In the Early days of the Hurricane Katrina Disaster the People in New Orleans were referred to as Refugees. As the days progressed The Hurricane Katrina Disaster victims have become known as Evacuees. According to the Associated Press The Reverend Jesse Jackson has been quoted as saying "It is racist to call American citizens refugees" The Reverend Jesse Jackson is not alone, direct from Oprah's website (oprah.com) when talking about the death toll in New Orleans related to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster 'It is a number we all fear.' But we do know that a million did survive. They are not refugees. And I hope that everybody in this country and the world stops calling them refugees, because they are not. They are survivors and we, the people, will not let them stand alone. They are Americans." - Oprah Even President Bush has been quoted by the AP as saying "The people we're talking about are not refugees," he said. "They are Americans, and they need the help and love and compassion of our fellow citizens." What is wrong with using the term Refugee. According to Dictionary.com a Refugee is - "an exile who flees for safety" Dictionary.com defines Exile as "expelled from home or country by authority". Didn't the Hurricane Katrina survivors flee for their Safety? Wasn't it the Mayor of New Orleans who ordered the Hurricane Katrina survivors to leave their homes because of the Hurricane and flooding that followed. There is no dispute that the people who were forced to leave New Orleans are American, Survivors, Evacuees. They are also Moms, Dads, Sons, Daughters, Aunts, Uncles and many other labels to numerous to list. Did the media switch to the term Evacuee because it was a better fit? (dictionary.com Defines Evacuees as - A person evacuated from a dangerous area) Did the Media fail prey to the Political Correctness Issue? It seems clear that President Bush already under fire for the slow response in sending Aide to the Hurricane Katrina Survivors was being Politically correct. Looking back at the definitions of Evacuee and Refugee both terms seem to accurately describe the Hurricane Katrina Survivors. Were the national media being racist in using the term refugee as suggested by the Reverend Jesse Jackson? Were the national media using the term refugee since it was one that they were most familiar with? Were the national media using the term refugee because of the vivid images that are burned into the minds of people from the far to many Famines. Wars, and Disasters in recent years? Reverend Jackson Don't the people, Press and Government agencies have enough to worry about without be called Racist for simply using a term that up until a few days ago seemed highly apropriate? |
