Immortal Technique concert was postponed

So today I went to two talks on Katrina, one highly technical, academic talk on the structural failures of this or that levee. The second was at a bookstore given by two folk who had gone down to New Orleans with a van full of food to help out.

In a very short summary, the first talk gave one the feeling that technology was the key to understanding the catastrophe. I don't want to say too much about the first talk except to ask two questions: 1) Is technology going to save us from the next catastrophe? Just look at the flood about to happen in Tauton, MA; a flood that technology is helpless in stopping. 2) Did the technology that we installed way back when contribute to or diminish the current catastrophe?

Now the second talk I liked much better. It was given by two people who went to New Orleans a week after Katrina hit. One speaker was an EMT giving first aid to people in need, the other speaker was merely preparing food for people, and they had a very positive effect on people who had been (are still being) abandoned by FEMA.

As for the stories the media was floating about gangs roving the streets-don't believe them. Those are just stereotypes meant to enforce this notion of people of color as savages (savages on DRUGS!) and it gives the green light to the Cracker Patrols/vigilantes/militias to roam around with their guns and shoot whatever/whomever they want. Those lies we're real big, and they didn't really need proof, did they? People just took for granted the blacks looking for a fix. I fell for it. But that it fit so nicely with our prejudicial notions should tip us-white mainstream society-off to the fact that they are stereotypes, and most likely lies. Say there did exist non-white gangs in New Orleans. Do we know the number of said gangs? Or do we just assume that there are swarms?

But in contrast to the mayhem that you always hear on the news (you really have to hear the worst about human nature in the media, if they are going to get your attention) the speakers talked about how happy people were to get some help and how people were working together to get through a catastrophe. So think about this, when society needs government the most-during a catastrophe, say-government is not there. In the absence of government or some coercive control, you don't have the worst of human nature, you see the best in human nature. People helping others not to make money, but because people naturally have compassion. And you don't have people killing other people except for police killing people and white vigilantes. It's getting late...

So I'll end with this, this country is steeped in racism; and unless we talk about this, unless white people start talking with black people as humans and start discussing race in this society, this shit is never going to go away. It will only get worse. If you want to see the hate, racism, and violent white supremacy in this society, just look at Craigslist. And this is not a phenomenon on TV or separate from us, the "mainstream liberals." Everyone has got to confront their own racism.