Disaster "Management"
A passing thought, while taking a look at CNN this morning over breakfast: it seems that US authorities did not fare well when managing the disaster in Southern USA. People were left for days without food and medical supplies, all of which has led to story titles like "The big disconnect on New Orleans" and "Anger, hopelessness in Mississippi towns." Finally aid is coming in... just as people are being pulled out.It's a real shame that this is happening: clearly, first and foremost it's terrible that people are suffering. But there is another side-effect that I can see taking shape: looking at the US response to the disaster from this side of the world, the reaction is going to be "well, if they performed so poorly, what do you expect from our decision-makers?" This is a most likely response, and not a healthy one. It's a defeatist attitude, stereotypical and unfortunate. Encouraging it or not isn't Americans' biggest problem, but it embodies yet another negative effect of not reacting responsibly.
