NYT/Reuters:World (except US?) Tempers New Year Celebration After Tsunami

[DeepModem Mom]

World Tempers New Year Celebrations After Tsunami
By REUTERS

Published: December 31, 2004


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Normally exuberant New Year celebrations were tempered by thoughts for victims of south Asia's tsunami as several major cities canceled parties and Australia led a global minute of silence....

***

Sweden, Norway, Finland and Germany planned to fly flags at half-mast to start 2005 as a mark of respect for their many dead and missing, who had left Europe's cold, dark winter for Asia's sunshine and golden sands.

Paris put black mourning crepe on the trees lining the Champs Elysees to pay homage to the victims. Thousands of Parisians traditionally rally on the tree-lined boulevard in the center of the French capital on New Year's Eve....

***

(Festivities were cancelled or curtailed in all of the Asian nations directly affected.)

In Europe, a number of Italian cities abandoned plans for major New Year's Eve parties, opting to send the money saved to charities helping the victims....

(Hong Kong and Cyprus are mentioned. The U.S. is not.)


http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-quake-newyear.html

[eleonora]

1. of course, we live on another planet afterall so why care

Most Americans could not even point out Thailand or Sri Lanka on a map until this happened.

[kskiska]

2. It would only be relevant if it happened here.

That's the way it is.

[Fla Dem]

3. That was my 1st thought....we should cut back on New Years Eve

celebrations. How would we have felt if 9/11 had happened during the week between Christmas and New Years. Would we have been offnded if other countries had big NYE celebrations? Hmmmm, I'm not sure. But somehow it doesn't seem right.

[Tinoire]

4. We can't - why shou;d 125,000 dead, millions homeless affect us?

Besides we have a coronation planned!

Makes you sick at heart doesn't it? I'll be ringing in the New Year in a very low-key manner this year. 4 more years of hell - not much to celebrate there...

[Nordic65]

9. Thousands of Americans are missing!!

I don't get it. Why are so damn few of you concerned about the fate of the thousand of missing American citizen?

The death-toll here could easily surpass that of 9/11, making it a truly national disaster.

[Bridget Burke]

10. I believe you've encountered something called "sarcasm"

Yes, we care about the missing (probably dead) Americans. We care about all other other victims of the disaster as well.

We also care about all those killed in Iraq--our own people & the Iraqis. The disaster's reminder of the precariousness of life makes the deaths that our govenment caused on purpose seem even more obscene.

It's called laughing to keep from crying. Or screaming.

[Tinoire]

11. That was sarcasm. And much more than a "national" disaster

This is an international catastrophe. And the callousness displayed by this adminstration is too mind-boggling.

Screw the New Year's Eve celebrations. Screw the fucking coronation. Screw corporate bonuses. Screw nuclear testing. Screw war. Screw racist warmongers. Screw this administration.

I hope that's clearer now.

We've grown too big and obviously, apparently need a sarcasm emoticon now. Though... I'm a bit concerned about your focus

Thousands of Americans are missing!!

I don't get it. Why are so damn few of you concerned about the fate of the thousand of missing American citizen?

The death-toll here could easily surpass that of 9/11, making it a truly national disaster.

Are those Americans more worthy of concern than the oh let's say 124,900 others? Shit, make that millions still missiing. So what is your logic here? That thousands of Americans 'missing' are somehow more important than 125,000 dead and millions of non-Americans missing?

Yep, let's fire up those fireworks since humanity has so much to celebrate this year :sarcasm: That'll bring those thousands back. Long live the Boy King.


Btw... any thoughts about the callousness of going ahead with these joyous celebrations?

[TahitiNut]

13. "Why is it that nobody here bathes?"

Since we don't see people saying they do, it's safe to conclude they don't, huh? :evilgrin:

I suppose I should be amused when I read a post that proclaims such nonsense. Gee, I guess if people don't dwell on what they do or think then they don't do or think it - at least in the minds/posts of those who have some motivations to postulate the contrary and demand proof of the negative.

While I'm not exactly the most optimistic regarding human behavior, I do tend to believe most people do their best. While that "best" may not meet some standard I or others may set, that doesn't mean it's not their best - hindered as it may be by dysfunctional beliefs we may cling to. (Does it serve any of us to believe anything that makes us less effective as human beings?)

I guess it's difficult not to lump the media coverage of this catastrophe into the same infotainment category as some horror flick. All we have to do is leave the theater and it goes away, right? (Are we leaving the theater or re-entering Disneyland?)

In my life, I have loved and cherished people of a wide variety of nationalities and backgrounds and chromatic attributes. That's a liberating experience, made possible by the good fortune of leading a life with fewer artificial boundaries than many. That makes me no better than anyone else - perhaps just more fortunate. I'd be less than honest if I didn't acknowledge that "dark side" in which I comprehend the greater personal impact of a loss that's closer to my own life. Kinship. Self-interest. It's by virtue of realizing that all others are my cousins that I can broaden the scope of my ephemeral hugs. I don't think it's unusual.

And life goes on.

We have reasons to celebrate.

We have reasons to mourn.

God willing ... we can find the heart to do both.
We have all lost members of our human family ... but we are family.
Thank God.

((Imagine the refrains of 'Three Dog Night' singing Celebrate in the background.)) :silly:

[Tinoire]

16. Beautiful post Tahiti!

Sadly it makes me realize how far away you are and what a joy, an honor, it was to meet you.

[TahitiNut]

18. Thank you, m'luv!

I miss you (and noiretblu, et. al.) more than you can imagine. :loveya:

I adore your passion :yourock:
... and your backseat. :silly:


I'm talking about her car, guys! (sheesh!) such minds! :evilgrin:

[Tinoire]

20. Then c'mon over for a visit! You know I'd put you up!

Make it like old times... Let your visit concide with a protest march ;) We'll treat you like a king!

[liberalhistorian]

21. That's very true, and I simply can't

figure out why our media isn't giving more attention to that. A lot of people I know and/or talk to have no idea so many Americans are missing and probably dead, they just figured it was all Asians/Indians and European tourists. I just don't understand why the media isn't paying more attention to that, and why it isn't communicating that fact to the public. And I believe that the American death toll will be higher than that of 9/11, tragically. I desperately hope I'm wrong.

It is not a national disaster, though, but an INTERNATIONAL disaster, and Americans need to start thinking in global, international terms.

[diamond14]

5. "opting to send the money to charities" instead of partying...

WHAT A CONCEPT....one that Jesus would highly approve...


bush* hasn't STOOD UP and lead anyone on this whole catastrophy....bush* has shown that he is just an arrogant, greedy, and stingy 'little' man....drinking down at his pig farm, while KILLING Iraqis and American Soldiers daily....

[marew]

6. Why can't WE figure this out.

Our general attitude gives new meaning to the term The Ugly American.

[readmylips]

7. That is not the Christian thing to do....

Not in America, we cannot cancel our New Year's sin just because a few poor darkies got hit by the might of God. Instead let's party more until little bush's billion dollar inaugural festivities. We are such Christians. God is going 'Right On America...God Bless America and to hell with everybody else.'

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. And in the U.S., Secretary Powell plans to drop the NY ball.

Sell, buy, sell, buy. Minimize charity to encourage the poor to rely on themselves, talk about being kind and compassionate, but by no means, waste too much time, nor too much money on helping those in need.

That's the Bush Doctrine.

[MSgt213]

12. Well we do love to prove we are assholes who don't give a shit about

anyone but ourselves. So guess this fits that plan.

[Pithy Cherub]

14. American excess for the entire world to see

at a time of tragedy. A subdued atmosphere would pay tribute, but the reflection on this won't occur until next week. Does the US need a PR firm...

[Kimber Scott]

15. Excuse me, but our celebrations haven't started yet. Why don't

you wait to see if we have a "minute of silence" prior to the usual drunken reverie before you slam this country that I happen to live in and assume you do, too. I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'm an American. I'm mourning for the tsunami victims. Does that count for anything, or are we all just beyond redemption having been born in the U.S.?

[NorthernSpy]

17. what was the 2002 New Years celebration like after 9/11?

Unless I'm remembering this wrong, I think that the next New Years Eve festivities went on pretty much as usual after 9/11, and holidays closer to the incident -- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas -- were celebrated as they always had been.

If Americans mark the new year in the ordinary manner, that is not necessarily statement of contempt or indifference or anything like that.

[Sean Reynolds]

19. While I fully understand what you're all saying, you need to get a grip!

Not once does it say in the article that major parties throughout the world are being canceled because of the Asian disaster. In fact, it seems most of the canceled parties are in Asia, while the others will pay tribute to the fallen.

I think you all need to go re-read the article before you attack Americans and understand what it's really saying. The article is mostly talking about regions that have already celebrated New Years.

Hence this bit from Sydney:

Sydney rang in the New Year with firework displays along its postcard-perfect harbor, one early show especially for children.

Sydneysiders and a global television audience of millions were asked to observe a minute's silence in remembrance of tsunami victims before the children's display. Party-goers in Australia's Melbourne and in neighboring New Zealand similarly paused to remember.


Those BASTARDS! They still went on with their party too. Where's the outcry toward them?

Seems to me, most major cities did in fact continue with their celebrations -- only to pay respect for the fallen. I'm sure Americans will do the same, because I do believe that most of us aren't as gutless as you guys would have everyone believe.

[liberalhistorian]

22. I haven't noted any changes at

all in our celebrations or attitudes, which is quite discouraging. And it makes us look even worse in the eyes of the rest of the world.

[Cocoa]

23. if we temper our celebrations, the tsunami wins

if we let the tsunami make us change our celebrations, then that will just encourage more tsunamis.