Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Monday, April 09, 2007

Katrina: "Why didn't they just leave?"

Once upon a time...

A good example of the gap between myself and some of my clients presented itself during the early days of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. I had a female kickboxing client warming up on a cardio machine, the TV was blaring, and all eyes were transfixed on the horrendous images of government indifference.

Staring at a poor black family as they waded through chest-deep water, my client blurted out: “I don’t understand. Why didn’t they just leave?” There was just enough smugness in her voice to irritate me but I stayed calm, replying: “Most of them couldn’t leave.”

Unconvinced, she declared: “I would’ve gotten in my car and gone to stay in a hotel or something.”

I swallowed deeply. “These people are very poor. Some of them don’t even...”

“I know,” she interrupted, “but why would you stay there if you know a hurricane is coming?”

Before I could respond, someone else walked into the gym and broke the tension by starting a work-related conversation with my client. We eventually went on with our workout while the people in New Orleans went on with their wading.

The End