Time to Party?

Today is Fat Tuesday. In my case, this is the day between Fat Monday and Fat Wednesday. But New Orleans' case, the day is by no means mundane. It, along with all of Mardi Gras, is a time to celebrate all things New Orleans: the rich culture, the city's heritage, the city's diverse population. Amanda and I were discussing whether the Mardi Gras celebrations were appropriate given the state of the area post-Katrina. I thought the excess of the celebration might be a little disrespectful to all those who still have nothing. We ultimately decided that we thought it should go on. It can help the area normalize, can have a positive economic impact and in some ways can be therapeutic to the citizens. I then read some things online that made me think we were right. Residents likened cancelling Mardi Gras to cancelling Christmas after a tragedy; you just wouldn't do it. They also likened the last six months to a New Orleans Jazz funeral; it starts out somber, but eventually turns into a soulful, music filled celebration of life. Hopefully New Orleans is back on its way to being healed. This was one of the blogs that I read that had some of the positive comments. It is kind of interesting to read residents thoughts on the subject.