Katrina: A New Untouchable Class

Jaron Lanier - Huffington Post, 09.03.2005

Will the Katrina refugee populations building up in Houston and elsewhere become a new untouchable class? Will the experiences of these people be integrated into the national dialog or will we distance ourselves from them?

My fear is that we'll lose them as members of the American family.
We'll be embarrassed by our own failings and pretend not to see them. They, on the other hand, will find it hard to regain any trust they might have had before in the American social contract.

We have no idea what it will be like to suddenly have in our midst hundreds of thousands of traumatized fellow citizens who have not just "lost everything" as could be said of victims of other natural disasters, but who have lived through a hellish failure of civilization.

More...

i feel more connection with them than i do to the vast majority of america- betrayal, living through hell, hoplessness, being blamed foryh your lot in 'life'... and learning to face the reality that it is not bedause anyone 'deserves' anytinng- we all deserve a chance an equal chance to live in peace and with hope...
they are my family- i hope i can use my life to help the world see the things that connect us are so much more important and numerous than those which divide us. I am sorry i wasn't able to 'do' more to get help to the victims of this disaster... but dististancing myself from them out of guilt is only adding to the hurt, wrong and betrayl they'ver alrealdy gotten.

and i can't do that-
I hope folks will really think about this it's a good point- and something that has to be focused on recognized, admitted, and addressed.

peace,
blu