katrina is a bitch
I have been trying for the past few days to understand all of the destruction, devastation, and demolition (plus whatever other "d" words you like) that is taking place in New Orleans and beyond. I have been faithfully watching the news (Fox News just for you, Joelboy) every morning, but as the days progress, the images pouring out of my television are becoming less and less realistic. Its the same sort of thing that happened during the tsunami I suppose. Cars floating down rivers, housing projects that now resemble lakeside stepping stones, roving gangs of gun-toting lunatics, stories of murder and rape and looting... none of it makes any sense.
To me, New Orleans might as well be Indonesia...or the moon for that matter. After all, my understanding of each place is equally limited. I understand that this whole thing is a tragic and life-changing event for a great number of people, and I know that on some instinctual human level I should be sad or concerned or both...but I am finding it difficult to empathize with the troubles that these people are going through. The truth is, the worst thing that I have been forced to endure (besides the occasional summer heartbreak) is having my clavicle broken by some dude that is really good at running away from car accidents. Without some personal connection to disasters like Hurricane Katrina, its hard to fathom that life can get that difficult. Sometimes, it almost seems easier to pretend that I (and maybe you) am the centerpiece of some grand trumanshowish reality, and the world around me is all prefabricated...with all of its biblical floods and talibans and such.
ps...just between the two of us, I sometimes wonder that if I were to drive out across the country, would New Orleans even exist? Or is it something that I dreamt up along the way...a recurring dream within a recurring dream.
To me, New Orleans might as well be Indonesia...or the moon for that matter. After all, my understanding of each place is equally limited. I understand that this whole thing is a tragic and life-changing event for a great number of people, and I know that on some instinctual human level I should be sad or concerned or both...but I am finding it difficult to empathize with the troubles that these people are going through. The truth is, the worst thing that I have been forced to endure (besides the occasional summer heartbreak) is having my clavicle broken by some dude that is really good at running away from car accidents. Without some personal connection to disasters like Hurricane Katrina, its hard to fathom that life can get that difficult. Sometimes, it almost seems easier to pretend that I (and maybe you) am the centerpiece of some grand trumanshowish reality, and the world around me is all prefabricated...with all of its biblical floods and talibans and such.
ps...just between the two of us, I sometimes wonder that if I were to drive out across the country, would New Orleans even exist? Or is it something that I dreamt up along the way...a recurring dream within a recurring dream.
posted by joshua kerney | 10:35 PM
3 Comments:
Hi guy. Getting that spam ad must make you feel just great, too. I'm random jumping blogspots and stopped because of Chico. Graduated there 1975 and went on. Have been to N.O. and Indonesia and they do exist. You'll get there if you get there, but you won't if you don't. Saw your picture of blue flowers (bluebonnets?) and recalled going up on Table Mt. with my wife, laying in the spring fields, taking hundreds of pix of little blossoming flowers which we could hardly afford to get developed. I put myself thru Chico State as a night janitor, cleaning PG&E stations all over NoCal. Not fun. But OK now. There's hope for them what's get up and go find it. Best of luck. John Thos. Brown aka Guambat Stew.
Both of those comments do no justice to your blog. Your views are shared, it just seems ro much to understand how there can be so much tragedy, what if we get another terror attack, is this all real?
dear guambat stew,
yes, spam ads do make me feel great...porn ads are the best, but the one on this comment page is alright as well.
josh
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