Refugees

It seems to me there should be better things to spend our time on that how to label the victims of Katrina. It boggles my mind that people can spend valuable energy lamenting the use of the word "refugee."

Dictionary.com says a refugee is "One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution." (www.dictionary.com) Okay, so it doesn't say flees from natural disasters or weather-related events. So what. Then, on the other extreme, evacuees or displaced represent terms that are "too clinical and not sufficiently dramatic to convey the dire situation that confronts many of Katrina's survivors." yahoo news. Give me a break!

I suppose one problem is that Americans seem to like to catalogue everything. We attach labels to everything. We compartmentalize everything. If we can't call them refugees, what do we call them? Well, why not call them "people" or "victims" or "citizens of New Orleans." Call them what they are!

Will somebody wake me up again when the world makes a little more sense? Thanks.