I'm gonna go out on a limb here...

[Immortal Goat]

And say that, while terrible, all the loss of life due to Katrina is due to the residents of the affected areas lack of action. Before this storm hit, I had heard predictions about it about a week in advance, and I live in Ohio. Down in the areas that could be affected, I would imagine that prediction was slightly quicker in getting to them. That means that they had at least a week to get the heck out of Dodge and actually salvage at least their families and their posessions. And what did they do? Nothing. They sat there thinking "It could never happen to ME".

I have little sympathy for these people, it is the same as when people complain about property devastation from tornados when they live in Tornado Alley. Get a clue and get the fuck out.

[Sethomas]

Well, that's great if you have somewhere to go. Many many people did and squandered it, yes. Kein Mitleid für die Manheit. But others? Nope, just screwed by nature and the history that placed them there.

[ScruU2wice]

OMFG natural selection, right guys LOLOLOL

[Immortal Goat]

Originally Posted by Sethomas

Well, that's great if you have somewhere to go. Many many people did and squandered it, yes. Kein Mitleid für die Manheit. But others? Nope, just screwed by nature and the history that placed them there.

Well, I still say that most of them could have gottten out. I just saw something on the news about one woman who refused to leave because she had survived previous storms, and that she was going to survive again. All I can think of is that guy that wouldn't move off of Mt. Saint Helens even though everyone knew it would blow. Stupidity costs lives, and staying in New Orleans when you have the ability to leave is pure stupidity.

[ziggytrix]

Yeah, why should anyone feel sympathy for anyone else? When bad things happen, they should have been smarter like you and me, and not let those bad thigns happen. Fuck compassion. Compassion never put a dime in MY pocket.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Originally Posted by Immortal Goat

Stupidity costs lives, and staying in New Orleans when you have the ability to leave is pure stupidity.

Define ability. I could conceivably get up out of my chair right now, walk out of my office, and never come back here. There's nothing physically restraining me at this desk, is there? I'm not forced to work here, am I?

While I'm sure that there were people who just figured it would pass, I'm sure most who didn't leave because everything they have/had financially, socially, and physically was attached to those places.

[Zero Signal]

Originally Posted by Sethomas

Kein Mitleid für die Manheit.

Do you mean "kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit" instead?

No pity for the majority?

[mburbank]

Leaving aside the debateable nature of the many, many people who would have ahd a great deal of difficulty getting out, there's a word for sympathy felt for people who might have helped themselves had they tried harder or been smarter.


It's called compassion.

[Preechr]

Wow.

You sure have a knack for making compassionate conservatism sound creepy.

[Immortal Goat]

Originally Posted by mburbank

It's called compassion.

I never said I never felt compassion for these people, just little sympathy. There is a difference. I will be donating to the Red Cross to help ease the property devastation, but the death toll, while an inescapable fact in these storms, was able to be kept down, and that didn't happen.

And Kevin, sure, you don't have to get up out of your chair and never come back, but if there was a bomb threat, I bet you would move. You wouldn't "tough it out" because you have replacable items on your desk. You would leave, and if the bomb blew, as Katrina hit, you would most likely not come back until the building was restored and you could replace your items, which are hopefully insured.

[ScruU2wice]

I don't think everyone's metaphors are always valid. Sitting on the face of mount st. helen is alot different then sitting in you house on mississippi. I'm sick of everyone coming up with a clever metaphor to prove their case, eventhough the two things can barely be compared.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Originally Posted by Immortal Goat

And Kevin, sure, you don't have to get up out of your chair and never come back, but if there was a bomb threat, I bet you would move. You wouldn't "tough it out" because you have replacable items on your desk.

But these people have lived all their lives with these storms. In fact, Katrina the storm didn't even hit New Orleans as bad as everyone thought it would. It was the levy breaking and flooding that really did them all in there. A bomb with certain demise and a storm with uncertain consequences are two different things.

You would leave, and if the bomb blew, as Katrina hit, you would most likely not come back until the building was restored and you could replace your items, which are hopefully insured.

Hey, here's to hoping! Sorry po' folk!!

[ziggytrix]

I've just heard that the National Guard isn't letting people out. At the same time, the governor has ordered the city evacuated. What the hell is going on down there.

[Skulhedface]

Some people choose to tough out the storms, but since Highway 90 (or I-49 if you prefer) is one of the major roads out of New Orleans and happens to run less than a mile from my house, and well, locally travelling ONE BLOCK because of hurricane fleers taking over an hour seems to point to me that the majority of the people that had the capability to run in fact did so.

Many of my friends from New Orleans sure managed to get out, many of them either staying here locally, a couple even in my own house, a few fleeing as far as Shreveport, Houston or Dallas.

Surprisingly those who choose to ride out the storm, especially knowing it's a category 5, are the minority. I know this town was a ghost town when Hurricane Lili came through, and it was a category 2 by the time it hit here.

The people that stayed are mostly those who were unable to leave or in fact are just opportunistic vultures (judging from the looting and requiring martial law). Maybe 1% of the people that stayed are the types to "ride it out". When we watched the news saying that we'd be hit by the very edge of the storm with only 40 mph winds we were still bracing things in our yard and getting ready to evacuate just in case.

I fail to see why this elicits this much thought in the first place, as the people who simply "rode it out" make up such a small percentage as to be almost negligible.

Kinda like blaming one hooker for the AIDS you caught instead of the 50 whores you'd paid for over the years.

Hey, I had to squeeze in a bad metaphor SOMEWHERE.

[Abcdxxxx]

Other reasons that haven't been mentioned - there were no rental cars to be found. Gas is expensive, and it wasn't easy to come by. It took people 9 hours to get out of the storms path, with the jammed roads. One would think a large scale evacuation would involve government assistance, not every man for themself.

It's a bit sickening to assume 100,000+ people were just stubborn, and deserve what they got.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Wow!

And what happened then...?
Well...in Who-ville they say
That the ABC's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!

[Abcdxxxx]

And then you grew some balls. That's the only way a prick like you can tell which side is up.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Oh now, let's not fight. You really are my hero.

And since some on this board have essentially advocated rounding up poor people at gun point, I'm happy to see you on the sympathetic side here for a change.