Valentina

Same goes for white folks. Just sayin'.

But to get back on topic, I think Nagin's gone a little loopy from all the stress, and I can't say I blame him. His comments were a little bizarre, and certainly imprudent, and I tend to automatically dismiss anyone who claims to know what "God wants." But still, I didn't find his comments particularly offensive; I mean, I got what he was saying and I wouldn't call it a "racist" sentiment. Maybe a little defensive, a little reactionary, a little overwrought, a little wacky in the delivery...but I'm cutting the guy a little slack after everything he's been through.

That city got SO FUCKED...and most Americans seem completely oblivious to the ongoing aftermath of Katrina...we've all gone merrily back to our business, glued to the latest episode of American Idol, importing our CD collections into our Christmas iPods, posting on our favorite internet forums (hey, I'm guilty too--except for the American Idol part; I despise all forms of "reality" TV...). I know that there were massive failures on all levels of government and society, but I really do have a hard time escaping the nagging feeling that if NOLA had not been majority poor and black, things would have been different--not only in the days immediately following the storm, but also in the ensuing efforts to clean up and rebuild the city, and to help the people whose entire lives have been devastated by the floodwaters. And let me just say that I think "poor" is the more crucial operative word there. I also believe that if NOLA had been majority middle-class and black, things would have happened differently than they did in the wake of Katrina.

America is a deeply, deeply racist country. It's baked into us, whether we like it or not. Even if we consciously think that the concept of white folks' superiority over everyone else is total bunk, it's really hard to escape having various manifestations of that notion hammered into your psyche against your will--and this is true regardless of your race (which is why I tend to think that the "racism" of black folks against whites isn't quite comparable to the racism that goes in the other direction; it's in a different category, IMHO.) I'd even argue that anyone who says "I'm not a racist" is not self-aware enough. I'm a racist, unfortunately, but I make a constant, conscious, concerted effort to be aware of my racism; to catch myself when I realize that I'm buying into a stereotype, or making prejudgments about people based on race or ethnicity. I think just being able to recognize this in ourselves when it happens is half the battle against racism...