The unintended outcome of the speech, both in its religious rhetoric and in its signature "chocolate" moment, was to rip the scab off of the huge gash that separates New Orleans into separate, warring camps: by race, by section, by church, by income. It's not all Nagin's fault. It's all of our fault, that we measure each other by skin color or the car we drive, or where we park that car on Sunday morning or at night.
I think he's 100% correct. The outcry from all quarters is indeed telling. What hizzoner said was incredibly mild compared to the anger and apparently festering hatred that erupted in response.
In a particularly powerful paragraph, Mark reminds us how indifferent Nature is to skin color, especially when she is manifest in the form of a hurricane like Katrina.
2 comments:
Hi Tim
This has nothing to do with your post, but I read your post on another blog that you march with Mondo Kayo.
My friend Michelle is trying to find Mondo Kayo-ites with little success - you probably know her as she walks with them and also wants to get working on floats and props etc.
You can email her at extremelevine at hotmail if you can give her any info - i hope she doesn't get a bunch of junk email from this (i'm sure you wouldn't do it i just wonder about the internet!)
Tim-
I am greatly enjoying your blog - it is intersting,informative, funny in places and touching. I got back almost a week ago from NOLA where I was doing counseling with people in NOLA and St. Bernard. I was searching for a blog just like yours to keep me up to date on NOLA - thanks for putting your words out there! (And I will post about fixing the levees on my blog too!)
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