Blown Away

It's ironic how much politicians and the mass media in the US and its client states resemble that of the former Soviet Union

The day after Hurricane Katrina passed reports noted that that the hurricane was downgraded before it hit land and at the last minute veered to the east, thus the city of New Orleans was spared the worst. This half-truth sought to cover a tragedy which many had predicted would one day happen.

Despite this, the true extent of the damage soon became apparent. Although the hurricane may have lessened in intensity and its eye brushed to the side of New Orleans, the city was not spared the worst. As with modern-day Russia, it appears the American establishment feels that misinformation and sometimes outright lies are enough to placate those over whom they hold sway.

The same can be said of US client states in Central and Eastern Europe. By mid-week after the hurricane hit, the mass media in countries like Hungary brushed off the tragedy as if it were a minor inconvenience. While elsewhere the full extent of the horror had already begun to make itself known, Hungarian media pundits reassured listeners that the US, being the "richest" country in the world, will have no problem in dealing with the situation. In a semi-mocking tone, news of three Hungarian baptists travelling to the US to assist in rescue operations was viewed as nothing more than an insignificant gesture.

Yet when the sheer magnitude of the crisis soon became obvious media outlets were at a loss of how to report the situation; some even chose not to report anything at all. For instance, in it's nightly news broadcast three days after Katrina struck, Hungary's Duna TV didn't mention anything about the devastated area, as if there was no hurricane and nothing had happened.

Gradually, however, the full extent of the tragedy was soon reported, albeit at first in a haphazard sort of way. Still, no-one seemed to notice the abrupt change in the reporting of events, of how the situation in the US suddenly turned from one of "under control" to utter chaos.

The confusion and even paralysis of some mass media outlets in both the US and its client states to adequately relay information as to what had happened (and what was happening) in the Gulf states is a reflection of the same inability on the part of politicians to grasp the full magnitude of the situation. It was not only the delayed response to the aftermath that American authorities at all levels -- from the president down to local officials -- can be rightly accused of. There was also the fact that there was ample warning ahead of time, both of not only what was about to hit but also about the damage it would cause. Indeed, a year ago the National Geographic magazine pointed out that up to 50,000 people would be killed if a hurricane like Katrina would hit the area of New Orleans. The article stressed that it was not merely a question of "if" but "when".

Root Causes

Without doubt, an excuse for the failure to adequately prepare for the disaster both before and after the hurricane will be found. Yet, the real reason has to do with something much more basic, something deeply ingrained within the cultural fabric of the US and the American psyche, as opposed to a universal axiom such as inexperience or incompetence. In essence, the tragedy of what happened in New Orleans and elsewhere in the region can be attributed to the inflated view America has of itself as a "strong" superpower, "technically" superior society, and "rich" country.

Most seasoned travellers and observers are under no illusions as to the true "state of the union": the US is a defacto Third World country. Nevertheless, many client states within Central and Eastern Europe are bending over backwards in order to try and copy some if its programmes and policies. Indeed, in Hungary the government earlier this year specifically praised the American education and health systems, and vowed to work closely with the US in order to emulate them.

Such utopian views of the US are quite ironic. In terms of health care, many Americans themselves are not particularly happy with the state of medicare in their country, and often look to Canada as the ideal because of its universal health care system and its regulatory prescription drugs policy. In fact, many older Americans go on day trips to Canada in order to buy cheap medication. As for education, a large number of American students have no idea where Canada is, or that it is an independent country. Perhaps this is one reason why Canada's new $100 bill has a map of the country on the back; so American tourists will know where they are. Even more shocking is a recent study which showed that 11% of young Americans can't even find the US on a map.

While the huge gap between reality and myth is quite apparent to some, there are nonetheless many within the US who live in total ignorance of the true state of their country. The aftermath of Katrina, however, has since dashed these popular illusions of superiority.

Likewise, in the client states of Central and Eastern Europe, where many have swallowed hook, line and sinker the "American Dream", reality is only just beginning to make itself felt. Many cherish the view that in the US it is possible to work hard, make a lot of money, and then return home after a few years as a rich person. The only barrier to fulfilling this dream is a visa and, for some, the ability to speak a few words English. Most don't realise that this dream often turns into a nightmare; many simply brush off the warnings that only a very small minority ever "make it" in the US. Indeed, it's somehow incomprehensible to them that in a country which can feed itself and much of the world, there are 20 million people who suffer daily from malnutrition and hunger.

As a result of this, the glaring contradiction between myth and reality is such that it's difficult for many to accept that in the US the streets aren't paved with gold. Indeed, reality often runs counter to government policies and programmes which attempt to emulate "the American Way".

Along these lines, it's understandable why in some countries of Central and Eastern Europe there is often misinformation and sometimes an outright denial of what the US is really like; after decades of propaganda and working towards an ideal which doesn't really exist, the bare truth would be too much to handle. Because of Katrina, however, the true state of affairs in the US can no longer be denied. Thus, the hurricane not only brought death and destruction to those living in the Gulf states of America, but a form of "culture shock" to many other parts of the world as well.

Sick Society

In the wake of Katrina, perhaps the most shocking aspect to the disaster was not the level of destruction caused by the hurricane, but the looting and anarchy which quickly followed. This chaos merely underlines many of the ignominious aspects to present-day American society, the most obvious being the massive underclass which exists -- one based predominantly on skin color and ethnicity.

The view of the US as a "rich" country has been severely undermined by the images of poverty and squalor coming from New Orleans. Yet this not only has to do with the conditions people were living in following in hurricane. The fact that over 100,000 people were left behind -- namely the poor, elderly, and sick -- raises some serious questions. It appears that when the orders to evacuate the city were made, no one thought that there would be legions without the means to leave the city who would be left behind, and that these people would also have to be either evacuated or at least taken care of.

In many respects, the inability to think about and look after those left behind is in itself a reflection of another, perhaps more ignominious aspect to the American way of life, one which runs at the very heart of modern-day America: a culture of greed fostered by a materialistic, individualistic, and consumer-oriented society. It is this culture of greed which manifested itself in the looting which followed the hurricane. The culture of greed which permeates American society is such that people only think of themselves and are obsessed with material goods -- even in times of crisis. For this reason, after the hurricane struck many ended up stealing TV sets, jewelry, etc. as opposed to such things as food and water.

Sadly, what happened in New Orleans wasn't unusual. There have been countless examples of when a calamity struck a major city in the US, such as in New York or Los Angeles, that rampant looting soon followed. What made the situation in New Orleans particularly bad was the extent of the natural disaster which hit the city.

Some might argue that this is all simply "America-bashing", and that the disorder and chaos which had taken place in New Orleans is in many ways a "natural" result. Yet when comparing the disaster which hit America to other similar disasters elsewhere in the world, what happened in New Orleans was indubitably shocking, and made more so by the fact that the US is considered to be a relatively "rich" country.

In most parts of the world, although looting may occur when a disaster hits, it is nevertheless a relatively minor aspect to the overall tragedy. More importantly, however, communities come together and people often go out of their way to help one another. In some cases, the humanity which bursts forth often gives a measure of hope for the future. During the Hungarian Uprising in 1956, for example, after the Red Army was beaten out of Budapest there were no looting at all despite the fact that most of the store-front windows were shattered and the shops were, in effect, open. What is more, chests full of money lay unattended in the streets as people dropped in donations for the victims. Even though these chests were full of cash and in the open, none of them were pilfered. It was this same sense of community and humanity which was lacking in New Orleans; as a result, instead of hope people were left in utter despair.

Humpty Dumpty

The inability of Americans to cope with the disaster on the Gulf coast is a testament in and of itself to how bad things really are in the US. It's not an exaggeration to say that the country is worse off than most Third World countries. In similar disasters in many Third World nations people are able to pull together. Judging a country's position or status in the world by mere material standards is a shallow way of looking at things; values is what matters most, and America's once proud values have rotted to the core.

At the same time, the reaction to the disaster by the federal government -- or more precisely, the lack of one -- in many ways reflects the severe shortcomings of the right-wing, ultra-capitalist view of society as propagated by the US, and one which has been uncritically adopted by its client states in Central and Eastern Europe. In other words, just leave everything up to market forces, and the "magic" of the market will sort things out. Katrina has shown the fallacy of this warped logic; oil and gas prices are proof of this. Clearly, market forces are in no way a match for the forces of nature. The market reaction to the disaster was straightforward: when the going gets tough, everyone leaves -- and nobody does anything.

After September 11, 2001, it was said that things would never be the same. In the wake of Katrina, this can be said once again -- even more so. The hurricane and its aftermath has opened up the eyes of the world to see that the Emperor has no clothes. The US is a weak "superpower" (one can even argue whether it is a superpower at all following the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq), it is in many ways a technically backward society, and it's heavily in debt, some might even say broke. The White House will certainly try its best to restore confidence and reassert its "leadership" role in the world. However, the damage has been done. New Orleans and the surrounding area may be rebuilt, but America's shattered image can never be restored

http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/20/20906/1.html