Hurricane Katrina, Class and Race

Paper Summary:

In this essay, the writer notes that the Hurricane Katrina disaster will be discussed and debated for years, perhaps for a hundred years and more; and it can safely be assumed that an important part of the discussion will embrace the concepts of race and class. The writer maintains that one can easily imagine a sociology professor in the year 2025 pointing out that had a storm of such colossal intensity been approaching a city of mostly white, middle class and wealthy citizens, a different set of preparations and a wholly different outcome could be expected. This paper reviews and analyzes the social realities of New Orleans before and after Katrina's wrath, from several perspectives, including the theories of Karl Marx.

Outline:
Karl Marx
Katrina

From the Paper:

"When considering the fact that the Army Corps of Engineers reported years ago that the levees around New Orleans - much of which is below sea level - were not structurally safe, one has to also consider the class issues within the political structure of the United States; in other words, is New Orleans a place that would have a high priority in the ruling class of Washington D.C.? The answer is no. And so, the Army Corps of Engineers would be (and was) more committed to working on the Florida Everglades' multi-billion dollar project (the president's brother being the governor of Florida) than retrofitting the levees in a city that traditionally votes Democratic, and is largely African American. These points are raised because Marx doesn't specifically talk a lot about "race" per se, but he does make it clear that class struggles have to do with issues that in the case of New Orleans, are largely ethnic."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Andrew, Edward. (1975). Marx's theory of Classes: Science and Ideology. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 8(3), 454-466.
• Cullen, Kevin. (2005). Rumors, Race ad Class Collide. Nieman Reports. Winter 2005.
• Flaherty, Jordan. (2005-2006). New Orleans' Culture of Resistance. Social Policy. Retrieved 30 Dec. 2006 from http://www.leftturn.org/articles/specialcollections/jordanonkatina.aspx.
• Niman, Michael I. (2005). Katrina's America: Failure, Racism, and Profiteering. Humanist, 65(6), 11-15.
• Ridener, Larry R. (1977). Class Theory. Pfeiffer University. Retrieved 30 Dec. 2006 from http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~Lridener/DDS/Marx/MARXW2.HTML.

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• Argumentative Essay # 115995 : "Race Differences in the US"
• Comparison Essay # 135058 : "Leadership During Hurricane Katrina"

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