Impact of hurricane katrina on popular culture (august 2010)rev
1. Impact of Hurricane
Katrina on
Popular Culture
Joyce M. Shaw, MA, MLIS
Head Librarian & Associate Professor
Gunter Library Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
University of Southern Mississippi
Hurricane Katrina
5 Years Later
August 31, 2010
University of Texas Libraries
Austin, TX
2. A Wordle View of this Presentation
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3. Abstract
Hurricane Katrina was a catastrophe of
epic proportions which was f lt i one
i ti hi h felt in
way or another by all Americans, not just
residents of the Gulf Coast region. One
way society copes with and assimilates
the changes created by catastrophes and
disasters i th
di t is through popular culture
gh l lt
media & artifacts: novels, movies, music,
art, humor, and myths. This presentation
, , y p
looks at popular culture media &
artifacts which have incorporated
Hurricane Katrina as an element or
subject of the narrative.
4. Basic Q
B i Questions
ti
• What is the popular culture of
disaster?
• Why does it exist?
• Why is it important?
5. Definitions
• Popular Culture—all those things that
Culture all
“the people” do or have done. People
make popular culture from the
repertoire of commodities supplied by
the culture industries—film, television,
music, publishing, sporting, etc. P
i bli hi ti t Popularl
culture is easy to live with but hard to
handle because it is based on an
infinitely expanding inventory.
(
(from Storey, 1998, and Hall, 1998)
y, , , )
6. Definitions
Disaster—an
Disaster an agent which
presents demands and threats
to
t a community which can not
it hi h t
be met by the institutionalized
means that are utilized for its
normal emergencies.
g
(from Wenger and Weller, 1973)
7. Defining Popular Culture of Disaster
Involves Four Dimensions
• Characterization of the product
• Identity of the producer
• Timing of its production
• Means by which is it distributed and
consumed
(from: Webb 2006)
Webb,
8. Social/Cultural Framework
of Hurricane Katrina
• Space/Place: Local regional,
Local, regional
national, international
Gulf Coast (USA)
G lf C t
• Time: Immediate/chronic; slow/fast
Katrina’s impact was all four
elements
9. Social/Cultural Framework
of Hurricane Katrina
• Perceived level of
Human/Technological involvement:
for assigning cause blame, meaning
cause, blame
Natural disaster “Act of God”
Levee f il
L failure (Act of Man/Technology)
Government failure (FEMA)
10. Social/Cultural Framework
of Hurricane Katrina
• Social stratification: cultural
expressions of race, gender,
ethnicity, political persuasion &
social conflict
Economically disadvantaged
p p
people
People of color
Foolish people
Victims/survivors Couch, 2000
11. Cultural Media & Artifacts
Material Non-Material
Novels/Fiction Humor
Television Urban Legends
Cinema
Music
Art
12. Novels/Fiction
N l /Fi i
Polly Deschamps suspects there
might be a connection between
her beau and a series of
decades-old murders. T
d d ld d Two
broken pasts collide in an
uncertain present carrying the
reader from the horrifying
1970's murder spree of a child--
dubbed "Butcher Boy" by a
shocked public--in Rochester
Rochester,
Minnesota, to Polly, the abused
daughter of Mississippi "trailer
trash," to post-Katrina New
, p
Orleans.
http://www.nevadabarr.com/bkm04_thirteen_and_a_half.htm Barr, Nevada. 13 ½.
13. Novels/Fiction
Barthelme dissects middle-age
malaise. His characters often
seem shipwrecked, and in this off-
kilter story of death and divorce,
they pretty much are after
Katrina transforms the modest
beachfront town of Waveland into
“ten miles of debris.” Barthelme
offers stunning descriptions of
the hurricane and its aftermath
as he tracks unmoored Vaughn,
an architect who has lost his
hit t h h l t hi
passion for buildings and
romance after his reliably
unpredictable wife ends their
marriage.
http://www.amazon.com/Waveland-Frederick-Barthelme/dp/0385527292
Barthelme, Fredrerick. Waveland.
14. Novels/Fiction
No popular living author is more
associated with New Orleans and
Southern Louisiana than James L
S h L i i h J Lee
Burke. His Dave Robicheaux series is
monumental not only as an
ac eve e t
achievement in c crime w t g, but as
e writing,
an American elegy: for the city of his
youth, before it was ravaged by crack
cocaine and government neglect, and
for
f a vanishing Cajun way of lif
i hi g C j f life.
James Lee Burke thrusts the New
Iberia police department and
Detective Dave Robicheaux headlong g
into the disaster zone. Katrina has just
leveled New Orleans, and Dave
Robicheaux and other relief workers
are combing the flooded city for
survivors. Burke, James Lee.
http://www.jamesleeburke.com/bibliography/40.php Tin Roof Blowdown.
15. Novels/Fiction
Barely six months after leaving
New Orleans, history professor
Max Corbett is returning to a
place he hardly recognizes. The
girl h d l
i l he'd loved - and l
d d lost - i d d
is dead,
and the once-enchanted city has
been devastated by Hurricane
Katrina.
Katrina Max has not thought
much beyond Gabrielle's funeral
- until a strange old man offers
him a map and an insane
map,
proposition . . .
http://www.christophergolden.com/cities.html
Golden, Christopher & Tim Lebbon.
The Map of Moments
16. Novels/Fiction
Greg Iles a Natchez MS
Iles, Natchez, MS,
author often using his
hometown as the setting
for his novels. The action
in this book takes place
after Hurricane Katrina
and uses the storm as a
reason some people have
come into the area
area.
http://www.gregiles.com
p g g
Iles, Greg. The Devil’s Punchbowl.
17. Novel/Fiction
Neufeld provides a
p
graphic portrait of
a city under siege
and shows the
sho s
human side to the
chaos. It is the
“people’s history
of life just before
and following
Hurricane
Katrina.
http://www.joshcomix.com/
Neufeld, Josh. A.D. New Orleans after the Deluge.
18. Novels/Fiction
Tom Piazza knows New
Orleans —its culture,
O l it lt
history, people, and life. He
tells the story of family and
place in pre- and post-
Katrina New Orleans. He
dramatized the hurricane’s
shocking aftermath
g
following his characters
into the Katrina Diaspora.
The full tragedy of
Hurricane K t i
H i Katrina will not
ill t
be forgotten by readers of
this book.
http://www.tompiazza.com/books/City_of_Refuge.htm
Piazza, Tom. City of Refuge.
19. Novels/Fiction
Eve, a location scout,
watches her family fall
apart among the
destruction, misery, and
inept relief efforts in the
aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina. The struggles of
gg
post-Katrina New
Orleans are present
throughout the novel
novel.
Robinson tells efficient
vignettes that create
haunting images.
Robison, Mary. One D.O.A on the Way.
20. Television
K-Ville
K Ville
(FOX/9/2007, 5/2008)
Filmed on location in New
Orleans, K-Ville was a
standard police drama with a
little voodoo magic, a dead
g ,
insurance adjuster, and story
lines involving the French
Quarter and damaged
neighborhoods. The writer
saw graffiti “K-ville” during a
New Orleans visit which
inspired the name of th
i i d th f the
series.
21. Television
Treme
(HBO/4/2010)
A drama series
focusing on a
working class
g
neighborhood
trying to
rebuild a few
months after
Hurricane
Katrina.
http://www.hbo.com/treme
23. Television
Criminal Minds
(CBS 2/27/07)
A case involving a serial
killer believed to be copying
Jack the Ripper takes
Gideon to New Orleans after
three victims are found with
their throats cut. O
th i th t t Once
thought to have been killed
in Hurricane Katrina, the
discovery of a fourth victim
in the French Quarter
confirms the murderer is
still alive. All the evidence
and files had been lost in the
flood.
24. Cinema
Ci
Bad Lieutenant—Port of
Lieutenant Port
Call New Orleans (2009)
A police officer
p
promoted after Katrina
for saving a drowning
prisoner’s lif travels
i ’ life, l
the road of drug
addiction while
ddi ti hil
investigating the
murder of Senegalese
immigrants.
25. Cinema
The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button (2008)
Fantasy-drama of a man
aging backwards. In a
New Orleans h
N O l hospital
it l
room, a daughter
listens to her mother
read from her diary as
the di b
th radio broadcasts
d t
weather alerts of
Hurricane Katrina’s
approach. The film
ends with water filli
d ith t filling
a basement. Curious
because New Orleans
has no basements…it is
below sea l
b l level ( ith a
l (with
few rare exceptions).
26. Music
M i
Pascagoula (Mi i i i) High School
P g l (Mississippi) S h l
Boy’s Impact Chorus
Downtown Got Run Over By Katrina
December 2005
Downtown got run over by Katrina...By a tidal surge
you wouldn't believe...You can say there's no such
thing as FEMA...But as for us in trailers, we believe...
FEMA But trailers believe
We just bought that brand new sofa...Now it's
floating down the street...We lost all our big screen
TVs...Now we can walk i t th store with bare feet...
TV N lk into the t ith b f t
27. Music
Breath In, Breath Out (Jimmy Buffet)
If a hurricane doesnt leave you dead
I bought a cheap watch from the crazy It will make you strong
man
Don't try to explain it just nod your head
Floating down Canal
Breathe in, breathe out, move on
It doesn't use numbers or moving hands
And it rained
It always just says "now"
It was nothing really new
Now you may be thinking that I was h d
N b thi ki th t had
And it blew
But this watch is never wrong
Seen all that before
And if I
And it poured
had trouble the warranty said:
The earth began to strain
g
Breathe in, breathe out, move on
Pontchartrain buried the 9th ward to the
(Chorus) 2nd floor
And it rained According to my watch, the time is now
It was nothing really new The past is dead and gone
p g
And it blew Don't try to shake it, just nod your head
Seen all that before Breathe in, breathe out, move on
And it poured
The earth began to strain
g Dont try to explain it, just bow your head
Pontchartrain leaking through the door, Breathe in, Breathe Out, Move on....
tides at war
2006 “Take the Weather With You”
28. Music
RAP
Public Enemy
Hell No, We Ain’t Alright,
No Ain t Alright
Rebirth of a Nation Album, 2006.
OutKast ft. Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg,
Hollywood Divorce
Divorce,
Idlewild Album, 2006.
Mos Def
Dollar Day
Day,
True Magic Album, 2006.
Legendary K.O.
George Bush Doesn t Care About
Doesn’t
Black People
Single, 2006.
Juvenile
Get Ya Hustle On,
Reality Check Album, 2006.
29. Music
A requiem
commissioned
i i d
to memorialize
the victims of
Hurricane
H i
Katrina &
performed at
the U i
h University
i
of Southern
Mississippi on
April 8, 2010
30. Art
Ken Caruthers
“found art”
24 ft.
sculpture
by Marlin
http://www1.romenews-tribune.com/snapHappy/index.php?oursnap=354
Miller
Tree Carvings from Dead Oak Trees http://www.melodygolding.com/katrina.html
32. Art
BACKYARDS & BEYOND IS A MISSISSIPPI
NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION ...
dedicated to creating and managing art exhibitions
that celebrate, enhance, and encourage the strength,
resiliency and hope of the human spirit. These
exhibitions serve to educate, motivate, and promote
public awareness of how people's lives are affected by
the events and social situations of the day.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina,
there was recognition of the need to document and
present in an historic and meaningful way the
personal stories of those affected in our home state,
e o al to ie tho e i o ho e tate
Mississippi. The organization Backyards and Beyond
grew out of this recognition and works to organize
and tour fine art exhibitions through museums, art
centers, and universities across the South and the
nation.
http://www.backyardsandbeyond.org/
33. Humor
The Function of Humor in Disasters
• Puts disasters back where they are
usually seen—in fiction & popular
culture
• Helps people cope with anxieties
• Creates a way to deal with situations of
y
unspeakability
• Are a rebellion against a world defined
by the media
• Is part of the battle for control of the
discourse
• IF YOU DON’T LAUGH, YOU CRY!
34. Humor
Several Mardi
Gras krewes
in south
Mississippi
and New
Orleans used
O l d
“blue roofs”
as their
theme in Feb.
2006.
35. Humor
Q: How is hurricane Katrina like a
typical woman?
A: She shows up all warm, wild and
wet then the next thing you know,
she’s taken the house & the car and
left you devastated.
Q
Q: What is the New Orleans Anthem?
A: "Under the Sea" from the Disney
Movie "The Little Mermaid"
36. Humor
Q.
Q What does FEMA stand for?
A. Federal Employees Missing in
Action
B. Fix Everything My A**
Q. Why was the first baby born in
New Orleans after Katrina named
FEMA?
A. It showed up 9 months later
p
38. Urban Legends
U b L d
An urban legend first of all tells a story—it is
story it
a narrative with a background, plot, climax,
and conclusion. Urban legends are often
entertaining and tell a morality t l Th
t t i i d t ll lit tale. They
are a type of folk lore along with myths,
fairy tales, tall tales, etc.
Most important features of an urban
legend a strong basic story-appeal, a
story appeal,
foundation in actual belief, and a
meaningful message or 'moral'. Jan Harold
Brunvand
http://www.janbrunvand.com/faq.html
39. Urban Legends
U b L d
As of April 2010, there were links to
72 urban legends (true and false) on
Snopes
40. Urban Legends
These friends of a friend returned to their house
in Lakeview (N
i L k i (New O l
Orleans neighborhood) to
i hb h d)
find it looted. Their silverware and the wife's
jewelry were just gone. Then after the mucky
water was pumped out of their swimming pool pool,
they recovered their lost treasures. They were
in a sack at the bottom of the pool, and the
looter who took them was still attached,
clutching the bag in his dead hand. Evidently he
had been making his way with the loot through
the world of water that covered everything, was
unaware of th existence of th pool, plunged
f the i t f the l l d
into its depths when he reached the edge;
unable to swim, he drowned and stayed under
water,
water held down by the bag of silver and gems
he couldn't let go of. (from de Caro, 2008)
41. Urban Legends
Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing
dolphin let loose by Katrina
Mark Townsend in Houston for The Observer Sunday 25 September 2005
Observer,
It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US
military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies
underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training
exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic toxic
dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim,
from a species considered to be among the planet's
smartest. The US navy admits it has been training
dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm
that any are missing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/sep/25/usa.theobserver
42. Urban Legends
Are Sharks Prowling the Streets of New Orleans?
Saturday September 3, 2005 from Dave Emery’s Urban Legend Blog
Among the many rumors circulating in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
is the claim that sharks have been seen prowling the flooded byways of
New Orleans. "Sharks were reported swimming in the streets," declared
an overseas newspaper account credited to AP and Reuters.
While I wouldn't want to chalk these reports up entirely to hysteria, I think
we can safely say they're a tad exaggerated. Sifting through earlier news
accounts in an effort to track the rumor back to its origin, I found
repeated references to unnamed "authorities" and "officials" reporting
authorities officials
one "3-foot shark cruising the city." Which authorities? Which officials?
Digging further, I could only find mention of one by name: Mayor Aaron
Broussard of Jefferson Parish (a New Orleans suburb), who, according to
the August 30 issue of the Palm Beach Post, "told residents Tuesday
that at least one 3-foot shark had been spotted."
Again, that's
Again that s one small shark reportedly sighted — exactly where and by
whom, we don't know — and as far as we know he hadn't eaten anybody.
43. Bibliography
Couch, Stephen R. 2000. The cultural scene of disasters:
conceptualizing the field of disaster and popular culture.
International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 18(1): 21-
37.
de Caro, Frank. 2008. Katrina: the urban legends begin: a memoir with
commentary.
commentary Louisiana Folklore Miscellany, Vol 16 17
Miscellany Vol.16-17
http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/LFMKatrinaUrban.html
viewed on April 24, 2010
Hall, Stuart. 1998. Notes on deconstructing the popular. In Cultural
Theory and Popular Culture, edited by John Storey. University of
Georgia Press, Athens, GA. p. 448
Kim, Susan, 2006. Humor heals after disaster. Disaster News Network. 2
pp. ww.disasternews.net/news/.articles.php?articleid=2477
viewed on February 19, 2010
Kish, Zenia. 2009. “My FEMA People”: Hip-Hop as disaster recovery in
the K
h Katrina di
i diaspora. American Q
A i Quarterly 6 (3) 67 692
l 61(3): 671-692.
44. Bibliography page 2
Kuipers, Giselinde. 2005. “Where was King Kong when we needed him?”
Public discourse, digital disaster, jokes, and the functions of
laughter after 9/11. Journal of American Culture 28(1): 70-84.
Mitchell, Jerry T. 2006. Hurricane Katrina and Mississippi’s Invisible
Coast. S th
C t Southeastern G
t Geographer 46(2) 181 188
h 46(2): 181-188.
Mitchell, Jerry T. , Deborah S. K. Thomas, Arleen A. Hill, and Susan L.
Cutter. 2000. Catastrophe in reel life versus real life: perpetuating
disaster myth through Hollywood films International Journal of
films.
Mass Emergencies and Disasters 18(3): 383-402.
Mitchell, Reid. 2007. Carnival and Katrina. Journal of American
History 94(4): 789-794.
y ( )
Oring, Elliott. 1987. Jokes and the discourse of disaster. Journal of
American Folklore 100(397): 276-286.
Scurfield, Raymond. 2008. Post-Katrina storm disorder and recovery in
Mississippi more than two years later. Traumatology 14(2): 88-106.
45. Bibliography page 3
Storey, John, editor. 1998. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture.
University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA.
g
Tierney, Kathellen, Christine Bevc and Erica Kuligowski. Metaphors
matter: disaster myths, media frames, and their consequences in
Hurriane Katrina. Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science 604: 57-81.
Webb, Gary R. 2006. The popular culture of disaster: exploring a new
dimension of disaster research. Chapter 25. pp. 430-440. In
Handbook of Disaster Research edited by Havidan Rodriguez
Research, Rodriguez,
Enrico L. Quarantelli , and Russell R. Dynes. Springer, New York,
NY.
Webb, Gary R. 1998. The popular culture of disaster: what is it and why
is it important. University of Delaware Disaster Research Center
Preliminary Paper #267.
Wenger, Dennis and Jack M. Weller. 1973. Disaster subcultures: the
cultural residues of community disasters. University of Delaware
Disaster Research Center Preliminary Paper #9.
46. Acknowledgements
• Lexi Henshel (Lexacat’s Booklists)
(Lexacat s
http://lexacatscovers.blogspot.com
• Tonya Roberts for editing
suggestions
• Shugana Williams @ Katrina
Research Center USM-GC Library
• Jimmy Buffett-> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP0C5Jbmd9k
Questions?
