I woke up in the middle of the night and padded over to the computer to check the progress of Hurricane Sandy. I was really expecting for the worst, and there was some pretty bad news. Fires. Flooding. Displacement.
But fortunately for the size of the Bosnywash Megalopolis, there weren't a lot of casualties. Not like Haiti, which apparently saw 68 storm casualties. Despite claiming its mandate was to be the voice of the world, there was nearly no talk on CNN about Haiti and all the people in that storm-torn place who are once again displaced or worse.
This makes me sad. It reminds me that the United States continues to be a myopic place. It's to be expected, of course. I'm sure if we had that kind of devastation here in Canada, our focus would be our own backyard. But I do think the Canadian media would take time to recognize the others who have been hurt during such a terrible storm.
My Facebook friend, the writer Jon Katz, blogged today that he and his wife gave up their television a while back and he wrote he was glad he had. He and Maria spent the night eating and reading before a fire, their animals all tucked in and safe from the storm instead spending it being glued to CNN watching all its dire predictions.
I wished I had done that. I found myself unable to sleep, distressed, agitated after watching the coverage for six straight hours. I couldn't look away. I felt slightly ashamed of myself.
Scott was joking before he left for work yesterday, speculating whether all the people of New York would end up at the city's highest point, the New York Public Library, burning books and watching ships filled with wolves cruise down the Avenue of the Americas.
It was bad, but it wasn't that bad. Reality rarely trumps the imagination of filmmakers.
Fortunately.
The weather is fucked these days.
I'm glad I live in the middle.
My prayers go out to all the families. I heard today that since the last big storm all the insurance companies added a hurricane clause, which states that their deductible is one percent of the value of their house if it is devastated by a hurricane. That means most folks will have to shell out at least $15,000 before they get any insurance money.
Insurance companies -- Americans helping Americans and taking a little for themselves along with way.
God Bless Mitt Romney's vision for America
Comments
Post a Comment