Saturday, March 04, 2006

Mardi Gras

This float (from one of Sunday's parades) poked fun at Mayor Nagin's "Chocolate city comment."






Mardi Gras weekend had much larger crowds at the parades than last weekend. This is of course encouraging because hopefully restaurants, hotels, and other businesses made lots of money that will help in rebuilding the city. I had a great time watching the parades on St. Charles Ave. on Sunday, and down close to the French Quarter on Fat Tuesday. We later went t o Jackson Square (in the Quarter) for a late lunch of Po' Boys and people watching. Great costumes, funny signs, and a quite a few strange characters made for an enjoyable afternoon.

Bourbon street seemed as packed as ever while we headed home. Beyond the crowds, two things struck me. First, I saw people with small children walking along in the crowds. It's scary to think parents would bring their kids to such an environment, even if it was only late afternoon. There were (as expected) drunks fighting and women flashing, but on top of that, the crowds were so dense that a little child could easily get separated or even kidnapped. There is lots of pushing and grabbing while stumbling through the trashed-out streets. It's amazing how dumb some parents are.

Secondly, there are always some fundamentalist Christians with "Repent now, Jesus is coming" signs trying to save the wicked sinners on Bourbon street, and their out in full force now. Their presence didn't bother me, but in trying to understand their purpose, I asked myself a few questions. Isn't carnival celebration something supported by Christians (even endorsed by the Pope centuries ago) as a time to have one last fling before the more strict period of lent begins? Isn't it a little judgmental and presumptuous of these evangelical demonstrators to claim that anyone on Bourbon street is a wicked sinner automatically going to hell? That's the feeling that comes across in their message. Lastly, have these people no marketing skills? It seems to me like their energy is wasted on an audience that is not in the proper mood or location to be receptive to their message. It just makes me wonder, that's all.

This float depicts some of the many fridges that lined the streets.










After Katrina, many fridges were left on the streets for weeks/months before being removed. Often times, people decided to use them for advertising ("For tree removal call 555-5555") or to make light of our current situation, similar to what this float depicts. Katrina humor has been a good tool to help face setbacks during our slow recovery. Many have the "you have to laugh or else you'll cry" attitude.

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