Word Association

Amid all the news coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, plenty of things stand out, some much more than others. The scenes from the Super Dome and all the looting certainly stand out, while I never thought I would see something as devastating as the overhead shots of a city underwater. However, one of things that has continued to stick with me throughout these last 10 days or so is actually relatively simple. In fact, its just one word:

ref·u·gee
Pronunciation: "re-fyu-'jE, 're-fyu-"
Function: noun
Etymology: French réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge, from Latin refugium
: one that flees; especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution
- ref·u·gee·ism /-"i-z&m/ noun


I got the above definition from the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, as I thought I should look it up since I’ve never associated the word ‘refugee’ with American citizens. For some reason, I’ve always associated the word with events overseas in foreign countries, and not our great country.

Now, I wasn’t a history major and my grasp on world events—past and present—is pretty suspect. Sadly, I know many meaningless factoids about sports and pop culture, while my knowledge of worldly matters and historical facts and trends could use a lot of work...

For example, a couple months ago, while me and some friends were trying to decide where to go eat, one of my friends said “I’m Switzerland,” and then—probably in response to the confused look on my face—he added that he was ‘neutral’ on where we went. Despite his clarification, I still needed a further explanation. Apparently, I was alone here, as most people we quizzed thereafter immediately understood what my friend meant…It should come as no surprise then that this was just another time of many that my friends have called me an idiot...

Anyway, more recently, most TV reporters and columnists are now referring to the New Orleans residents as ‘evacuees,’ more often than 'refugees,' and that seems to be a better fit here, at least for me…Yet, at the same time, for the first time in my life, I realized that ‘refugee’ could be associated with America, as the residents of New Orleans truly are fleeing from danger…Regardless of how they are referred to, hopefully the worst is over and better days are ahead...