Half Changed World

Lots of bloggers are writing about Katrina today, and I wanted to point out some links that particularly spoke to me.

Hugo Schwyzer wonders if watching the news coverage of Katrina is like rubbernecking at a traffic accident.  He particuarly comments on voyerism and the role of television.  I haven’t watched any of the coverage on TV; I’m overwhelmed enough by the still images and stories.  I learned that lesson during the first Gulf war, and it’s been reinforced by being the mother of two small children, who don’t need to have these images in their heads.

Andrea at Beanie Baby suggests that we honor the victims by bearing witness to their suffering.  She writes:

"We are the love of god; ultimately, we don’t have the right to turn our faces away, to spare ourselves the grief of witnessing, if witnessing is all we can do. Because that would be to diminish god."

Teresa at Making Light discusses "looting" of food, and racism in media coverage.

Also via Making Light, Cherie Priest writes about "the socio-economics of disaster."  Or how not everyone has the resources to hop in their car and drive to a hotel room.

Teresa also links to a page discussing "jump kits" — the supplies that you should keep in a bag near the door in case you need to run.  If you can afford it, another set in your car is probably a good idea too.

Meanwhile, Jody at Raising WEG and Phantom Scribbler have been urging people to prepare for an avian flu pandemic.  I’m not quite ready to drink the kool aid, though.  Not because I think their doomsday scenarios are impossible.  But because I’m doubtful that any reasonable level of preparation I could make would really help.  I think it makes sense to have three days of non-perishable food and water, basic medical supplies, and flashlights on hand.  But if the power and water really go out for months on end, I don’t think a lot of tuna in the closet is going to help.  I don’t buy Dave Pollard’s argument that we’re headed for a catastrophic crash, but I do accept his point that if one happens, big cities and their suburbs are "too remote from food supplies and too dependent on energy, and will ultimately become unsafe and unsanitary as infrastructure becomes unsustainable and begins to deteriorate." 

By the way, I’m always amused by survivalists who think that gold is going to be useful means of trade at the end of the world.  I think they’ve read too much Ayn Rand.  If I really thought that civilization was about to collapse, I’d be stockpiling antibiotics and extra glasses, monofilament line and good knives. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 31st, 2005 at 9:50 pm and is filed under Current Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.