been done has been done by volunteers anyway.


here is the real truth, they were watching our in need of help Americans die and suffer because they are afraid of us African Americans and other poor races & it make me mad because these scum just are sitting around while people die and it is sick.


they can't even take care of our affairs here in America, how are they going to help other country's when this place is a hell hole. It made me sick to see Veterans dying and they fault for this country like my dad, & my step brother is now fighting in Iraq & even he called me & said that he feels ashamed & appalled at what he has saw this week from our fake country