I’ve been looking all over for posts from far-right-wing bloggers who are admonishing the citizens of San Diego for daring to live in a place susceptible to natural disasters. You know, something along the lines of, “They should know better than to live where a natural disaster might occur, but they are too lazy to figure out how to lift themselves up by their bootstraps and get out of that place. They have no one to blame but themselves.” Or, “Don’t the citizens of San Diego know they constantly live on the brink of disaster because their houses are close to wooded areas that are often prone to wildfires?” Alas, I cannot find them.
Where Did the Victim Blaming Run Off To?
October 25th, 2007 | Weblogs, Work Related
11 comments ↓
Not to scare off a future Californian, but when I lived in NorCal, we always knew that the four seasons in California were Wind, Fire, Mud and Earthquake.
They know they live in a danger zone, but it is also normally the most idyllic climate on earth.
You pays your money and you takes your chances.
*Wind, Fire, Mud and Earthquake*
Heh. I looked at a map the other day that showed that if the Bay Area gets a bad enough earthquake that my future place of employment will be on land that will COMPLETELY DISSOLVE. All I could think was: “That’s where all the news orgs are located! Guess the East Bay branches will get all the glory.”
I’ll say it:
Build houses in a bone dry climate, don’t be surprised when they burn. Build houses next to the Mississippi river, don’t be surprised when they flood. Build houses on either coast (or really the middle for that matter) of Florida, don’t be surprised when they get blown away by a hurricane. Build a house in Buffalo, don’t be surprised when it gets buried in snow. Build a house in Indiana, don’t be surprised when you die of boredom. Wherever you live, buy home owner’s insurance and make sure the most likely things to happen to you are covered. If you can’t afford to insure your home, maybe you should buy a home you can afford to insure. If you don’t, don’t come to me for a handout. At least not more than once.
You’re not looking hard enough. I’ve seen one or two. The teaser for the frontpage of USA Today this morning seemed to be insinuating that exact thing.
I assume the sarcasm is referring to Katrina. If so, there’s a lack of parity there. Risk management is important. You could say the same thing to the people in Gallatin, east Nashville, Clarksville, and Jackson that lost their homes in the various tornados. Life is risky. New Orleans is riskier.
Build a house in Indiana, don’t be surprised when you die of boredom.
Baaahahahaahahahahaha! So freaking true!
Brittney, criticisms of the decision to build homes in natural burn areas of chaparral are out there, and they’re not entirely unfounded.
Some of these people have lost more than one house to fire, and keep rebuilding in the same place. Shirley McClaine is one such person (I don’t know that she’s lost a home in the current blaze, sbut he’s lost at least two homes to previous fires).
Here’s another aspect of the Federal fire relief funds.
George Carlin on The View the other day:
“People are selfish,” he said. “These people with the fires and the floods and everything, they overbuild and they put nature to the test, and they get what’s coming to them, that’s what I say.”
Joy Behar replied, “That’s a little harsh, George.”
But the 70-year-old comic continued: “People think nature is outside of them. They don’t take into [themselves] the idea that nature is a part of them.” Pointing to his chest, he said, “Nature is in here, and if you’re in tune with it, like the Indians – the balance of life, the harmony of nature – if you understand that, you don’t overbuild, you don’t do all this moron stuff.”
And Jamie Lee Curtis to Entertainment Tonight:
“Global warming, combined with people building houses in places they shouldn’t, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera,” she said. “It just compounds to become, as they call it, a perfect storm experience here. It’s not by accident. This isn’t an act of God. This is an act of man.”
Link.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20153859,00.html
There’s the link to that article. Sorry.
Wow.
Does this count?
I went to elementary school right by where the Santiago Canyon Fire was started. Unless Global Warming is by some amazing coincidence the name of the asshole arsonist who lit the match, I’m pretty sure we can rule that out. Thanks anyway, Jamie Lee.
That part of SoCal is a tinderbox. Always has been. One of the trees out behind the school had red dye on it from the last most recent time the fire got close and the planes had to come in. This was 1976-77. Beautiful country living, but its a dry heat. The big sign warning all residents that the fire risk is HIGH for the day, didn’t change once the entire time we lived there.
As for your Katrina allusion, the contrast between the two cannot be denied. On either side of the argument. The meaning of the two events will be whatever meaning you want to give it.
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