# New Orleans Shelters' "Atrocities" - why did we so readily believe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 26, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516 "2005-09-26T16:58:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516/61 "2005-10-03T18:06:10Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > It’s still all bullshit. I was watching live 24 hour coverage of the aftermath with reporters broadcasting live inside the shelters and there clearly was no law and order problem and no swarms of frightening dark people ready to ‘overpower’ armed men. > > There was simply nothing to stop proper help being sent in and distributed. And there was no communications lack for anyone with a TV. It was all laid out. If you want to discuss the issues you’ll have to address what has been talked about. “Bullshit I watch TV” is neither a discussion or a rebuttal. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516/62 "2005-10-03T18:48:08Z")
New Orleans Shelters’ “Atrocities” - why did we so readily believe? Um, because these things happen in real life? ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516/63 "2005-10-04T09:21:09Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Well, it’s what ABC told us was happening. I also thought that the Guardsmen were sounding surprisingly pussyish but you work with the data you have. Gah! Does the Guard rely solely or even largely on mass media reports for command intelligence? If it’s true, then the Guard is due for an extreme shakeup, and its high-ranking offiicers should be relieved of duty. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516/64 "2005-10-04T10:16:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If you want to discuss the issues you’ll have to address what has been talked about. “Bullshit I watch TV” is neither a discussion or a rebuttal. Get off your high horse and read. I was clearly referring to the govt claims that they didn’t know what was going on as bullshit. And like it or not it is indefensible bullshit because the situation was on live TV. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516/65 "2005-10-05T01:41:00Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > Get off your high horse and read. I was clearly referring to the govt claims that they didn’t know what was going on as bullshit. And like it or not it is indefensible bullshit because the situation was on live TV. If I appear to ride a high horse it is the result of over 60 hrs of research. I’m not sure which government agency you’re referring to that claimed they didn’t know what was going on. I’ve explained, in great detail, what events took place. Everything that was supposed to happen prior to the hurricane was taken care of. Supplies and personnel were staged away from the impact zone in anticipation of the proper evacuation of those people requiring assistance. By relocating people inside a flood zone they were cut off from the additional supplies needed for an extended rescue period. Put another way, instead of the immediate relief they would have received from a pre-hurricane evacuation they were now part of a post-hurricane rescue event. Riots overwhelmed thousands of local police officers, which delayed the movement of Red Cross personnel and supplies. The Governor delayed the use of trained National Guard police to put down the riots. Despite a 2 day slow down in relief efforts there was little additional loss of life. 50,000 people were evacuated in the space of a week. The reason behind this that there were 9 other relief stations besides the Superdome that did not have the problems seen on TV. Total loss in Louisiana was less than a thousand people including those who drowned in the flash flood (from the post hurricane levee failures). But because a couple of people bitch in front of a camera it is somehow a failed rescue. Compare that to a simple heat wave in France where over 14,000 people died in a 2-week period. No roads were blocked with debris. no water barriers to cross, no loss of electricity or water…… just a little hot weather. ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516/66 "2005-10-05T09:12:55Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I was vacationing in Europe for a couple weeks at the time of the storm. The BBC was horrible in it’s coverage of NO. They were reporting tens of thousands dead, rapes, you name it. I had nothing else to go on. (Oh, how I missed Fox News!) But, I suspected that it was largely bullshit. > > One particular scene sticks in my memory. They did a street interview where the responses were Bush bashing, America bashing and simply hateful. An enderly couple stated something like “they were quick to go into Iraq in violation of international law, but not so quick to help thier own citizens” with a smug look on thier faces. Every person I talked to while I was in London was genuinely concerned and caring about the situation. I wondered how many people the BBC must have spoken with to get the negative reactions they wanted. I watched coverage on the BBC, CNN, Sky News and Fox News and noticed no difference in the tone of coverage at all. Yes, they reported that the death toll could be over 10000 (as did all the other outlets) - that was based on a statement from a Republican Senator for Louisianna (David Vitter?). Yes, they reported stories of rapes at the superdome (as did all the other outlets) - that was based initially on eyewitness acccounts (and reported as such) and was then _confirmed by the Police Chief of the city in question._ Where exactly else would you espect the media to go to further confirm the story after that? They interviewed people on the streets, as did all the other outlets, largely finding people who, unsuprisingly had a bit of a downer on the whole situation. But Fox News was exactly the same, Shepherd Smith especially [Link](http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap09-23-180401.asp?t=APENT#body) ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516/67 "2005-10-06T02:30:01Z")
Good article in the [Washington Post.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401525.html) > [@](#): > > Maj. Bush of the Louisiana National Guard said he is glad the record is being corrected. “I certainly saw fights, but I saw worse fights at a Cubs game in Chicago,” he said. “The people never turned into these animals. They have been cheated out of being thought of as these tough people who looked out for each other. We had more babies born [in the Superdome] than we had deaths.” I hope as many people are following the corrections as followed the initial stories, but somehow I doubt it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-shelters-atrocities-why-did-we-so-readily-believe/323516.md?page=3)