Posted by Lyle Coleman on September 07, 2005 at 21:51:01:
In Reply to: Ghost of Katrina: New date posted by Lynn Allin on September 07, 2005 at 14:10:15:
Main Entry: refˇuˇgee
Pronunciation: "re-fyu-'jE
Function: noun
: an individual seeking refuge or asylum; especially : an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)
I don't think the people of New Orleans qualify as refugees. In addition, the use of this term by many in the media that you have now, probably unintentionally, picked up on is offensive to many. Evacuees would be a more appropriate term to describe the people in that part of the Gulf Coast that were forced to evacuate. :-)
Lyle