I am dismayed at Douglas Rushkoff’s utter eyeoreishness as he uses Katrina as his platform to issue a manifesto of depression and societal self-loathing (hysterical italics and exclamation marks his):
What those who are afraid of civil society breaking down don’t realize is that civil society has already broken down! This is not a civil society we live in, but a profiteering, every-man-for-himself, oligarchy. The democratic process is broken if not rigged; the largest-ever redistribution of wealth from the poor to the rich occurred over the last six years under the guise of economic stimulus; fear and disinformation were used to put the poorest of Americans onto a battlefield under false pretenses; those who seek to engage the current administration in meaningful dialogue are terminated.
It is in the midst of a crisis that you learn the most about someone or something….
Yes, Douglas, and I’d say we’re certainly learning a lot about your worldview. Yes, Katrina brought out and worsened injustices and inequities. It exposed government incompetence. But it also inspired courage, care, concern, generosity and humanity. And I would say that the outrage the country showed over those injustices and failures were the very proof of our civil order.
