losing respect for fellow Americans

[Aharami]

the 2004 tsunami that devastated south-east Asia was a much larger natural disaster in terms of lives and property lost. Yet I dont recall hearing of any looting incidents over there. Infact, i recall people helping each other out over there.

Maybe there were some lootings, but obviously not enough to report on - obviously lot less than whats going on in NO and surrounding area. And its not like lootings happened in Asia but werent reported because the tsunami and events following it got widespread media coverage.

But throw a natural disaster in the face of Americans, and all civilization breaks loose. Forget helping with the rescue effort, they'd rather go loot stores to "get back at society." Id understand if they were just looting for basic necessities...but stealing TVs??

Now dont get me wrong, I understand the impact of this disaster and cant even imagine how much they are suffering down there but in retrospect, its quite shameful how very selfish we are.

On another note, i did donate to the Asia relief fund, but Im less likely to do so this time around because all these looting incidents disgusts me.

 

[Ronstang]

Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

 

[GeneValgene]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

dayum

 

[thirdeye]

^^wow

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

the thing is, i fear things would not have been much different had this happened somewhere else

 

[dighn]

/gets lawn chair

 

[Vegitto]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

As much as I hate racism, I can't say you're wrong.

 

[Sheepathon]

Isn't most of the looting going on being conducted by people who weren't smart enough to get the hell out of the city despite copious amounts of warning? Losing respect for your fellow Americans for reasons like rapists and murderers or the behavior of corrupt police is one thing, but interpreting the actions of what one might call the dregs of New Orleans society as reflective of what the "good" America is seems a bit misplaced.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: Vegitto

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

As much as I hate racism, I can't say you're wrong.

The evidence is overwhelming in this case, regardless of where you get you information from. I wish it was not true but denying the facts to be PC is stupid. Read some personal accounts of what is happening in that city....stuff you won't see on the news and they are almost surreal. These idiots are even shooting at helicopters trying to HELP them.

 

[Aharami]

also, i dont think its a matter of just color. I think its a matter of color and social status. Its easy to blame the lootings on color because it just so happened that the area with the biggest devastation happened to be majority black...poor black. Now ask yourself this question...would the situation be any different had the hurricane devasted an area populated majorly by poor white people?

How would the situation be different had it hit an affluent area populated by affluent blacks and whites?

gotta ask these questions before you make a blanket statement like that

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: Aharami
also, i dont think its a matter of just color. I think its a matter of color and social status. Its easy to blame the lootings on color because it just so happened that the area with the biggest devastation happened to be majority black...poor black. Now ask yourself this question...would the situation be any different had the hurricane devasted an area populated majorly by poor white people?

How would the situation be different had it hit an affluent area populated by affluent blacks and whites?

gotta ask these questions before you make a blanket statement like that

I would agree. Being from Mississippi myself, there are plenty of poor, white people who would do the same thing. I've only seen video and pictures of looting in NO, but the reports are it's just as bad in south MS.

 

[Sentinel]

wtf is wrong with people? shooting the goddamn helicopters that are transporting them to a better area?

 

[RadioHead84]

You cant say its just color. Its pretty much all social status. The poorer you are the more likely you are to act like this. THe more likely you are to loot. It just so happens that the majority of poor people in any major city are black.

Another reason that looting might be worse in NO is becuase of the stuff there. I mean people in the last disater didnt have a whole lot to loot from after it was all over, and they sure as hell didnt have a walmart right down the street thats still standing to walk in and take something. The oppurtinity to loot here must be higher then in asia.

This all being said...I agree that the people there are being very selfish and VERY stupid..expecially when they shoot at helicopters. WTF are they thinking.

 

[shud]

Originally posted by: BlueWeasel

Originally posted by: Aharami
also, i dont think its a matter of just color. I think its a matter of color and social status. Its easy to blame the lootings on color because it just so happened that the area with the biggest devastation happened to be majority black...poor black. Now ask yourself this question...would the situation be any different had the hurricane devasted an area populated majorly by poor white people?

How would the situation be different had it hit an affluent area populated by affluent blacks and whites?

gotta ask these questions before you make a blanket statement like that

I would agree. Being from Mississippi myself, there are plenty of poor, white people who would do the same thing. I've only seen video and pictures of looting in NO, but the reports are it's just as bad in south MS.

I'm pretty sure they'd all just sit on their roofs and get some good fishing in while the tide as up.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

That took some balls! I'll send you $5.00 if you go post a thread in P&N with that title!

 

[rodneyxiii]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Vegitto

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

As much as I hate racism, I can't say you're wrong.

The evidence is overwhelming in this case, regardless of where you get you information from. I wish it was not true but denying the facts to be PC is stupid. Read some personal accounts of what is happening in that city....stuff you won't see on the news and they are almost surreal. These idiots are even shooting at helicopters trying to HELP them.

So it comes to this again? You'll believe what you want to belive. So very often incidents like this are used to justify one's prejudices. Go up to a person of color that you know and explain that to him or her. Just lump all the people of color in on heap. I can't change the way you feel because that is a product of your own past experiences. I can tell you that it is insulting to me and that I quite frankly disagree.

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: Sentinel
wtf is wrong with people? shooting the goddamn helicopters that are transporting them to a better area?

this is news to me!!
:|

those people deserve to rot in the flood water
:|:|

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I seem to remember after the Tsunami, there wasn't much TO loot. And they were more worried about trying to find out of thier family exists still.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
I seem to remember after the Tsunami, there wasn't much TO loot. And they were more worried about trying to find out of thier family exists still.

Exactly. They cared more about others than "getting mine"

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
I seem to remember after the Tsunami, there wasn't much TO loot. And they were more worried about trying to find out of thier family exists still.

that's what i was thinking. wasn't the area hit by the tsunami very poor? meaning, they didn't have supermarkets or jewelry stores to loot?

i tend to believe that human nature is more to blame than the American society. people will be greedy regardless of where they are from.

also, the area hit by the tsunami probably didn't have nearly the media swarming around it. we see all these images because TV cameras are constantly looking for the images to broadcast.

 

[Calin]

Originally posted by: RadioHead84
You cant say its just color. Its pretty much all social status. The poorer you are the more likely you are to act like this. THe more likely you are to loot. It just so happens that the majority of poor people in any major city are black.

No, being poor is one, and wanting to have nice things is another. Some people there are so poor they could never afford some of the things they now steal from shops. And while some are capable to go over everything to obtain them, others steal them only if there is a good opportunity (which now, unfortunately, is).

Military should go there and martial law should be declared in the area until police can take over control. This would end most of the looting quickly (I think)

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: GeneValgene

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't lump all Americans together....this seems to be a problem of color.

dayum

it's a valid observation i suppose. The problem corelates to income level rather than color though - it just happens that most of the low income families in that area are black (since it's inner city).

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
I seem to remember after the Tsunami, there wasn't much TO loot. And they were more worried about trying to find out of thier family exists still.

stuff not loot-worthy over here is not so over there. They are used to living in worse conditions and stuff we take for granted would be luxuries to them. So if they wanted to loot, they could have.

Both incidents caused much destruction and devasted both populations, but only one seems to have spiraled down to civil unrest.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: Aharami
also, i dont think its a matter of just color. I think its a matter of color and social status. Its easy to blame the lootings on color because it just so happened that the area with the biggest devastation happened to be majority black...poor black.

No it is about color. Remember the white / other races are "Finding" things..

Im kidding im kidding.

Seriously though, werent most of the areas affected by the tsunami underdeveloped and poor? If so, there may have not been anything to loot so it wouldnt be a valid comparison.

I sure dont remember seeing any abandon footlockers, electronics stores, etc in the SE Asia disaster footage.

 

[yobarman]

This thread makes me angry. I love how all of these "armchair quarterbacks" know exactly how to fix the problem, whos causing problems, who deserves to die in the flood waters and who doesnt. Bottom line: Its chaos. If you have no relatives in NO and are nowhere near NO, then please STFU and donate some money and stop talking about it.