I wonder if anyone is annoyed at the rampant use of “looting” by the media in regards to the earthquake aftermath in Haiti. I watched either CNN or MSNBC last week, and they made a interesting point that in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, media outlets referred to white people as foraging or finding food and to black people as looting or stealing. I think it is interesting that now in Haiti, which is predominantly black, the term “looting” is the only word we are hearing/seeing.
Do these reporters, editors and the like stop to consider that most likely, this so-called looting is not for the sake of stealing, but rather out of desperation for sustenance and survival? These are people who had shitty conditions before this earthquake; now, they have even less, if anything at all. The international aid has had its issues (still) getting outside of the small airport and port and to the people in the most desperate need. If I were in the position of these people, I probably would be rushing vehicles with people who are giving out food, and perhaps would take what I need from stores, etc. I think we should get past the semantics and focus on the reality of the situation: everyone who was there at the time of the earthquake; be them black, white, followers of Christianity or Voodoo, French speaking or English, are trying to survive. For those who do not have the money and resources to get out of Haiti, the situation is worse. For those who do not have immediate access to food and water, the situation is critical. And there should not be the negative connotation of looting when what’s being taken is food, water, and survival items.
On another note – the comments about gangs of young men roaming the streets brandishing machetes should be put into context. If this country is a culture whose citizens begin using machetes at a young age, as I know is common in other countries such as Costa Rica (as I have seen firsthand a 5 year old ‘brandish’ a machete for his chores more expertly than I ever could), then this comment is ridiculous. Is there proof that these men are using machetes in a menacing way to harm others or are they using them in case the need for protection in an increasingly tense situation?
I think there are a lot of assumptions being made about this situation that may not be true. And I think, if anything, we owe these people who are just at the beginning of this horrible state of affairs the decency to report the facts, and not assumptions based (however subtly) on race, economics, and a culture we are largely unfamiliar with.
