Looters?

I’ve remained silent for the last week and chose not to comment on some of the ridiculous comments made concerning the Haiti earthquake such as Pat Robertson’s punishment for devil worshipping statement and Rush Limbaugh who stated “We’ve already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U.S. income tax,” I think the absurdity of such statements speak for themselves. More disturbing to me are the images coming from Haiti through the media. The depictions of Haitians as savage barbaric criminals and uncontrolled looters are demeaning and insulting. It reminds me of how the media portrayed African-Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when whites were called survivors and African-Americans were referred to as refugees. Yet this somehow seems much worse.

While there are no doubt many criminals attempting to profit from the disaster my bet is that the majority of these “looters” are Haitians attempting to feed and clothe their families during what are no doubt chaotic circumstances. Images of “uncontrolled” Haitians running wildly through the streets with soiled clothing covered in soot while dead bodies are piled all around only reinforce the ideas of the Pat Robertson’s of the world who think Black people are uncivilized animals who cannot police or govern themselves.

According to the Sunday edition of the New York Times, as of that date tons of supplies had arrived for distribution from around the world yet they chose to run photographs of looters and riot victims rather than those of the supplies being rationed or emergency medical centers that have been set up. They preferred to editorialize the pandemonium of the moment with photographs of “savagery” versus the humanitarian efforts to restore order. This was the preference of editors in newspapers and online reporting throughout the country. I think this speaks volumes more than Robertson’s or Limbaugh’s statements ever could.