Section 1 (524-7)
Interpretive frame is when an individual or a particular party uses rhetorical responses to a particular situation in a given society. This text examines the hurricane Katrina and some of the things people speculated based on the people living in New Orleans based on their racial profile. One of the things that the text describes is how Hurricane Katrina exposed the racism embedded in the country. According to Harris and Carbado, there were two controversial photos of Katrina victims wading through the water carrying bags that flowed in the media. Most of the media captions stereotyped an African American who was pictured struggling for survival as the white counterparts who struggled for survival. However, the media made the African American look like a robber by stereotyping the black person to have looted a store or stolen something. However, the white people were pictured as fighting for survival despite having bags as the black person and another caption claimed that the white people found food but did not quote them as thieves in contrast to the black person.
The most plausible explanation to the picture is the one that claimed, “A black person to be walking chest deep after looting a grocery store in such for bread whereas the white people were captioned as fighting for survival after finding bread and soda in a grocery store (525).” This is a reasonable explanation because the author claims that both parties went to a grocery store to look for food for their survival regardless of stereotyping the African American.
Section 2 (527-31)
Harris and Cardo explore different speculations about colorblindness by explaining that the issue about race is outdated and were dealt with during the civil rights movement. Color blindness posits that the issue of income and wealth disparity is as a result of structural factors and not racism. This means that color blindness believe that there is minimal racism in the US and that racial profiling is a behavior exhibited by the few racial bigots in the society. This is not true. Racism is evident in the US given that prejudice and discrimination are embedded in the society that brings about disparities in wealth, income, healthcare and educational abilities. The white race in the US enjoys unearned prestige because they are the dominant race in contrast to other races. This illustrates that color blindness is an aspects that wants to whitewash racism in America despite being existent.
Section 3 (532-6)
The African American had to endow different stereotypes by both the media and the government. For example, African American women reported cases of assault and rape during the Katrina but they were ignored by the police who are responsible for enforcing law and order. Neville, who was an African American woman, was one of the people that were raped during the incident was completely ignored by the police forces. Instead of the police filing charges against the assaults, the government focused on the violence that they thought they would expect while dealing with African American community. The troops who were deployed to New Orleans for rescuing purposes but instead they went on a shooting spree because African Americans were deemed as violent people. This demonstrates given stereotypical remarks that exist in the American culture.
The media also played a key role in fueling racism by using racial slurs in the news headlines. The book discusses how the appearance of the African Americans made them be stereotyped as being violent people in the society. The government did not focus on a rescue mission but a mission where they had to curb acts of violence despite being in the midst of a catastrophic crisis.
Section 4 (537-8)
It is evident that Hurricane Katrina demonstrates an act of racial profiling in America and that African Americans are pictures as inferior people in the society. Given that the government perceives them as being violent despite being in a crisis where they need help, it indicates that racism is a stigma in this society. The US deal with the issue of race rather than assuming it as the color blindness praxis. Racial frames are evident in the US and hurricane Katrina proved it through the government and the media stereotyped the African Americans.
