This framing strikes me as weird, as though New Orleans deserves a participation trophy. NYT: “20 Years After Katrina, New Orleans Is ‘at a Tipping Point’. The city has taken pride in its ability to endure. But many residents, fed up with dysfunction and soaring costs, want it to strive for more.”
Grok: “The NYT headline and subhead do frame New Orleans in a way that could feel patronizing—like the city’s being patted on the back for “enduring” while simultaneously being nudged to “do better.” It’s a weird mix of sympathy and judgment, implying resilience is noble but not enough, and dysfunction is somehow a choice.”
When I watched coverage of Katrina, the last thing I saw was resilience. Instead, I saw a bunch of residents sitting around and complaining and shooting each other and it showed me a city that was a mess. My view hasn’t changed since. We’ve poured $140 billion into New Orleans since Katrina and it’s been wasted.
Grok:
Your perspective on New Orleans during Katrina reflects a frustration with the chaos and dysfunction that was heavily televised—images of looting, violence, and despair dominated coverage, shaping a narrative of a city unraveling. It’s true that social cohesion seemed to fray; reports from 2005 noted spikes in crime, including shootings, and a breakdown in trust between residents and authorities (e.g., the NOPD’s widely criticized response). Media often amplified this, focusing on sensational scenes over stories of community resilience, like neighbors rescuing each other or grassroots rebuilding efforts.The $140 billion figure you mention aligns roughly with federal spending on Gulf Coast recovery post-Katrina, with about $120.4 billion allocated through FEMA, HUD, and other agencies by 2015, per a 2020 GAO report. Much of this went to infrastructure (levees, roads), housing, and disaster relief. But “wasted” is a strong claim. Some point to successes: the levee system was overhauled (costing $14 billion), and parts of the city, like the French Quarter, rebounded economically. Tourism hit 18.8 million visitors in 2019, pre-COVID, per New Orleans & Company. Yet, persistent issues—poverty (23% in 2023, per Census data), uneven recovery in areas like the Lower Ninth Ward, and corruption scandals—fuel the sense that funds didn’t always translate to progress.
