It's Bush's fault, he cut funding for FEMA $2,000 debit cards two years ago. ;~D

Have you ever stood in a line, unsure if you were in the right place, afraid to leave the line in case it was?

I can think of a bunch of times where that's been the case for me.

Not too long ago my husband and I went to a concert at a place we had never been before. We saw a long line forming, and we got in it, unsure if it was THE line. We asked around, and finally found someone near us who was fairly certain it was THE line.

On the day I was to fly back to Hawaii from Texas, early in the morning, my kids and I got in the line forming outside Bush Airport. The line snaked all the way back from the entrance doors, well into the street. We were running late, and weren't sure if it was THE line. We saw people going in through the doors and not waiting in line, so on a gamble we left our place in line and went through the door. Turns out the line was for people who had not yet checked in, and we had checked in online, so there was no need for us to wait outside in the street in the cold.

My point is, I wouldn't be so swift to judge people on this. Lines are confusing things, and yes, we tend to follow a crowd mentality, assuming that the group knows something that we don't. If the rumor throughout the crowd was that the line was for handing out $2K debit cards via FEMA, then it's pretty reasonable to expect that folks would believe it.

Being dirty, hungry, having endured profound tragedy and loss, being unsure about one's future, and feeling completely impotent about one's situation can make one crabby. Add to that that the individual just wasted who knows how long standing in line, in hopes that some much needed monetary relief would be provided, only to discover that it was a line for some damn thing he had already been processed for...and...well...complaining about whatever target comes to mind seems pretty natural.

If the line had been rumored to offer free MaryKay pedicures for the women, and when they got there it turned out it was registration for something else they'd already taken care of, don't you think they'd have been pissed at MaryKay? Even though MK doesn't owe them a damn thing? Of course they would.

Actually, I'm surprised that an organization like FEMA wouldn't have some people carrying signs and calling out what the line is for. That little bit of man-power would do a lot to reduce stress for the people who have lost everything. But surprisingly, I've seen a lot of businesses or places that don't take care of this kind of thing.

The best place I've seen for managing a line? Movie theaters. Not all of em, but a few.

My point is, I wouldn't be so swift to judge people on this.

I dont think he was being judgemental.  He was merely pointing out that the people in line could have done what you did, or waited for the line to lessen.  They had options, but instead decided to blame someone else for their ignorance.

Let me get this straight

They are in the Astrodome

There is a huge scoreboard

You can display any message you want on the scoreboard

It's not being used

People don't know what the lines were for

OK now I understand.

My point is, I wouldn't be so swift to judge people on this. Lines are confusing things, and yes, we tend to follow a crowd mentality, assuming that the group knows something that we don't. If the rumor throughout the crowd was that the line was for handing out $2K debit cards via FEMA, then it's pretty reasonable to expect that folks would believe it.

No harsh judgements here, just some head shaking. I can totally understand about being in the wrong line.

Where will someone take the blame on themselves though? This person skipped themselves, didn't say the FEMA had put in the wrong line, but rather jumped to FEMA hasn't done anything.

Normally, I'd say that's an isolated person saying something in anger, but how often have we seen on the MSM (main stream media) the clips of people complaining about nothing happening, people being abandoned, agencies ignoring them, etc.

If someone can't look inside themselves to identify a problem and a solution, how much hope is their for their future? It seems that person will always try to blame someone else and constantly reinforce their victim mindset. That's not a good thing for anyone.

That being said, FEMA could use some people to walk up and down the line to make sure everyone is in the right line, but obviously that didn't happen.

Actually, I'm surprised that an organization like FEMA wouldn't have some people carrying signs and calling out what the line is for. That little bit of man-power would do a lot to reduce stress for the people who have lost everything. But surprisingly, I've seen a lot of businesses or places that don't take care of this kind of thing.

Bingo! I just saw your comment and you're exactly right! I'm sure FEMA knew what the line was for at the head of the line, but the farther back you get, the more chance you have of people just standing there to stand there, just so they don't miss the chance at "what-ever the line is for".

"There is a huge scoreboardYou can display any message you want on the scoreboardIt's not being usedPeople don't know what the lines were for"

I like it! Something along the lines of "Debit card applications: Concourse A".