NEW ORLEANS SPEAKS FOR ITSELF


Being an American and living in Australia is far from easy street. Before I moved to Australia I thought that Australians generally liked Americans. For the most part they do- but not completely.

Australians live in the shadow of the U.S. Through the Marshall act Aussies are required to broadcast 60% American content on their televisions stations. They see American culture constantly, wear American fashions, watch American movies, but when they try to export their culture to America, we snub it. So heavily taxed and tarried are Australian imports to America that most of it never gets off the dock. Why bother? The resulting price would be so high who will buy it?

I work in the Australian film community. YES there IS an Australian film community. Aussies actually make great films, and are what I would consider a savy tech-nation. It’s doubtful that the average American will ever see any of the Aussie films though, as America turns its gaze inward, whereas Australia is always looking outward. American is content with gazing at itself in the mirror where as Aussies are forced to have American culture rammed down their throat. The free trade agreement saw to that. Australian films have virtually no chance of getting large scale cinema distribution in our country, which si a shame actually because Australian culture is amazing.

The resentment Australians feel toward America stems from many sources. Some of it, strangely enough, dates back to World War II. I’m not sure I completely understand it, but it has something to do with American servicemen coming to Australia during war-time while the Aussie male population was off to war, and married away all the Aussie brides. I’m not sure I completely understand that one though.

Australia does, however, harbor a great deal of resentment regarding the gulf war and continuing hostilities with Iraq and Afghanistan. The Australian Prime Minister John Howard is perceived to be the lap dog of George W. Bush and in Americas pocket. The Australian people do not want to be engaged in this conflict and it is a common assertion that I hear John Howard does not represent the will of the people.

As a student I am exposed to people from all over the world. I have been here many years, and have heard many an Anti-American statement. As world news gets worse and worse, and Gasoline process soar above $3 a litre (YES I said LITRE, NOT GALLONS- CONSIDER THAT!!) Our allies in Iraq and Afghanistan pay more for their petroleum products, so WE don’t have to. Resentment for America grows and grows. I hear bad things about my country constantly. I spend a great deal of time defending my country, for better or worse.

Then when I see things in the news like I did about the flooding in New Orleans and the rape gangs, people shooting at rescue helicopters, looting, and lack of federal assistance to victims I wonder why I bother defending my country at all.

Here was a problem waiting to happen that could have been avoided. New Orleans had been warning the federal government of this impending disaster for years. The levee problem had been assessed a long time ago. Still, budget cuts came and warnings went unheeded. Nothing was done.

And even after this disaster happened, the American federal government was slow to respond. Instead of relief, what the victims get is “spin”. This disaster is no small problem, this is a disaster on an EPIC SCALE. A disaster that again, (like 9/11) could have been avoided.

And how ugly were the looters and thugs running around? One of the worst natural disasters to have ever happened on American soil and all these people can think of is going out and taking other peoples “stuff”. Perhaps this is one of the biggest problems with American culture- the rampant and rapacious zeal for capitalism and greed, acquiring more and more material possessions. We are bred for it. It is drilled into us on a base level.

I’m not making excuses for these people, but this is what people do when they get to the end of their rope. The racial division in that city is wide, as is the socio-economic differences. When you have people driving Ferrari’s past people who can’t afford to eat but once every other day, eventually this kind of backlash is going to happen.

I am disgusted more by the American governments failure to respond in a timely fashion. This is the very reason why the Homeland Protection Act came into existence, and there is simply no good reason for the lack of response. Why this failure? Because the threat wasn’t from a terrorist group? This single action (or lack thereof) speaks volumes about the true motivation of the American government.

What has happened is terrible. It is almost of biblical proportions. I think it amazing that a disaster on the scale of 9/11 has failed to warrant the compassion and response by the government, or the government agencies designed to deal with such tradgedies- namely FEMA and The Homeland Security Office. Disgusting.

Many Australians perceive us as crazy, gun toting maniacs with a crime rate like something out of a science fiction movie. When they see this in their newspapers it is hard to convince them otherwise. Still more say we “had it coming”.

I don’t know about that, but I am personally very embarrassed and ashamed of the way the people of my country behaved, as well as how the government itself failed to behave. It’s hard to convince Australians that we aren’t a hopeless case when you see the images of looters raging in the street, and hear the stores of gunmen holding up pharmaceutical truck deliveries, or shooting at rescue helicopters. It’s hard to convince Australians of our sincerity in the Mid-East when the American Government cannot even come to the rescue of its own people when they are drowning. It’s hard to take George Bush seriously when he spins the blame without taking responsibility.

Were not headed in a good direction. Rome will burn eventually. It’s only a matter of time.