Haiti is under the world’s magnifying glass again. Why? Haiti has been set back again. Another natural disaster –this time by the name of Hurricane Matthew—has hit Haiti terribly, spiraling the country into despair, medical emergency, and public unrest over the past few weeks. Up to 1000 people have been reported dead. Over thousands have lost their home. And the most concerning issue is that hundreds of thousands are without food and fresh, clean water. Public health experts fear that cholera will resurface again in such conditions. Corpses are not being disposed of properly and that may be contaminating what few sources of water there are, thus leading to the fast-killing infectious disease. This is due to lack of infrastructure and organization of resources, especially in post-2010 earthquake Haiti. Much of Haiti has been in disarray since the earthquake. Reports say that Haitians did not know the storm was coming and that there was not much national attention given to prepare for disaster relief. It has been some time that the storm has passed, but Haitian residents are now saying that foreign aid has been slow. Other nearby Caribbean countries survived Matthew without a death. Some nations have had a handful of deaths, but regardless, in comparison to Haiti’s death toll it is miniscule. It seems that the heart of the Caribbean, Haiti, can never catch a break.
My cousin was telling me her grievances with the media’s negative undertones when discussing Hurricane Matthew and Haiti. “Hurricane Matthew has struck Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” “Time and time again, you will hear news reporters refer to Haiti as “the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” Newscasts may mean well, after all it is a fact. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The majority of Haitian people are politically disenfranchised, economically disadvantaged, and culturally stigmatized. This is a nation crying for help. But as my cousin told me, the takeaway message that media agencies presents to its viewers (could be intentionally) is that Haiti is this way by its own doing, by its own accord. If only the Haitian people would Westernize and then they wouldn’t be a charity case anymore. Simple, right! This country needs to pull itself by its own bootstraps! It is not our right that we help them, is what they are saying –in fact it is a privilege and the Haitian people should be thankful we grant foreign aid period! This is the underlying message that one can hear in the unspoken language of Western politicians, Western media, and even among their citizens. And without fail, with every report of a problem in Haiti from the recent hurricane to the Earthquake in 2010 to the political unrest during Aristide’s reign, there lies implicit classism, racism, and a negative portrayal of a post-colonial society that is simply trying to overcome with the cards that were dealt to them.
My cousin was telling me her grievances with the media’s negative undertones when discussing Hurricane Matthew and Haiti. “Hurricane Matthew has struck Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” “Time and time again, you will hear news reporters refer to Haiti as “the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” Newscasts may mean well, after all it is a fact. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The majority of Haitian people are politically disenfranchised, economically disadvantaged, and culturally stigmatized. This is a nation crying for help. But as my cousin told me, the takeaway message that media agencies presents to its viewers (could be intentionally) is that Haiti is this way by its own doing, by its own accord. If only the Haitian people would Westernize and then they wouldn’t be a charity case anymore. Simple, right! This country needs to pull itself by its own bootstraps! It is not our right that we help them, is what they are saying –in fact it is a privilege and the Haitian people should be thankful we grant foreign aid period! This is the underlying message that one can hear in the unspoken language of Western politicians, Western media, and even among their citizens. And without fail, with every report of a problem in Haiti from the recent hurricane to the Earthquake in 2010 to the political unrest during Aristide’s reign, there lies implicit classism, racism, and a negative portrayal of a post-colonial society that is simply trying to overcome with the cards that were dealt to them.
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