Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Article Title

God, Gays, and Voodoo: Voicing Blame after Katrina

Authors

Jefferson Walker, University of Southern MississippiFollow

Abstract

Much of the public discourse following Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact on Louisiana and much of the Gulf Coast in 2005 focused on placing blame. This paper focuses on those critics who stated that Hurricane Katrina was “God’s punishment” for people’s sins. Through a narrative analysis of texts surrounding Hurricane Katrina, I explicate the ways in which individuals argued about God’s judgment and punishment. I specifically turn my attention to three texts: First, a Repent America press release entitled “Hurricane Katrina Destroys New Orleans Days Before ‘Southern Decadence,’” second, a newsletter released by Rick Scarborough of Vision America, and third, Democratic Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin’s “Chocolate City” Speech.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Walker, J. (2015). God, Gays, and Voodoo: Voicing Blame after Katrina. Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal, 41(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2471-0032.1082