New Orleans is Sinking

I felt a little weird updating the other day with a lighthearted post while there is such devastation and death and human suffering going on in the southern states right now, but it's something that I had started to write before Hurricane Katrina happened, so I decided to go with it.

I also feel that since I'm so far removed from it, and that since I can't even begin to wrap my head around the many and varied factors (i.e. gross governmental incompetence) that made up this disgraceful and highly avoidable tragedy that I don't have much of value to add to the debate anyway.

However, I did notice something that I think needs to be noted, and it has to do with the touchiness of people after any kind of shocking disaster. We saw it all after 9/11. Movies ready for release that had a terrorism plot were quickly pulled from the roster. Sitcoms based in New York City made no mention of it at all. Hell, one of the posters we did at the airplane factory had the World Trade towers in the background and we seriously considered removing it from the lobby.

I understand it, it's a natural human emotion, and I also understand the desire to be respectful to the victims, I just don't know how far this sort of thing should go.

Some of you (okay, Craig) may remember 2 years ago I wrote a couple of posts about my trip to New Orleans. In one of them, I featured a song by a Canadian group called The Tragically Hip.

WARNING: DO NOT PLAY THE SONG.

Here's why:

Katrina: The Aftermath
A Radio Casualty

By GUY DIXON
Globe & Mail
Friday, September 2, 2005 Page A13

The Tragically Hip's stomping barroom hit New Orleans is Sinking has become a casualty of hurricane Katrina as radio stations drop the song from their play lists largely due to its title.

Vancouver's 99.3 the Fox and sister classic rock station Rock 101, also in Vancouver, are among those that have pulled the song out of deference for hurricane victims.

"Any time there's this sort of loss of life and this many families affected -- regardless of the political ramifications -- it's out of respect, if anything," said the Fox's program and music director, who goes by the single name Dunner. He added that this is the first time that his station has pulled a song in this way. The song was dropped from the play list around noon on Wednesday.

Members of the Tragically Hip couldn't be immediately reached for comment yesterday.

Again, I understand the sentiment behind this sort of thing, and I would probably think it was colossally inappropriate if I heard it on the radio right now, but I would think that the dj's would be able to use their best judgment in this case. To make it official and to make it a news item is just a little ridiculous. (And then to go and call yourself Dunner on top of all that. Christ.)

But I'm sure the people suffering and dying in the richest country in the world don't give a rat's ass if this song is played on the radio in Canada or not. Their needs are a little more immediate than that. I'm sure they're more concerned about where their next meal is coming from, if their loved ones are all still alive, and when they're going to get back to some kind of normalcy again.

Personally, I keep wondering about the people that I met on the streets in New Orleans, about the conditions of some of the neighbourhoods, and about their indecent juxtaposition to the beautiful, affluent garden district. It makes me think that New Orleans has been sinking for a very long time, and that some of the other American cities I've seen are not far behind.