Nas, the saddest thing is that there is such a seeming lack of world-wide sadness! Are shorter, browner, poorer people of less value? Even at jordanplanet there was more blogging about Katrina than fellow Muslims dying in Ramadan. what gives?
I think it has to do with the media, the covarage of the whole thing was nothing in comparisim to Katrina, shame it didn’t get the attention it deserved.. it is SO sad, like Kinzi said “Muslims dying in Ramadan”
First this is the third big national disaster tragedy of 2005 and people are worn out.
Second, as Sabri pointed out the media plays a role. The world media takes its cues from western media which less than 2 weeks ago was focused on Katrina and Rita.
Third, the US is a first world country and the only real superpower and to see 1,000 people die there is something grand. Not in a good way but in a way that makes you say “woah, america got hit…america…can you believe that?”. we have that perception that america is uncanny and untouchable, invincible. to see it reduced to suffering that can be equated to the suffering which occurs in a third world country is…i dunno…humbling in a strange way. Its the same way that no one cares that 200,000 iraqis have died since 2003, but everyone cares that 3,000 died in the WTC.
Fourth, Muslims and Arabs are accustomed to death I suppose and it’s like a dose of novicaine now, where people are just numb from the news. In Jordan you turn on the tv and you hear about fellow arabs dying a few miles west and others dying a few miles east and now its just north east; just add a direction, a new location on the map. It becomes less of a matter of “if” and more of a “when” and “where”. Occupations, wars, natural disasters, terrorism, numbness. All merged into the same news cycle, and that is the daily dose of realism in the Arab/Muslim world.; deprived of any shock value.
Nas, the saddest thing is that there is such a seeming lack of world-wide sadness! Are shorter, browner, poorer people of less value? Even at jordanplanet there was more blogging about Katrina than fellow Muslims dying in Ramadan. what gives?
kinzi, where do i begin to explain…
I think it has to do with the media, the covarage of the whole thing was nothing in comparisim to Katrina, shame it didn’t get the attention it deserved.. it is SO sad, like Kinzi said “Muslims dying in Ramadan”
I think its many factors.
First this is the third big national disaster tragedy of 2005 and people are worn out.
Second, as Sabri pointed out the media plays a role. The world media takes its cues from western media which less than 2 weeks ago was focused on Katrina and Rita.
Third, the US is a first world country and the only real superpower and to see 1,000 people die there is something grand. Not in a good way but in a way that makes you say “woah, america got hit…america…can you believe that?”. we have that perception that america is uncanny and untouchable, invincible. to see it reduced to suffering that can be equated to the suffering which occurs in a third world country is…i dunno…humbling in a strange way. Its the same way that no one cares that 200,000 iraqis have died since 2003, but everyone cares that 3,000 died in the WTC.
Fourth, Muslims and Arabs are accustomed to death I suppose and it’s like a dose of novicaine now, where people are just numb from the news. In Jordan you turn on the tv and you hear about fellow arabs dying a few miles west and others dying a few miles east and now its just north east; just add a direction, a new location on the map. It becomes less of a matter of “if” and more of a “when” and “where”. Occupations, wars, natural disasters, terrorism, numbness. All merged into the same news cycle, and that is the daily dose of realism in the Arab/Muslim world.; deprived of any shock value.
Its one or a mix of all of the above
This is the saddest Ramadan ever, victims of natural disasters and death of loved ones even if not our own. God have mercy on all.
Speaking of MSM, I didn’t know about hurricane Stan! too much hurricanes for them to cover? 🙁
SC, Guatemala got a raw deal, it was swallowed by the news fold of the Quake
save my people
make people happy
where are my parents?
i am very happy now that i fond my parents
STELLA IS MY BEST FRIEND AND NOW SHE IS LOST . I HOPE THAT I FIND HER SOMETIME I LOVED HER LIKE SHE WAS MY SISTER OR SOMETHING.