RE: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
As an instructor at Dillard University in 1968, at the peak of Civil Rights, even then New Orleans was almost pre-civil war. The anger in the rest of the country had just begun to dribble into a culture where the largest department store, Maison Blanche, had only recently converted it's colored branch from Maison Noir to a liquidator; where rank in a Mardi Gras club depended on shades of chocolate; and where I, as a yankee, had no idea whatsoever why my students and I couldn't get served in a restaurant. What is very clear now is that New Orleans, in the intervening 35 years, had made little progress, still tolerated an astonishing portion of the deepest poverty, and like Louisiana under Huey Long and Scarlett O'Hara herself, put things off to think about it tomorrow. Now that there is no escape from the ruthlessness of classism and racism, and now that it's so visibly apparent that killing the poor is cheaper and easier than changing their poverty, New Orleans is emblematic of a politics of despair and a culture of selfishness. That emblem is all the more cruel in that, once again, charity has been co-opted to fulfill the functions of a corrupt, not just inefficient, government. We should not have to raise money to meet basic needs when there is a tax policy protecting the most wealthy. If the right to life has any meaning whatsoever, it is at least as much a right for children and adults as it is for a one celled organism, but, in New Orleans, this administration shows its incredible hypocrisy, and their supporters their astounding naiveté. We should not have to do fund raising for critical care medical services and basic food and shelter. When the media has more access to those needing triage than health, food, shelter providers try to deliver, the soft cushion of southern gentility has truly obscured the central questions of equity that are central to a democracy. New Orleanian rifle shots are not just similar to those in Iraq, they come from the same frustration, the same rage at empire and the same despair that no one cares. And caring is NOT a matter of and for charity, it's a matter of right. Enabling an empire contributes to its longevity, as New Orleans proves historically while so well documenting today. Unless we carefully monitor the $100,000,000,000 the region now needs for basic survival, the 21st Century Reconstruction will make the 19th Century version pale in comparison, both in its corruption, its cruelty, and its greed. And racism is the easiest, most visible means of acting out that corruption. Watch Haley Barbour. Joe Beckmann -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 12:12 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but... In a message dated 9/5/05 9:50:42 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: In response to the question that Dan raised about how to get people to respond to issues, I truly feel that human nature, being as it is, once the 'disaster' has passed, nobody wants to think about the 'issue' anymore. THE ISSUE The issue is the interest of poor people vs the control of those who have the power to do something. The issue has been around since the civil war. New Orleans was at one time, the one place in the south where a person of color, a black, or whatever could go to school and get an education. Back in the day, W.E. B. DuBois, and others were allowed to go to school and to learn. They tried to create an infrastructure of universities for others. Dillard, Xavier, Southern and many others.. But the thinking of the day, George Washington Carver was that blacks, should be educated to tend crops, do agriculture and animal husbandry, and to keep house, that kind of thing. The difference between the philosophies of the two clashed. New Orleans continued to support education, but gradually, the culture faded into the kind of readings, that are in Cane River. The struggle between mulatto, white, and black. Then other minorities, and nationalities became a part of the fabric. Read , the soul of Black Folks by W. E. B. Dubois... and think. When visiting New Orleans, I was always feeling plantation mentality, in that the blacks had so little , but there were so many of them. ( I am of color so don't write me about it.. my opinion. ) The place was of music, food, history, legacy, and a curious gumbo of ideological mythology which is in at least about 60 books about the struggles of Black Folks , mulatto daughters, Black Indians.. and oh yes, the Jazz. It is , it was a different part of the world, never mind the French Quarters. There seemed to be a quiet acceptance of the status of what was and what is. There was a place to feel superior about something. There was a place that was a cradle of education for those of color. There was a culture that was primarily their own even
Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
In response to the question that Dan raised about how to get people to respond to issues, I truly feel that human nature, being as it is, once the 'disaster' has passed, nobody wants to think about the 'issue' anymore. During the tsunami-relief operations in India, many of the TV networks devised innovative ways of linking entertainment with disaster operations. Crass as that may sound, it actually helped fundraising tremendously. So a programme called Indian Idol (its format is very much like American Idol) had viewers sending in SMS messages - and a percentage of the revenue was donated by the networks and telcos for the relief operations. This way millions of people donated to the cause and the TV networks managed to keep the interest in tsunami operations alive for weeks after the disaster occurred. Adite On 9/3/05, Tanya Priber [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In response: On Sep 3, 2005, at 2:01 AM, Andrew Pleasant wrote: In response to some of the general flow of the discussion ... and I didn't and wouldn't post anything about Pat Robinson ... it is clear that the hurricane ripped open not only buildings and levees but also society and perceptions of the country. These are issues that can't be separated from politics. Technology is great in its correct context and moments. But to look to technology for a 'solution' is to miss the point as much as it is to define the digital divide as if it is simply, and only, a technological issue. The solution will lie with people. They may use technology to forge a solution, or they may not. But first, you've got to get them to pay attention and to care - hopefully about everyone equally. You've got to get presidents off vacation, you've got to get participation and support rather than anger and fear, you've got to have adequate leadership emerge, you've got to quit blaming people who had no power or cars or money to leave or those who have been systematically denied access to power for being angry about the situation, you've got to replace special interests with human interests. ap Very well stated. I think that the people - including the media - took the bull by the horns and utilized technology to promote human interests when the government was slow to do so. It has been apparent that journalists are outraged (as most people generally are) by what they witnessed in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and, along with showing viewers what has been happening, they have also broadcast a multitude of ICT resources people could use to post and access information to communicate with loved ones. Over and over again I have heard it said (on TV and radio) that the Internet has been instrumental, in fact crucial, in facilitating access to information and communications when other more traditional methods have failed. I think this is a magnificent example of how the Internet, an open and free human arena, not widelly controlled by special interests, has been a vehicle to support human interests and needs. TP ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. -- Adite Chatterjee www.icfdc.com http://www.icfdc.com ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
Over and over again I have heard it said (on TV and radio) that the Internet has been instrumental, in fact crucial, in facilitating access to information andcommunications when other more traditional methods have failed. I think this is a magnificent example of how the Internet, an open and free human arena, not widelly controlled by special interests Here we see another divide that this list touched on (perhaps differently), and then ignored. Here is language divide in a different way. Internet is a written world, and whether we like to acknoledge it or not, buying a computer and have internet access is a lot more expensive than a mobile phone (a spoken world). Podcasting might eventually adresses the problem, the bottom line is if a person has no knowledge of how internet works, they might not know podcasting is voice. Cindy ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
In a message dated 9/5/05 9:50:42 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: In response to the question that Dan raised about how to get people to respond to issues, I truly feel that human nature, being as it is, once the 'disaster' has passed, nobody wants to think about the 'issue' anymore. THE ISSUE The issue is the interest of poor people vs the control of those who have the power to do something. The issue has been around since the civil war. New Orleans was at one time, the one place in the south where a person of color, a black, or whatever could go to school and get an education. Back in the day, W.E. B. DuBois, and others were allowed to go to school and to learn. They tried to create an infrastructure of universities for others. Dillard, Xavier, Southern and many others.. But the thinking of the day, George Washington Carver was that blacks, should be educated to tend crops, do agriculture and animal husbandry, and to keep house, that kind of thing. The difference between the philosophies of the two clashed. New Orleans continued to support education, but gradually, the culture faded into the kind of readings, that are in Cane River. The struggle between mulatto, white, and black. Then other minorities, and nationalities became a part of the fabric. Read , the soul of Black Folks by W. E. B. Dubois... and think. When visiting New Orleans, I was always feeling plantation mentality, in that the blacks had so little , but there were so many of them. ( I am of color so don't write me about it.. my opinion. ) The place was of music, food, history, legacy, and a curious gumbo of ideological mythology which is in at least about 60 books about the struggles of Black Folks , mulatto daughters, Black Indians.. and oh yes, the Jazz. It is , it was a different part of the world, never mind the French Quarters. There seemed to be a quiet acceptance of the status of what was and what is. There was a place to feel superior about something. There was a place that was a cradle of education for those of color. There was a culture that was primarily their own even if marketed and creating millions for others. It was the slow south, the never changed south in many ways. Few whites actually lived in New Orleans the city. But they were there in a kind of suspended harmony, poor, black, white , wealthy with a sprinkling of Vietnamese shrimpers, and Italian culture. New Orleans was unique. You could satisfy a person with food, music, dance , even a funeral was a celebration... but not this time. There is interesting reading. There are the crime statistics, there are the stories of the folks who chose to live there no matter what. Transportation was easy in the big easy until the fury of the storm. But the bottom line was and still is the existing patterns of segregation, quietly observed and practiced. Bonnie Bracey bbracey@ aol com ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
In a message dated 9/5/05 11:54:08 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Over and over again I have heard it said (on TV and radio) that the Internet has been instrumental, in fact crucial, in facilitating access to information andcommunications when other more traditional methods have failed. I think this is a magnificent example of how the Internet, an open and free human arena, not widelly controlled by special interests Here we see another divide that this list touched on (perhaps differently), and then ignored. Gently, I remind you that the Internet, is not everywhere. There is still a digital divide in American and particularly among the poor. I felt bad as I listened to the commentators tell everyone to go to the Internet. There are people in the US for whom the Internet is not accessible, for many reasons. There are few public places for the poor to get their internet on, in areas of need. Andy and I used to talk about which digital divide. Fortunately, he steered me to seeing it as an international problem. But the need is acute and pressing in the areas of the very poor. Interwhat? might be a better way of thinking about the needs of those who are unwired, have no wifi and no knowledge of it. The commentators talk about it. I have no idea what they are talking about . I worked on a truck traveling the US an 18 wheeler that shared , showed and in which we demonstrated what the Internet was and how to use it. But there was not everywhere a connection or understanding. In Oakland, people passed us by to get to the bookmobile. You can understand the lack of interest. No knowledge of the possibilities. Bonnie Bracey bbracey at aol com ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
Adite Chatterjee wrote: In response to the question that Dan raised about how to get people to respond to issues, I truly feel that human nature, being as it is, once the 'disaster' has passed, nobody wants to think about the 'issue' anymore. During the tsunami-relief operations in India, many of the TV networks devised innovative ways of linking entertainment with disaster operations. Crass as that may sound, it actually helped fundraising tremendously. So a programme called Indian Idol (its format is very much like American Idol) had viewers sending in SMS messages - and a percentage of the revenue was donated by the networks and telcos for the relief operations. This way millions of people donated to the cause and the TV networks managed to keep the interest in tsunami operations alive for weeks after the disaster occurred. Adite I would like to mention how easy it was working with Telcos in the tsunami affected region - they immediately understood things like the ARC, and Dan Lane was able to negotiate free calls to the SMS server in England because of it. Humanity came first in that region; I suppose that helped ruin my worldview in dealing with things afterward. -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: Georgetown, Guyana [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.easylum.net http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/Taran Criticize by creating. — Michelangelo ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
In response to some of the general flow of the discussion ... and I didn't and wouldn't post anything about Pat Robinson ... it is clear that the hurricane ripped open not only buildings and levees but also society and perceptions of the country. These are issues that can't be separated from politics. Technology is great in its correct context and moments. But to look to technology for a 'solution' is to miss the point as much as it is to define the digital divide as if it is simply, and only, a technological issue. The solution will lie with people. They may use technology to forge a solution, or they may not. But first, you've got to get them to pay attention and to care - hopefully about everyone equally. You've got to get presidents off vacation, you've got to get participation and support rather than anger and fear, you've got to have adequate leadership emerge, you've got to quit blaming people who had no power or cars or money to leave or those who have been systematically denied access to power for being angry about the situation, you've got to replace special interests with human interests. ap The Red Cross maybe slow... But Operation Blessings? Some readers may wish to know about the following: FEMA is directing Katrina donations to none other than the televangelist Rev. Pat Robertson (who recently called for the assassination of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez on his nationwide televangelist network). FEMA has released to the media and on its Web site a list of Suggested charities to help the storm's hundreds of thousands of victims. The Red Cross is first on the list. The Rev. Pat Robertson's Operation Blessing is FOURTH on the list. Operation Blessing's board of directors is dominated by the televanglist and his family. The chairman, MG Robertson, is none other than the Rev. Pat - Marion Gordon Robertson is his real name - while Pat's wife DeDe is vice president and son Gordon Robertson is also on the board. --On Friday, September 02, 2005 12:13 PM -0400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think the general public does not realize how ineffective the Red Cross has proved to be unfortunately during this disaster. The news media indicated they saw the first Red Cross truck on Thur, yesterday in Mississippi. If you have tried to call them you will find out that it is very difficult to get through. It is so unfortunate. People should send their funds to the most effective organizations such as the Salvation Army, Operation Blessings, Feed the Children etc as well. Molly -Original Message- From: Taran Rampersad [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thu, 01 Sep 2005 23:57:26 -0500 Subject: Re: [DDN] Hurricane Katrina mobcast launched I think that the Red Cross and other organizations have been unwilling to accept anything but financial contributions - I went through this with the ARC project - and I am somewhat disillusioned with this disconnect which seems like hubris from the cheap seats. The Red Cross does have a lot of experience, but... why can't people do things other than what their archaic system allows? Why can't you, or me, or anyone on this list simply say, Wouldn't it be cool if... to someone at the Red Cross? These disconnects - that you and Andy have shown - is somewhat disturbing. At what point will these agencies ask for help? Which disaster? We have people offering up housing, and as you point out - we wonder if the right people can get that information. The database of missing and so on is also gone. Meanwhile, the reporter on CNN just handed some Senator Mary Landrieu an angry statement talking about the dead bodies on the streets (a corpse being eaten by rats) and questioning the values of politicians thanking each other. I like this guy. This is 3 days into it. 3 Days. The politicians dance with words. The Red Cross asks me for donations, but they don't seem to know how much of what they need. The living victims dance with the corpses. How do people affect change if they cannot communicate with the people who can institute the change? Who are the people who can institute the change? It's amazing how difficult it is to find someone to pass it along to, and say, look this is what we're trying to do and everything like that, says Mr Rampersad. So the big problem right now is the same problem we're trying to solve - human communication. -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4149977.stm Lars Hasselblad Torres wrote: Hi Andy and everyone -- I am trusting out compatriots on this list who are from Katrina affected areas are with friends and family, safe. Like others, i'm blown away by how many people across the US have signed up on the MoveOn.org site to offer up housing. My question is, how can this databased information be connected to text-to-speech software and made available on an 800-number? I ask because I am wondering who is going to see the website? Conversely,
Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
Since we have so many bright people connected through the DDN and other tech networks, I'd like to pose a question that I think we all would like an answer to. How do we get people to care and respond to social issues on the days and weeks when there is not a Tsunami or a Kartina to draw attention to a problem? If TV shows like American Idol can get 10 million viewers a show, what will it take for us to get 10 million people a week to tune in to these issues and respond with outpourings of time, talent and dollars? Most of the social ills in the world require day to day attention of millions of people if conditions are to change for the better. How can we use our technology to connect those who can help with those who need help on a more consistent basis? Dan Bassill http://tutormentor.blogspot.com ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: Red Cross may be slow, but...
In response: On Sep 3, 2005, at 2:01 AM, Andrew Pleasant wrote: In response to some of the general flow of the discussion ... and I didn't and wouldn't post anything about Pat Robinson ... it is clear that the hurricane ripped open not only buildings and levees but also society and perceptions of the country. These are issues that can't be separated from politics. Technology is great in its correct context and moments. But to look to technology for a 'solution' is to miss the point as much as it is to define the digital divide as if it is simply, and only, a technological issue. The solution will lie with people. They may use technology to forge a solution, or they may not. But first, you've got to get them to pay attention and to care - hopefully about everyone equally. You've got to get presidents off vacation, you've got to get participation and support rather than anger and fear, you've got to have adequate leadership emerge, you've got to quit blaming people who had no power or cars or money to leave or those who have been systematically denied access to power for being angry about the situation, you've got to replace special interests with human interests. ap Very well stated. I think that the people - including the media - took the bull by the horns and utilized technology to promote human interests when the government was slow to do so. It has been apparent that journalists are outraged (as most people generally are) by what they witnessed in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and, along with showing viewers what has been happening, they have also broadcast a multitude of ICT resources people could use to post and access information to communicate with loved ones. Over and over again I have heard it said (on TV and radio) that the Internet has been instrumental, in fact crucial, in facilitating access to information and communications when other more traditional methods have failed. I think this is a magnificent example of how the Internet, an open and free human arena, not widelly controlled by special interests, has been a vehicle to support human interests and needs. TP ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
