As most of you probably already know, a very deadly tornado hit Joplin, Missouri a few weeks ago, killing many people. It was a horrible event, but the events that followed caused me to think about something that seems to happen frequently here in America, and it is very interesting.
It always seems that our society is very separate. The different social classes don't really seem to interact with one another and people just seem very stagnant about where they are in life. However, whenever some sort of disaster happens, people from all classes seem to come together to help one another. In the case of the Joplin tornado, people from other states came to help the Joplin residents clean up and get their lives back in order.
The same thing happened in the days following 9/11. People came together, and the nation really seemed to be one connected country. It didn't matter what class you were from or your background, people respected one another and came together. However, not long after, things went back to the way they were before the events of 9/11 even occurred. I have just been wondering why this happens. People come together for a little bit after a tragic event, but then things go back to the way they are not long after. Is it because classes have a difficult time interacting with one another, and helping each other in times of need is their only true way of interacting and they feel that it is nice to help? I am really not sure.
I've noticed that too Jon. Very often, for example after the death of Osama Bin Laden, people complain, "why does it take a death, or disaster to unite us as a country". To answer your question, I think the reason people from different classes seem to separate from one another after originally coming together is because, quite simply, people feel connected to their class. Although there are obviously many exceptions, I feel that the lower class can feel united against the upper class, and the upper class can feel united against the lower class, unfortunately separating the two.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of how America reacts after a crisis, and I do feel proud of how our country, no matter how diverse and different, can look past minor issues and help one another in times of sudden crisis. It is unfortunate, however, that people don't always feel the need to help those less fortunate, but when there are disasters the country as a whole seems to work hard to help those in need. In fact, people all over the world can unite in helping people after disasters, like what happened in Japan. Although we unfortunately rarely feel connected, the way we react in sudden crisis is very impressive.