So very true. Societies need to learn that the Government function is not to be a ‘father’ or ‘mother’ figure. For people to be free and independent they need to understand that they (the individuals) are responsible for their well-being and basic needs. Helping out neighbors used to be considered a valuable part of society.

What has happened in the last 50 years to change people from ‘we need to work together to make the best of a bad situation’ to whining ‘where is our government help?’ How did self-reliance get bred or brainwashed out of democratic societies?

MANY TIMES : FREQUENTLY

Do you deny that this is the case in the previously-mentioned disasters?

I note that you provide no evidence to quantify your “often”. OTOH, you substitute for Carl Sandberg’s description of a common situation (inheritance of an estate) a relatively rare one — buying one with hard-earned sweat and money (the people I know personally who bought their own estates got lucky in the dot-com bubble; they worked hard, but a lot less hard than most people). Such intellectual dishonesty is what the right wing is made of.

The lawlessness that unfolded in each of these events was not limited to the simple taking (read: Looting/Stealing) of basics needs such as bottled water or food. I watched several videos of people attacking others to take away looted items such as DVD players, stereos, and a bag of beach balls. The owner of a corner market is victimized twice; once by the devastation of his building from disaster, then by thieves who come and take by force, the shopkeepers goods inwhich he/she has a lifelong investment. The taking of goods or services, by force, without compensation, is ROBBERY. It is a crime! Call it what it is and stop trying to justify it.

Additionally, in all three above-mentioned disasters, the CRIMINALS often were not satisfied with only meeting their immediate survival needs, they regularly resort to other crimes, such as rape, assault, pedophilia, kidnapping, etc. These kinds of hordes will only be deterred by an opposing force of equal or greater power, such as government troops/police, or an armed citizenry.

Get off this estate.
What for?
Because it is mine.
Where did you get it?
I bought it with hard-earned sweat and money
Then I’ll fight you for it, and I’ll take that woman standing behind you as well.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Indeed, what this article is highlighting, too (as a subtext), is that the nature of civilization is always tenuous, always ready and threatening to collapse. It takes a tipping point–like an earthquake or hurricane–to expose the flaws in modern society, that are usually concealed by State violence of some manner–whether it is linguistic, legal, or physical violence.

And it’s precisely when these flaws are exposed, as such, that we can see them–but in a chaotic form. It should be our responsibility, then, as humans to make sense of this chaos, in order to fix the exposed flaws, to build saner societies.