I changed the recorded date of this post, because I don't really want this one public. I write this blog for myself, and I plan on printing it all out and passing it on to my family someday. I know how much I learned from photos of and letters from my great grandma. If any of my decendants ever care, I'd like them to have this little piece of me. That's why I write. It's my simple day-to-day stuff, nothing consequential. Yet when I look at my archives, I realize that history has happened all around me; and in my own way I've recorded it. Which leads to this entry -which was actually written on January 7th, 2005.

I spent Christmas day with my family. I did not watch the news. The next day was spent cleaning. Again, I didn't watch the news. I didn't read anyone's blog. I didn't know that there had been an earthquake, or that it had caused tidal waves. I didn't know that more than 160,000 people would die in the water, under the rubble, or (like one person) struck by children on a motorcycle. The children were put on the bike by their father, and told to go. Their parents died. Their home is gone. They have nothing but each other. That and their father's motorcycle.

I learned about them from a "special report" from CNN called "Saving the Children". The devastation is beyond awful.
CNN did a beautiful job on the report. The news media has been showing footage of the waves, of the debris, -of dirty, grieving people dressed in donated clothing. It's heartwrenching. But they're focusing on the material, and that's the wrong focus. I noticed the people in the CNN report. They were grief-stricken or numb, but they were clean. Their skin was healthy. Their teeth were white and strong. We here in America are so used to darker skinned people being portrayed as "starving". The media pushes it so much, that we've come to associate any non-European country with third-world type environment. I didn't see that on CNN. CNN showed people. People who were not malnourished (although they will be soon). Such beautiful people. I wish most Americans looked that good. I've already heard people saying thing like, "Ah, they were starving anyway. They're used to it."
No! They're not! They have a different culture, not a different world. They had jobs and homes and debt, just like America. They had families and schools and healthcare.

If this had happened in America, would you shrug it off after donating a few dollars online? Or would you think it was doubly tragic, because Americans aren't used to poverty -have no traditions to deal with this kind of disaster?

Americans (for all that I bitch about poverty here) are not used to third-world type poverty. Even the poorest American can grow food. There's probably enough material in a landfill to build shelters for 10,000 people.

My point is that the people of the tsunami affected countries once had a life much like our own. They are no more prepared for this than any other country is. We must remember that. We must not let it become cliche'

The life they had is gone; and they can rebuild and have homes, jobs and health again. But only if the rest of the world forgets the stereotype of color.