Spinal Tap's Harry Shearer Bringing His Katrina Documentary to Houston

• OK, whatever you say.

• I don't mean in the sense of personal importance. In terms of national (and international) consciousness, though, it is much more influential than anywhere else on the coast.

• Hey, if you want to believe it's more culturally important, go right ahead. We all have opinions.

• A destruction of a city of *national* cultural importance is going to to get more coverage than the destruction of areas that lack that trait. New Orleans has more cultural importance than...well, pretty much anywhere on the Gulf Coast. Not sure how you could argue otherwise. That does not mean an individual in Long Beach or East Texas or wherever deserves any less sympathy or assistance when disasters strike. It does mean the media coverage is going to be less intense. Wouldn't argue about the foolishness of ignoring evacuation orders.

• The reason it got so much coverage is unlike the other cities that were hit by the storm, the people of N.O. foolishly decided to ignore mandatory evacuations. In a city below sea level. The media whores love to show people in despair. It's their bread and butter.

• So if you say it deserves more coverage because of it's "cultural significance", that's hard fact? No ifs, ands, or buts about it? Wyatt said so.

• ...possibly because it was hit hard by a hurricane, as opposed to completely flooded thanks to human error? I'm not downplaying natural disasters or the terrible shit that people go through when they happen. I'm not saying New Orleanians deserve anymore sympathy or assistance than those who suffered equally in other disasters. But when it comes to coverage and examination, it's a different animal altogether when the disaster could have been avoided if the humans in charge had done their jobs correctly. The same can't be said for most storms.

• Good point, excellent supporting arguments.

• Wait! Its still cool to make Katrina documentaries?

• Cultural significance has nothing to do with it.

• However, Galveston is nearly wiped off the map and noone seems to give a shit. In the aftermath of Ike, there was no telethon to raise funds, there was no media coverage, no anger over the lack of help from FEMA, no rush to save these people from the lack of EVERYTHING etc etc etc. Give me a freaking break. I lived in Houston and I was without power for over two weeks, no food, no ice, no gas, noone is making a documentary about Ike.

• So natural disasters that affect black people get more coverage. But white people (Holloway) win the individual disappearances award. Interesting! The destruction was bad in Mississippi. With apologies to Gulfport/Biloxi, there were no major metropolitan areas with the cultural significance of New Orleans that were nearly destroyed in one fell swoop by faulty engineering.

• Katrina is old news by now, and the media obsession with a city that is predominately black and had, at the time, a black mayor is what is driving all this. Hurricanes are a bitch. When you live on the coast, it is the risk you run. Somehow, the aftermath of hurricanes Ike and Rita are totally forgotten, but if you travel to the Golden Triangle, you still see the effects of Rita. And contrary to conventional wisdom, Galveston is far from totally recovered. As far as Katrina, all we hear about is New Orleans. Not a word about Mississippi. Guess it was not black enough.

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