<p>The man is saying it is the wrong use of the word!</p>
<p>The connotation of “refugee” is that a person is fleeing their country. That is not what is happening with the people fleeing because of Katrina. The constant use of “refugee” in stories is implying that the mostly black, poor people who are depicted are not US citizens.</p>
<p>“Refugee” definition according to dictionary.com:</p>
<p>"One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution… an individual seeking refuge or asylum; especially : an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion) "</p>
<p>couldn’t have said it better</p>
<p>Yeah, it implies that black Americans are not really Americans at all.</p>
<p>You’ve got to be kidding. I can’t believe you guys are reading so much into the use of the word “refugee.” If I used the word niggardly" you’d probably try to send me to sensitivity training. What apt word would you all suggest?</p>
<p>I think the use of the word “refugee” is indeed incorrect, but honestly I think there are bigger problem at hand then the misuse of a word.</p>
<p>^I wholeheartedly agree. (I originally just said agreed, but apparently a message must be 10 characters so I had to use a little hyperbole)</p>
<p>They’re not refugees, they’re American citizens.</p>
<p>What is the suggestion for a name then? What should these displaced folks be called?</p>
<p>It is, in fact, the incorrect word, however, there isn’t really an apt word that describes the situation. i don’t think that the use of the word “refugee” was a concious decision on the part of politicans to make it seem as if the citizens of these areas are not american citizens. i’ve been proven wrong by the below post, “evacuees” would certainly be a more apt description.</p>
<p>They should be called evacuees.</p>
<p>Evacuees sounds good to me. I love how the press can make the distinction of how to pronounce “harrassment” but seems to flounder under pressure and resort to refugees.</p>
<p>Their Afro_Americans</p>
<p>Bush is a member of the brotherhood</p>
<p>Ya’ll are flat out crazy…I guarantee you most Americans (including myself, and I consider myself to be fairly well educated) think of the word “refugee” as anyone forced to flee their home for whatever reason.</p>
<p>I think some obsessive-politicos are just grabbing at straws trying to form some string of logic as to how this is all Bush’s/Republicans fault…</p>
<p>Its the wrong use of the word. I havent heard MSNBC use the word refugee yet.</p>
<p>From the American Heritage Dictionary</p>
<p>refugee</p>
<p>SYLLABICATION: ref·u·gee
PRONUNCIATION: rfy-j
NOUN: One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.</p>
<p>[No mention of country here]</p>
<p>refuge</p>
<p>SYLLABICATION: ref·uge
PRONUNCIATION: rfyj
NOUN: 1. Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship. 2. A place providing protection or shelter. 3. A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble. See synonyms at shelter.</p>
<p>From Webster:
Main Entry: 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 <em>or power</em> [note that if power specifically meant country they wouldn’t have bothered putting it in as it would have been redundant] to escape danger or persecution
- ref·u·gee·ism /-"i-z&m/ noun</p>
<p>So, it is really NOT an incorrect word in this situation and all this hype is quite possibly the most useless debate to come about in years. I can’t believe people are so PC as to actually bother discussing something like this instead of talking about things that, oh I don’t know, matter.</p>
<p>I agree. The word can be used to describe the current situation and those seeking refuge.
Meateater, I used the word niggard and niggler in a debate class and all I got were stares. It is a good word to use to cause perplexation, vexation, and shock because most people don’t know they are real words.</p>
<p>NPR made fun of the whole ‘refugee’ debacle. They settled on either calling them ‘involuntary roadtrippers’ or ‘tourists dispatched by the travel agency of god.’ Hee hee.</p>
<p>I say the next issue is what to call the double dippers…Katritas is my nomination at the moment. Also this could get very interesting…good thing TX is a large state…they can handle lots of Katritas for I cannot imagine that school buses can drive too much farther than inland.</p>
<p>When I was watching the cable news, the people kept referring to the black people as refugees. Refugees are people who don’t have homes and go from place to place. new orleans is their home. How Un-American! Everyone involved in hurricane katrina are VICTIMS. What is even worse is that the media tried to portray any black person as a criminal because they were looting, When a white mother was stealing from a mini mart, The media said that she was securing “goods” for her family. That is ridiculous!!!</p>