September 5, 2005--Homeland "Refugees"

Why are so many of us embarrassed by what we are experiencing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? There is of course also frustration and anger about governments bumbling, negligence, and lack of compassion. But over and over again, Americans are expressing embarrassment.

Is this because the world is watching, looking in on our incompetence? That we have historic pride in our ability to successfully take on massive tasks, including in the aftermath of national tragedies—acts of nature, wars, terrorist attacks—not only at home but globally? Weren’t we in the forefront of responding to the recent tsunami, mobilizing money, materiel, and relief workers? Aren’t we an optimistic, “can do” people, tireless, self-sacrificing, effective, and generous in action? Aren’t we the world’s most powerful nation with the strongest economy and military, leaders in science and technology, the most responsive, self-confident, and nimble in response to crises? Home to "the greatest generation"?

Or is this view of ourselves merely an illusion, a self deception? Even worse, more chilling, perhaps this perception was at one time true but is no longer. Can it be that what Katrina revealed is that we have slipped from our preeminence, our vaunted ability “to get the job done,” and the long decline to mediocrity and insecurity has began, maybe is well underway.

This may help explain the hot reaction to the NY Times and other media calling those who lost their homes “refugees”--in the words of Saturday’s editorial (“Katrina’s Assault on Washington”), “the sudden underclass of hundreds of thousands of hurricane refugees cast adrift like Dustbowl Okies.” I heard many in effect say, “Americans aren’t refugee. This isn’t the Third World. These people lost their homes; it is a disaster true but they are ‘homeless.’”

Could we here be getting closer to a more fundamental source of embarrassment—being forced to think about Americans as refugees? For us up to now this has been an oxymoronic concept. “Americans” and “refugees” do not belong in the same sentence.

But perhaps some good can come from this tragedy and national disgrace if we fess up to the reality that these Americans are refugees. Yes, as in The Sudan. The Times speaks about our refugees as an “underclass.” Bringing class into the discussion is not a comfortable thing to do in the USA. When this occurs those who raise the specter of class are accused of fostering “class warfare.” But isn’t the dirty little secret Katrina exposed that most who couldn’t evacuate, who got left behind and substantially ignored for days and days were in fact part of an underclass? Is there another explanation? I’m waiting; I am not hearing anything to the contrary, at least not anything that anyone should take seriously.

And I don’t want to hear that this is an unsolvable problem—having a large underclass in a place such as America. It’s a solvable problem. There are things we have done in the past that in fact work. The War On Poverty had many faults and there was mismanagement and corruption laced in among the many, many effective efforts that contributed to the alleviation of a great deal of injustice and inequality. It is because we stopped doing the things that were working that conditions worsened during the last two decades (so this is not partisan). We set our priorities elsewhere and the consequences speak for themselves.

Maybe, maybe the harrowing images from this wrenching week will jar us from our long lethargy of deception and indifference. Maybe, maybe we will now insist that not only must our Homeland Security systems be made to work but also that we must solve once and for all our most unacceptable national problem. If there is something to be embarrassed about, this is it.