I'm on the Outside Looking in. . .

Orientations are at full force, and I must admit that I really enjoy what I see. Everyone here is extremely open-minded and kind. I really hope this works out (especialy since I haven't even started my courses yet).

On another note, however, I do have to say something about the destruction from Katrina. It's quite a banal statement to say that Katrina is destructive, but I honestly feel that the destruction is not just on a physical or emotional level, and it's not simply something we can gloss over and pretend didn't happen in a month from now. Instead, it becomes representational of both how the people of the United States are able to support others in their own unique fashion, without any punch or persuasion from outside figures. It demonstrates that today's American Hero lies within each individual, rather than in some intangible character or high-and-mighty organization. However, Katrina also demonstrates that our government has failed to act quickly. Although many people in D.C. have stated that their rather sluggish response is not due to racism, I (like many others) take note of the fact that those who suffered the most are those that almost always suffer the most. It is our poor, our weak, and yes, our minorities that have suffered and will always suffer the most. We live in an upside-down system, where the most power rests within the privileged and select few. . . They are the few that would have difficulty in understanding why anyone would "strand themselves" with an oncoming class-5 hurricane, or why the victims didn't just "drive away" when they had the opportunity. They are also the ones who distinguish differences between "finding food" and "looting." They are also the ones who can't possibly understand why so many victims of Katrina became angry and rioted. I'm sorry, but not all of us can simply "Eat cake" when a tragedy occurs. Although I will not deny my own hypocrisy, the fact that I am safe in a graduate school in the upper midwest, I think I can easily say that the aftermath of Katrina has reflected both of what we should be proud of and ashamed of.