Pakistan Earthquake

Monte Smith · October-12th-2005, 09:43 PM

Kinda surprised not to see a thread about this here. Happened a few days ago, but the scene is still pretty chilling. Many thousands dead, mostly in Pakistan (but also India and Kashmir) and injured are pouring into makeshift hospitals from some of the worst affected areas--many walking out from very isolated communities. The death toll dwarfs Katrina, but it's a long way away from us and so not as immediate as our hurricane. Anyway, NPR broadcast a terrible report from a military hospital where one doc said they are treating a thousand new patients a day. They need IV lines, antiseptics, steroids, and painkillers desperately. I had to change the station rather than listening to the cries of a little boy (sounded about my son's age) with a gangrenous wound. Couldn't listen to that.

The US military is helping out, so is Pakistan's rival India, so is the Zionist enemy (Musharraf recently spoke to a US Jewish group and has been relaxing relations with Israel). I'm going to do my humble bit with a donation to a good cause. Hopefully aid will smooth relations all around, but really I'm giving because of that kid on the radio.

shrugs · October-12th-2005, 09:50 PM

Yep. Watching from here in New Orleans. It's nice to know the military was able to get there quicker than it did here last month.
That said, I wish the best for the people who are suffering. From what I have heard, they are also dealing with inept governments.

kenny weir · October-12th-2005, 09:59 PM

Yes, one of the saddest things I've read about is the collapse of schools where only 25% of the allocated govt money was spent on actual building and materials, the rest going on graft. private schools survived.

crawjo · October-12th-2005, 10:22 PM

It's terrible...the lack of response to this reminds me of a George Carlin bit from many years ago, does anybody know it? Carlin talks about how the media reports catastrophes. Speaking in a phony tv announcer voice, he says, "10,000 people died today....in Pakistan."

"Pakistan? Pakistan? Fuck Packistan! We want to see the bodies!"

Does anybody know the bit I'm referring to?

sonic1 · October-13th-2005, 02:45 PM

Including myself, I am a little disturbed at the lack of interest in this story. When New Orleans was hit by Katrina it was news on the even 24/7, and the same with Rita, all around the world. My god, around 40,000 people died in Pakistan and it is hardly a blip in the media. Same with the Guatamalan mudslides.

I feel a little ashamed that I haven't been more interested in this story. Is this catastrophic event fatigue?

Vince Kargatis · October-13th-2005, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonic1

I feel a little ashamed that I haven't been more interested in this story. Is this catastrophic event fatigue?

Perhaps, but clearly a basic human trait to care less about distant problems than close ones operates here, as it undoubtedly has for millions of years. Generally, empathy with The Other didn't much help our ancestors survive.