It's a celebration, it's a national party, it's a holiday, it's a signifigant event. No, wait it's none of these. Then why haven't I been able to go anywhere for the past two weeks without hearing about it. I walk into class and hear, "Today is Katrina's Birthday", I look at a paper and see headlines like, "One Year Later". What is this fascination, why are we marking this passing of time.

I know this isn't the first time we have recognized and dwelled on tragedy. I was around in September 2002 and remember all the rememberance. And maybe I accepted that one as almost necessary because September 11th was definitely a watershed moment in American history. Perhaps some would argue that Katrina is too, but I don't know about that.
To me it seems a little morbid to mark the passing of time from this tragedy. Yes, I know we should remember lest we repeat the mistakes of our past, but personally I find this fascination of celebrating or at least acknowledging the anniversary of Katrina more disturbing than the publics inexplicable fixation on Brad and Angelina's baby.

But lets go deeper, because there is something about all of this I find deeply disturbing. Hurricane season is well under way now and every little tropical storm is now being watched with greedy fascination. Do your own people-on-the-street poll and you may find that there are more people that can tell you at least one storm in the gulf now then their are who can't. Maybe it was this way before Katrina, but I would be skeptical of that. There seems to be a feeling o f anxious curiousity to see which if any will develop into the next Katrina. Nevermind that decades passed between major hurricane disasters in the past. Some people are determined that Katrina II is coming this year. Some of this could be put down to soothsayers who have said Katrina was a sign of end times, but is that all of it. I would like to believe so.

I don't want to believe that some people in their secret hearts want to see another disaster because it is exciting or it affirms their beliefs, religous, political, or other. I don't want to believe that people watched the endless hours of September 11th coverage because it fascinated and excited them. I don't want to believe that people watched the O.J. Simpson car chase because they were curious to see if he would commit suicide and wanted to be the first on their block to know if he did. I don't want to believe that people slow down at a car crash to see if they can see a body. I don't want to believe that some people get upset if the details are left out of a murder on the news. I don't want to believe that some peoples belief in hell comforts them to know that those they despise will be tortured. I really don't want to believe any of these things.