GRSJ224/Post-Katrina

Summary

An estimated 100 billion dollars of damage, profound loss of life, and post-traumatic stress, Hurricane Katrina will haunt the remaining survivors for the rest of their lives (Grunfeld, 2006). When a natural disaster strikes leaving thousands of people homeless, broke, and dreams shattered, the emotional trauma of what happened over 10 years ago still lingers.

Disposability

In his article, “Violence, Katrina, and the Biopolitics of Disposability,” Henry Giroux blames the Government of the United States for segregating minorities based on race and class by not only failing to provide them help during a time of devastation and angst but also failing to provide the necessary opportunities for New Orleanians who lost everything when the city turned to rubble to persevere. Giroux’s idea of disposability, simply put, is that some individuals are unimportant due to their perceived uselessness and can be disregarded and have no place in society. Appearing all across New Orleans, floating bodies in the water brought up the notion that some individuals are disposable in that the individuals who thrive in a society depends on race and class (Giroux 2007). Giroux argues that people do not want to see minorities “struggling to make ends meet” or “benefiting very little from social system that make it difficult to obtain health insurance” (2007). According to Giroux, the lack of funding inevitably leads to “bad schools, poor public services and no future” (2007).

Racism and Capitalism

In his article, “Racism and Capitalism,” Alan Spector blames the government and business firms for having capitalistic interests, which undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in the marginalization of black people (Spector 2014). Spector first points out that capitalistic racism is due to exploitation, adding that seeking profits was the root cause for racism (Spector 2014).

White Privilege

Spector verifies that white privilege – a set of advantages that white people can benefit from – white people on average have easier lives in that they do not encounter racist exploitation and oppression (2014). He argues that white working-class people live longer lives and generally have better health, better education, and better homes than black working-class people (Spector 2014). The wage disparity between white and black workers in the US which has remained around 60% for past 50 years (Spector 2014). Given this, he also argues that the wealth gap – total assets a family owns minus liabilities – is 20 times that of the median wealth of black people (Spector 2014). Prior to Hurricane Katrina, New Orleanians were unable able to afford vehicles, forcing them to endure the wrath of the hurricane even when they were told to evacuate (Grunfeld 2006).

Market Forces

With“300000 African Americans scattered into diaspora following post-flood evacuations”, Perry argues that with crime linked to poor or working class black men, homicides are almost exclusively black with black men (Perry 2015). He affirms that lack of public housing available has caused an influx of violence that occurs within the community of working class African Americans which make up 99% of its residents (Perry 2015). With nowhere to stay, and no income to make ends meet, African Americans are finding themselves in a dilemma of whether to resort to crime or starve to death. When it comes down to survival, crime becomes the last resort, and violence in communities increases due to increased burglaries and muggings.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Hurricane Katrina utterly exacerbated the plight of the citizens of New Orleans increasing mental disorders among many Hurricane Katrina survivors. While some managed to escape the storm physically unscathed, emotionally the victims of Hurricane Katrina suffered from PTSD. Vasterling describes how people were stranded on roofs and could only just watch as their loved ones drowned (Vasterling 2008). She points out that a small part of PTSD included problems with memory and concentration (2008). In addition she suggests that raised blood pressure, panic attacks, insomnia, and weight fluctuations play a role in this stress response (2008). Vasterling argues that with time, stress overwhelms the body and that these adverse health effects would eventually evolve into serious disease states and a shorter life (2008). Three weeks after they returned to their home, her father had died from a heart attack. Following this, six months later both of her grandparents passed away while some of her friends in New Orleans developed life-threatening diseases (2008). An estimated 100 billion dollars of damage, profound loss of life, and post-traumatic stress, Hurricane Katrina will haunt the remaining survivors for the rest of their lives (Grunfeld 2006).

Intersectionality

Robert Grunfeld's work that suggests - poverty and racism - which were issues that concerned black families prior to Hurricane Katrina, is the reason why many of them suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. To illustrate this even further, Robert Grunfeld's work suggests that poverty and racism which black families faced prior to Hurricane Katrina is the reason why many of them suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Firstly poverty in New Orleans prevented people from being able to afford vehicles, forcing them to endure the wrath of the hurricane even when they were told to evacuate (Grunfeld 2006). Not only were these individuals challenged by economics factors, but they were also discriminated due to racial factors. For example , Grunfeld brings up how New Orleans is over 60% African-American and has less political power in the White House and Senate than White American or even other African-Americans makes them vulnerable and overlooked by politicians (Grunfeld 2006). As a result many feel even more distant to the American system than before, feeling abandoned, neglected and alone in their suffering, leading to depression and severe symptoms of PTSD (Grunfeld 2006). Because of longstanding racism and poverty, African-Americans are finding themselves at an economic and social disadvantage, becoming victims of PTSD. Unable to break the cycle, New Orleanians are more prone to PTSD which is inevitable in the face of a natural disaster due to financial constraints and racial prejudice.

References

Giroux, Henry A. “Violence, Katrina, and the Biopolitics of Disposability.” Theory, Culture & Society, vol. 24, no. 7-8, 2007, pp. 305–309., doi:10.1177/02632764070240072510. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.

Grunfeld, Robert. “Katrina and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, vol. 4, no. 1, 2006, pp. 11–12., doi:10.1007/s11469-006-9003-2. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.

Perry, Marc D. “Who Dat?: Race and Its Conspicuous Consumption in Post-Katrina New Orleans: Who Dat?” City & Society, vol. 27, no. 1, 2015, pp. 92–114., doi:10.1111/ciso.12053. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.

Spector, Alan. “Racism and Capitalism—Crisis and Resistance: Exploring the Dynamic between Class Oppression and Racial Oppression.” Humanity & Society, vol. 38, no. 2, 2014, pp. 116–131., doi:10.1177/0160597614534345. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.

Vasterling, Jennifer J. “The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: A Trauma Researcher's Perspective.” Traumatology, vol. 14, no. 4, 2008, pp. 21–26., doi:10.1177/1534765608323444. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.