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September 06, 2005

N.O. Discussion

Just had this IM conversation, so thought I'd post here b/c I've been meaning to summarize my thoughts, but have yet to:

KC: So what's your pov on this New Orleans disaster?

NH: sign of much larger issues sad to see them only discussed in relation to this situation

KC: Larger issues such as? Do you really think they waited to give aid to New Orleans because the mayor is a democrat?

NH: no. I think they "waited" to give AID b/c we're not prepared to communicate/execute as quickly as we should be - especially since all we've been asked to focus on for the past 3 years is "homeland security." bigger issues as in socio-economic/race in our country. to look at the things made clear by this incident as specific to this incident doesn't help any cause

KC: And so if you had to encapsulate the problem at large, what would it be?

NH: that we have lots of poor people that
a. expect to be taken care of
b. are not taken care of/taught extensively enough how to take care of themselves
c. are so screwed up that when given the opportunity to have the TV/Clothes/DVD Player our society has so efficiently equated with success and acceptance they STEAL IT RATHER THAN TRY TO GET SAFE
d. that we supposedly have a bunc hof social service agencies getting federal and private $$ but they are clearly not effective, b/c in my mind it's their place in society (not the government's) to take care of all of the above
e. that "The Community" is not working
The Community that in my mind would also help take care of the above

KC: And how do you propose we take care of this?

NH: yeah. good question. I really, truly, believe in the concept of social service agencies. in the same way we so successfully convince people that a big TV mean's you're accepted in society, we should get people to believe that being on welfare is LAME. we should stop selling monthly payments and convince people that credit is BAD and cash is GOOD we should teach our children to be responsible
for themselves and their families, for their neighborhoods. but I don't think social service agencies will work until they have the power behind them that, say, a new Coke or Nike advertising campaign does. we need an attitude adjustment - on both sides.

KC: This is FAR BIGGER than social services...this is a societal epidemic. This is big media vs. the little guy. We cannot rely on a little nfp social service to convince people of this thing...we would need a huge HANDSHAKE between lots of different things...magazines, media, bank/credit companies, AND social services. SCHOOLS would have to help in the raising awareness and providing this type of education and MOST OF ALL this needs to start in the HOME!

NH: totally that's what I mean by the "power of a coke or nike campaign." dollars, corporate respect (both partnership-wise and attracting and retaining superior management-wise), integration into society. they shouldn't be "little nfps" - they should be Apples and Microsofts

KC: And how do we do that?

NH: it would be a shift in structure. I think it would have to be initiated (into action at least) by big-whig $$ed corporate types or forced into being by the media. I don't know if a government mandate would be effective. or realistic

Posted by nikl at September 6, 2005 01:56 PM

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