So unless you were hiding under a rock on Ceres (a dwarf planet), with your eyes and ears poked out, you probably heard of this little natural occurrence know as hurricane Katrina. The most costly natural disaster in the nations history. You know, the storm that killed 1500 people.
What you wouldn't know is how tired people are of hearing about it. Especially people from New Orleans. However, as interesting as some aspects of that storm and subsequent disaster was; what is with this fixation about the Lower 9th Ward? It is infuriating to hear ANY Katrina reminiscing due to this forced homage to a ******** known as the 9th Ward. Being from N.O. all my life, I know what I am talking about.
So why was the dumbass down there at a new community center in the 9th Ward to commemorate the anniversary? Why does the media constantly refer to this once impoverished empty, crime filled area of N.O. on every mention of Katrina? Who in the hell are they pandering to? Is it because of white guilt? Because the area was predominately black? Had any of them know what was there before the storm, they probably wouldn't give it an afterthought. So let me help those of you that don't know why it is a phony homage.
Historically, the 9th ward really didn't have any outstanding features save for Holy Cross School, Louisiana National Guard HQ, original New Orleans style shotgun houses, and it is where Fats Domino lived.
Economically the 9th Ward was one of the poorest neighborhoods in all of New Orleans with historically high crime.
Culturally, and except for some people personal belongings like Fats' piano, I doubt there were treasure troves of important pieces of New Orleans history lost like irreplaceable photos, relics, and generational history.
Conversely, look at the other places in New Orleans that had the exact same level of flooding. Gentilly, Lakeview, Lake Vista, Uptown, Lake lawn/Metarie, City Park, Mid City, N.O. East, St. Bernard, Chalmette, etc. Not sure where all this is? Google map it.
Just to put things in perspective, my family house in Lakeview was under 11 feet of water. Just the photos alone for one family with generations of native New Orleanians in a family tree are immeasurable. Add to that priceless guns, artifacts, centuries old antiquities, personal belongings, inherited family heirlooms, etc. Multiply that by the tens of thousands of households in the areas other than the 9th ward.
If you didn't know any better you would think that the Lower 9th Ward is southeast Louisiana's equivalent to Mecca for Arabs. It just doesn't make sense. I don't care that the news media and historians give the 9th Ward equal respect as the other places in New Orleans, but to prop this place up as some irreplaceable culturally iconic spot in the history of Katrina above and beyond all of the other neighborhoods is not only disingenuous it's down right insulting!
BTW; it's going to happen again!
What you wouldn't know is how tired people are of hearing about it. Especially people from New Orleans. However, as interesting as some aspects of that storm and subsequent disaster was; what is with this fixation about the Lower 9th Ward? It is infuriating to hear ANY Katrina reminiscing due to this forced homage to a ******** known as the 9th Ward. Being from N.O. all my life, I know what I am talking about.
So why was the dumbass down there at a new community center in the 9th Ward to commemorate the anniversary? Why does the media constantly refer to this once impoverished empty, crime filled area of N.O. on every mention of Katrina? Who in the hell are they pandering to? Is it because of white guilt? Because the area was predominately black? Had any of them know what was there before the storm, they probably wouldn't give it an afterthought. So let me help those of you that don't know why it is a phony homage.
Historically, the 9th ward really didn't have any outstanding features save for Holy Cross School, Louisiana National Guard HQ, original New Orleans style shotgun houses, and it is where Fats Domino lived.
Economically the 9th Ward was one of the poorest neighborhoods in all of New Orleans with historically high crime.
Culturally, and except for some people personal belongings like Fats' piano, I doubt there were treasure troves of important pieces of New Orleans history lost like irreplaceable photos, relics, and generational history.
Conversely, look at the other places in New Orleans that had the exact same level of flooding. Gentilly, Lakeview, Lake Vista, Uptown, Lake lawn/Metarie, City Park, Mid City, N.O. East, St. Bernard, Chalmette, etc. Not sure where all this is? Google map it.
Just to put things in perspective, my family house in Lakeview was under 11 feet of water. Just the photos alone for one family with generations of native New Orleanians in a family tree are immeasurable. Add to that priceless guns, artifacts, centuries old antiquities, personal belongings, inherited family heirlooms, etc. Multiply that by the tens of thousands of households in the areas other than the 9th ward.
If you didn't know any better you would think that the Lower 9th Ward is southeast Louisiana's equivalent to Mecca for Arabs. It just doesn't make sense. I don't care that the news media and historians give the 9th Ward equal respect as the other places in New Orleans, but to prop this place up as some irreplaceable culturally iconic spot in the history of Katrina above and beyond all of the other neighborhoods is not only disingenuous it's down right insulting!
BTW; it's going to happen again!