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Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Fri Sep 02, 2005 at 03:54:40 PM EST
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There is an e-mail discussion going on among liberal bloggers as to what to call those displaced by Katrina. On CNN earlier today, a representative from the Congressional Black Caucus chastised the media for using the term "refugees." He found it offensive that journalists were referring to American citizens as if they were foreigners. He opined that if we think about them as refugees then we'll begin (or rather continue) to treat them like refugees. Refugees seems to imbue a second class status upon them.

"Evacuees" and "survivors" are emerging as preferred terms. Others think that "refugees" is preferable because it will make people so uncomfortable - and because it reinforces the idea this is something that should not be happening in America.

< Bushville: Naming the Evacuee Encampments | Bus With Evacuees Overturns, 1 Dead, 10 Injured >

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    • Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors | 28 comments (28 topical)
    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    I am uncomfortable (therefore OK) with "refugees" precisely because I find it so offensive to refer to Americans in this situation in such a manner

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    This has got to be the stupidest point I've seen a Congressman manke all week, and that's saying a lot. "Refugee" is an appropriate word, because it accurately describes the state those poor people are in. Euphemisms do nothing but cloud the issue.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    I was writing an email to a newspaper blog today and went back and forth over the two words, refugee and evacuee (at one point, before editing, even using both in the same paragraph). This was before I heard about the Black Caucus' complaints. I finally decided on evacuee, not only because it more accurately describes what they are, but because already we are hearing things like "it looks like Mogadishu"... or Somalia, or or Darfur, or... any other place where one sees a bunch of Black people in distress on our news stations. And then you have references to "mau mau-ing" and so on as well. New Orleans didn't suddenly turn into the African continent... these are our people that are starving and dying out there. They need refuge yes... but they are survivors, who need to be evacuated from a horrendeous situation. They need shelter, food, medical attention, basic necessities and all the other things that every other victim of a natural (or other) disaster on US soil has needed. While the government response has been truly criminally abysmal, there is no need to cause further distance in the minds of some Americans viewing the disaster by using words that might give them the (even if completely unintentional) excuse to ignore - or justify yet again not caring about - the plight of a group of desperate Black people.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#4)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    I don't know... 'resident' has a nice ring. I especially like at the end of pPOTUS (pseudoPresident of the U.S.) that referred to NO as "this part of the world." Told ya! The South is another part of the world! Corniaud....

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    I've been calling them refugees for exactly the reason you gave at the end, plus it's an accurate description of the situation. Maybe we shouldn't think of refugees as second class citizens. Maybe that's a problem that this will help people come to grips with. Maybe next time we see a picture of a refugee camp, people will have a slightly different reaction. The other names don't reflect the situation. What's stunning here isn't that people survived or that they were evacuated, it's that there's no place for them to go back to. People get evacuated regularly, but rarely are they so stranded.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#6)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    America the great nation have refugees? How preposterious. We are the top country in the world. Refugee is only for those backward countries that do not have either the will or the resources to care for their own. Sometime a cigar is just a cigar and refugees are evacuees unless they have no where to go.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    "- and because it reinforces the idea this is something that should not be happening in America." I heard that exact comment from a booksmart but very innocent teenage student who has yet to experience much of the real world. My first reaction was to attribute it to that persons conservative family and upbringing (the active devaluation of others who come from dissimilar backgrounds), but then I realized that anyone from any background can gain a false sense of security in our country in youth given the way American parents obsess over sheltering their children from the harsh realities that our money-first, everything else down the list society can inflict if you're unfortunate enough to wake up on the wrong side of it. Nothing anyone could have done could have prevented the Hurricane from striking land the way in which it did. To believe otherwise is ignorance (willful or otherwise). The nature of our world is what it is and the arrogance to believe that we are somehow above natural disasters is shockingly pervasive -- and I'm hearing it more and more right now. In context of relief efforts, yes, we should have better response capabilities than second and third world nations. And yes, we can do better. But what is most striking in the coverage of this disaster is that almost without exception, the media is missing (willfully, in most cases) the opportunity to depict the disparity between the suffering endured by rich vs. poor Americans. I.e. a middle-class suburbanite is living in a motel,etc. somewhere while the impoverished wade around in contaminated water looking for food and fresh water. Take note -- it's likely a shadow of what would occur if conventional warfare similar to what is occuring in Iraq were ever to touch our nation. There is a fair effort by the NY Times today, which can be see here.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    Webster defines refugee this way: one that flees; especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution I haven't seen one bus on it's way to Mexico or Canada.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    My mother-in-law called today from a remote cabin she has been staying in the past week saying she heard something had happened in New Orleans, could I tell her about it? In my recounting of the disaster that has been this week I used the term refugees because I thought it captured the drama and horror of the past week to someone who hasn't seen the images on t.v. Also, it is evocative of the sheer numbers of people - you can have hundreds of evacuees, but we are talking about hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#10)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    AngelCandy-I guess the NO refugees are not so especial.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#11)
    by swingvote on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    Well "evacuees" doesn't work; if we're talking about the people in New Orleans now we are talking about those who did not evacuate. Evacuees-to-be makes about as much sense as Imbecilic-stay-behinds, so it too is a nonstarter. Refugees doesn't seem to fit for the same reason, as the term refugee implies someone who fled; it might apply to those who wisely chose to get the hell out of Dodge, but not to those who stayed behind. Survivors would work, if it didn't carry the negative conotations of a stupid game show and also seem to grant license to the scumf***s who are currently preying on their suffering neighbors (seeing as it's very easy to style oneself a "survivor". How about "those suffering" so we can get past the recrimination BS and get on with doing something about it. I mean really, is this a serious question? I'll admit I believe life goes on and we all have to deal with our lives as well as trying to do what we can, but any idiot who thinks that a discussion on what to call people just flattened by a natural disaster helpful is more than a few bricks shy of a load.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    You're kidding, right? Do you really think debating what to call these people will make the slightest difference in their needs or their natures? I think you need to re-read your Shakespeare. Words are only noise; they have no power.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#13)
    by Al on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    Excuse me? You're debating how to call the victims in order not to offend the sensibility of Americans who can't bear the thought that they are not above everyone else in the world? Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but you can't claim superiority by inventing vocabulary. If you want to feel superior to everyone else, you have to actually do things better than everyone else.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimcee on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    It seems pretty simple to me. If you died where you were you were a victim. If you are trapped in there then you are a survivor. If you are being evacuated thenyou are an evacuee. Once you've been evacuated and have no place to go, nothing but the clothes on your back and no place to call home, you are seeking refuge and so you have become a refugee. If find it odd that some political crank could be so petty about proper nomonclature. He must not have been paying attention to the news or something....

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#15)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    I think people are missing the point. These are American citizens and should get more than tent cities and bags of rice. An excellent question I keep hearing is why don't we house them in decommissioned military bases. It would be a start. These people, unlike refugees, have been paying just as much to live here as the rest of us. We owe them something.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    The comment by TAMPA STUDENT (her/his statement) below is a scary and, I hope not prescient insight into what we, as a great nation, might be facing in a not too distant future" But what is most striking in the coverage of this disaster is that almost without exception, the media is missing (willfully, in most cases) the opportunity to depict the disparity between the suffering endured by rich vs. poor Americans. I.e. a middle-class suburbanite is living in a motel,etc. somewhere while the impoverished wade around in contaminated water looking for food and fresh water. Take note -- it's likely a shadow of what would occur if conventional warfare similar to what is occuring in Iraq were ever to touch our nation.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#17)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    MH-Agreed that debating about words will not help the people in NO (now anyway), but it is worth looking at what they are being called aand what that connotes. Words may not have power but the people that do have power use them to seduce and deceive. The powerless words wind up meaning their opposite, so that the powerful people can manipulate their masses. Terrorists or freedom fighters,insurgents or resistance, settlers or colonists are all used to describe people doing similar things but the connotations are opposite.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#18)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    It's already here APB. Actually it's always been here, but in the last 20 years it has steadily gotten worse. The only problem with the term "refugees" is that these people will never find any refuge in this society.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#19)
    by jimcee on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    My area has an empty Air Base nearby with plenty of housing units available and our county could use the population boost. We're also known throughout the world as the 'city that loves refugees' thanks to a UN publication and we could use some good bayou restaurants in the area as well. The winters are a bit brisk and long but the Fourth of July is nice. If Somalis, Malis and SE Asians can hack our winters then I am sure Louisianans could just as well. Welcome, ya'll. C'mon up.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    Ernesto del Mundo - you are right. I guess some of us keep "hoping" in vain that it isn't so. Unless we, as a society, come to grips with the fact that we MUST change and accept all Americans, regardless of race, creed, preferences, etc. etc., as TRULY EQUAL in all respects, we will wind up on the dump heap of history. And in a thousand years (if humanity is still here) we will be studied as just another interesting culture that started out with great expectations, but had learned nothing from its historical predecessors and thus wound up on the "heap" We have the ability, but have we the will???

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#21)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    Aaron Brown has been called them 'storm survivors' a couple of times.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:06 PM EST
    The Battle for New Orleans 2005 (sung to the tune of Johnny Horton's Battle of New Orleans) In Two Thousand five Bush took a little trip-- along with his dog Barney down the mighty Mississip. He took no bacon and he took no beans- And he didn't get his feet dirty in the mud of New Orleans. Well...he blamed his staff that the guard were slow in comin' There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. He'd sent them to Iraq, for oil they were gunnin'-- And he left us all floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Well, they looked on the map and they seen Katrina come, and those of us that stayed-well they just called us dumb. But without transportation and no money to bring-- We had to wait it out-- "W" didn't do a thing. Well...he blamed his staff that the guard they were slow in comin' There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. He'd sent them to Iraq, for oil they were gunnin'-- And he left us all floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Old Georgie said that it took him by surprise-- but went on smiling 'gainst the fear in our eyes. We held our breath to cover up the smell-- But it's time to shout out loud-- and give ole "Dubya" HELL. Well...he blamed his staff that the guard were slow in comin' There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. He'd sent them to Iraq, for oil they were gunnin'-- And he left us all floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Yeah it rained and it poured through the briars and the brambles And it rained in places where Bush wouldn't go. On Air Force One the people never saw him-- Above the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico We begged for water till our voices made no sound-- As we were left swimming with snakes and gators all round. We filled the boats with children and we sadly stayed behind-- And when they took the children off, we nearly lost our mind Well...he blamed his staff that the guard they were slow in comin' There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. He'd sent them to Iraq, for oil they were gunnin'-- And he left us all floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Yeah it rained and it poured through the briars and the brambles And it rained in places where Bush wouldn't go On Air Force One the people never saw him- Above the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#23)
    by Aaron on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:07 PM EST
    Yes, I agree the term refugee is not a good idea. That moniker could get people turned away from the Texas border. But we have to give Texas their props, they're taking in a lot of Black people without any regard to the consequences this will have on their voting districts. Wow, can you say "Texas, blue state Liberal Democratic stronghold." Try it again, this time with feeling! Let's just start handing out voter registration cards on those buses and start calling them VOTERS.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#24)
    by Deb on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:07 PM EST
    Victims

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#25)
    by kipling on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:08 PM EST
    I am uncomfortable (therefore OK) with "refugees" precisely because I find it so offensive to refer to Americans in this situation in such a manner This is so revealing! So "refugees" are furrners, black or brown, living in far 'way parts. I sincerely hope that all who need shelter, food and clean water will get it immediately, regardless of whether they stay at the Hyatt or not.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:10 PM EST
    Technically, they're Internally Displaced Persons.

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:23 PM EST
    Oh, pulleease! In a time of crisis and need, we are worried about this?! webster's dictionary describes refugee: a person seeking safety and shelter from a difficult or dangerous situation. Well, sounds like a good definition to me! Thank you JOSH, for pointing out that the problem is NOT the word 'refugee', but the fact that people think of refugees as second class citizens. That is the problem, not the word itself!

    Re: Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors (none / 0) (#28)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:23 PM EST
    Thank you JOSH, for pointing out that the problem is NOT the word 'refugee', but the fact that people think of refugees as second class citizens. That is the problem, not the word itself!
    The problem is that if they think of them as second class citizens that is exactly what they will be treated like.

    Refugees, Evacuees or Survivors | 28 comments (28 topical)