Post #9: "When the Levees Broke"

      Watching Spike Lee’s “When the Levees Broke” really opened my eyes more than I feel that reading a book could have.  All of the information that a book can bring is very beneficial, but nothing (aside from being there in person) can provide what videos can. From the visual documentations of the levees breaking, to the first hand accounts of survivors, each piece was enlightening. 

      The government’s intervention time—or lack there of—was also very apparent, we were able to see how there were desperate calls for help that went unanswered. It was very humorous (albeit in a gloomy way) when a spokesmen for a respondent team appeared on a CNN show making up facts and excuses while blatantly denying any wrongdoings when evidence pointed to the contrary. This is just another example of how major entities try to cover up poor work practices in an effort to save face at all costs.

      One topic after watching and discussing the film stood out to me. There is the point in the film when there was numerous human dead bodies shown and then an image of a dog (can’t totally recall whether it too was dead or just harmed) in downtown New Orleans. The class reaction to the human bodies was silence, but once the animal is shown there is unanimous verbal sadness. There was even an instance when Soledad O’Brien, a reporter for CNN, was on the streets and saw a dead body lying there, and when she came back the next day the body was still lying there just covered up. Another example of whether it be wrongful priorities or turning a blind eye to the needy, there are far too many examples of horrific happenings.

             I wish I could say that the reaction to the harmed animal surprised me, but it honestly didn’t. Maybe it’s because all we have to do is turn on Law & Order to see graphic portrayals of humans’ dead. It symbolizes how people can accept human loss, but when they see an animal harmed all hell breaks loose.  

Another Post-Katrina thing that is disheartening was the fact that there were bus tours going through the neighborhoods seeing all of the damage and while they were still in shambles. I can see how this is very appalling to people hearing that there are people making financial gains over their troubles. Also, we saw that many of these “tourists” wouldn’t even get out of their busses to see the damage—this is the part that I found most disturbing. But when looking on the other hand, if this is a way that money can be gained to even potentially help re-built the economy, I can understand.