Sunday, September 04, 2005

Anne Rice does some truth-tellin'

Chas. L. Franck/The New York Times

Read Anne Rice's "Do You Know What It Means To Lose New Orleans?" in the New York Times. See? I don't care what the nay-sayers are yammerin' on about - this city will rebuild, because a world without New Orleans is just blah. Here's where our Cajun-Rice gal cuts to the chase:

But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs.

Well, we are a lot more than all that. And though we may seem the most exotic, the most atmospheric and, at times, the most downtrodden part of this land, we are still part of it. We are Americans. We are you.

Amen to all that.

2 comments:

archer said...

This has always happened. America loves the Darktown Strutters Ball, as long as it stays on the right side of the tracks.

MaryB said...

You'd think we'd've gotten beyond this, but apparently (and in a deadly way) not. Ah, me.