Jeff Jarvis doesn't see anything wrong with calling the Katrina survivors "refugees." See my post yesterday. I do. In fact, there's a lot wrong with it. Same as there's a lot wrong with calling the lot of them "poor people," which is what some folks down here have taken a liking to.
You might quote some folks other than Jessee Jackson with thoughts on the topic, Jeff. Like a blogger. Maybe even a woman.
Jeff says: "I don’t see the disgrace in it, considering that this country was built in great measure by refugees and that refugees are people who had to flee something awful — political or natural — through no choice or fault of their own."
That is fascinating sentence. I'm not sure whether the "no choice or fault of their own" deserves deconstructing first, or the "people rushing to the promised land" needs tackling first. So I guess I'll say that this country was also built by people who were brought here against their will, torn from families, cuffed, whipped, dehumanized and kept against their will. But then, maybe those folks should have shot for the "refugee" title--a step up from slave.
Refugee has the potential to morph into something very unseemly. Read my post below to see what I mean.
