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This Author has been arguing for some that the American view point, especially on the right wing, is to degrade the humanity of the poor and the underclass that quietly exists in the shadows of the American landscape. While America is a so-called “rich country,” America is only a rich country for a certain portion of the American population. And – there is no need to discuss skin color of the poor. I have been writing for some time that the American Government itself has devalued its own citizens, especially the most poor of American citizens. Part of the problem is that the American Government is insolated from the American general public and American leaders are not only out-of-touch with the struggles of citizens, but American leaders attempt to project the notion that “all is well is America.” All is NOT well in America and it’s about time we openly discuss America’s REAL social ills.

First of all, there are several American stereotypes that came together in the Hurricane Katrina tragedy that cost people their lives. One of those stereotypes is that “the underclass is violent and dangerous.” This could be seen through the mass media hype and focus on a handful of armed troublemakers. The focus on a handful of armed troublemakers leads to the justifications of the denial of food and water to those suffering at the Superdome and Convention Center. This was also noted in government and police emphasis on stopping people from stealing shoes and TV sets rather than getting food and water to suffering citizens. The image of the “violent and dangerous underclass” is the diving force behind American criminal justice policy of almost constant harassment of poor Americans, especially the homeless. This image fits into the larger image in the American mentality that “poverty is a moral problem” and that “the poor are morally corrupt.” Therefore, the lives of underclass Americans are of NO value before, during and after the hurricane.

Since American Government leaders and many American people seriously believe that “all is well in America,” people were almost expected to evacuate before the hurricane struck. ALL the residents in the hurricane’s path were expected to grab their credit cards, book a hotel up north for a couple of weeks and evacuate in their cars. This is the image of what “was expected” in the “all is well in America” image of American Government leaders. However, there are a good number of Americans that live in the shadows of the American poverty landscape for which evacuation was not an option. Most underclass Americans have no bank accounts, no cars, and live from check to check. For these Americans did not have the resources to evacuate and the right-wing blame being placed on the underclass victims for their “lack of preparedness” demonstrates the callous nature of American society toward the underclass and just how much the struggles of poor Americans are never considered or even discussed in American politics. After all, “all is well in America” and everyone has a bank account and credit cards and a car to evacuate and if you “don’t evacuate” than “that was your choice.”

The issues in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are not about race and racial disparity in the distribution of aid, but about social class and the denial of the very humanity of underclass Americans that was present in America before the hurricane. Underclass Americans were, long before Katrina, marginalized from both American political discussions and from larger American society and “technically” do not exist. It did not matter what racial group an American belonged to, but if that American was a member of the American underclass he became invisible in the shadows of American poverty and was not considered in disaster preparedness plans. This is due to the dehumanization of American society and while American society is dehumanizing for all Americans, this is especially true for the underclass and the poor. America has degraded into a jungle-like “fend for yourself” society that “grants” human worth based on job and size of bank account. American society expects all Americans to “fend for themselves” since “all is well is America” and everyone is expected to have at least a job, bank account and a car. We now know, thanks to Katrina, that not all Americans have jobs, bank accounts and cars.

The idea that the underclass victims of Hurricane Katrina are somehow to blame for their demise and that Americans must “fend for themselves” removes humanity and a sense of community that are important in civil society. We are a community and we need to look out and be concerned for each other, including the assurances that all our fellow citizens have access to food and shelter, or at least ensure that our fellow citizens have access to employment to ensure access to food and shelter. Before the hurricane this Author argued that in the absence of living wage jobs for all who need them, we need to drop the “fed for yourself” notion and take care of those who lack living wage jobs. Either we provide plenty of living wage jobs (which are disappearing in America) or we as a society have an obligation to take care of those without living wage jobs. We now are obligated to take care of the displaced underclass after Katrina, which we should have done before Katrina.