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I mean, why didn't these morons leave New Orleans before the hurricane? I'll tell you why: because they wanted to rape and loot! That's just the way some people are! And if they're black - if the rapists and looters are black - it's not George Bush's fault! We've had these problems ever since the Emancipation Proclamation. Once the whites leave town, all you've got is overwhelming lawlessness. That's not racism, Mr. Snerdley; it's a proven, demonstrable fact. Have you even seen a ghetto in Greenwich, Connecticut? I rest my case.

Rush Limbaugh#34

RaceHistorySocietyLawCrimeDisaster

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker claims residents stayed during a hurricane to loot and attributes lawlessness to race and history.
In plain terms
He says people stayed to loot and claims black ghettos are lawless due to emancipation.
What can you take from it?
Disasters reveal underlying social issues according to this view.

Where it applies

  • disaster response
  • social commentary
  • public policy

Putting it to work

  • analyze disaster behavior
  • study crime causes
  • debate social policy

Questions to consider

  • How do disasters affect crime?
  • What causes urban inequality?

Another view

This generalizes criminal behavior and ignores systemic causes of poverty.

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  3. Embrace your inner wacko, Senator Kerry.

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