To me personally, almost a year later, the horrible tragedies of New Orleans still aren't funny - especially since thousands of people are still needing help. It makes me sick.

This article is from this Sunday (5/21):
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/nation/14634638.htm

First, it's only been nine months, and I don't think anyone's going to forget that there are still people who need help anytime soon. I can see how one might feel this page is sickening, Chris, but it's New Orleans through and through. Levity amidst poverty. And if there's one thing the Times-Pic knows best, it's its community.

And not to compare natural disaters or anything, but this comes to mind: http://www.newsdesigner.com/archives/002392.php

Anyway, I applaud the T-P for not only making me laugh, but probably a lot of readers who needed it. Laissez les bon temps rouler.

Of course, the city of Miami didn't disappear UNDERWATER or need to be evacuated, and still need assistance almost a year later (yes, I consider 9 months to be ALMOST a year).

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear on the other part. I was refering to the situation in New Orleans making me sick - NOT the newspaper graphics.

The newspaper is kind of funny and I could easily see Denzel play Ray "Chocolate City" Nagin, but shouldn't they spend more time trying to wake people up and tell them that things are still horrible? By the way, hurricane season is coming... and they probably don't need your laughs. How do you say "Let the good times drown" in French?

Maybe New Orleans has Katrina Fatigue too...

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/05/14/ed.col.katrina.0514.p1.php?section=opinion

... but shouldn't they spend more time trying to wake people up and tell them that things are still horrible?

Chris,

Do you really think the Times-Picayune hasn't spent the last nine months covering the holy living crap out of this story? Take a look around their site. There is no other story in New Orleans right now, and the folks at the Times-Pic are doing an astonishing job, especially considering what many of them of them lost to Katrina.

Sorry, I can't see how anyone could begrudge them having a bit of a laugh on one section front. To me, it's just one more sign that the Times-Picayune is one helluva newspaper.

No, Miami wasn't drowned. In fact, Miami wasn't really affected by the recent storms. But why don't you ask the people over in Punta Gorda who are still living in FEMA Village, or in Fort Lauderdale who still have blue tarps on their roofs if they need a laugh.

While you're at it, head over to Sudan or down to Haiti. Those people probably need a reminder that things suck, too.

I guess I haven't made myself clear.
Sure, the people living in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast could use a good laugh, but is the laughter created at the expense of those who are still suffering?

With the wealth and prosperity of our country, this problem should be under control by now. And, if anything should happen during this new hurricane season, I would wager NONE of the people displaced by Katrina will ever go back, and New Orleans will die. That, to me, is not funny. Well, at least Mayor Nagin is still laughing...

Nicole, should the papers start writing jokes about the genocide in the Sudan? That might make a good front cover: Samuel Jackson stars as one of the hatchet-wielding marauders?

The concession I will make is this:
The news staff has probably been working harder than anyone to make people aware of the problems. I salute their dedication.
However, a parody of the situation in their Living/FYI/Celebrities section I think undercuts the gravity of the problem.

It just seems that people should be as opinionated and passionate about New Orleans' future (or lack of one), as they are about defending their need to laugh.
I know in the grand scheme it isn't that much of an issue, but as I have said from the beginning, PERSONALLY, it bothers me.
If you don't feel that way, that's your right.
We all get to have opinions.

"is the laughter created at the expense of those who are still suffering?"

Looks to me like the laughter is at the expense of politicians. And who doesn't like an innocent jab at politicians? I think moreover it is a commentary on the insane state these people are living in...doesn't it remind you of a Hollywood blockbuster? It is ludicrous, unbelievable really, but it is reality.

"Sure, the people living in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast could use a good laugh, but is the laughter created at the expense of those who are still suffering?"

yes, we could definatly use a good laugh. it's a release for constant reminders that we're not okay, not yet. i fail to understand how the movie poster is at the expense of anyone but nagin and landrieu and the storied new orleans political machine. as a matter of fact, IT DOES enlighten people to what's going on in the city. in a light and witty way it reminds people that we were in the middle of an election one that is grossly grave and important.

quite frankly, chris, new orleans will be back and be back stronger. maybe not in a year, maybe be not in five. but it will be back. you can quote me on that. why do i say that? because i'm here, every single day, and i'm watching the strength and the dogged determination with which people are hanging on to their city. our city. my city. so before you go running your mouth as to what we need, stop and ask yourself, "after nine months of living and breathing and eating nothing but katrina, might i not want a take from a lighter perspective?"

I completely respect and understand the opinion that it's just a joke. Please, allow me to have my own opinions.

I think the levees will NOT be ready. Unless pressure is put on them.

I think that the politicians and power players will take their time - unconcerned about displaced citizens and those trying to rebuild their lives. Unless pressure is put on them.

I think that the administration (from city level up to Washington) has been inept. This excerpt from an article on Nagin:

"The Great Deluge," portrays Nagin as erratic, indecisive and cowering inside a hotel room during the first week of the Katrina crisis, when tens of thousands of his stranded citizens were suffering inside the Louisiana Superdome and Convention Center just a few blocks away."

Adrianna, I hope you are right, and things do get better - I really respect the fact that you are there sticking it out. I hope you can get past my "running my mouth" and enjoy the laugh. I just think there are better sources besides the city's major newspaper for "lighter perspectives".

Does anyone think for a moment that Hollywood wouldn't do something as close to this? Sensitive issue? Sure. But I bet New Orleans folks are more tired about seeing only the politicans on CNN than we are. Go T-P!

Everyone down there needs a good laugh. And this is a great page. Chiklis is a ringer. Great job. And one of the first things the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. added after getting the breaking news in was the comics, crosswords and advice columns. when you live in it, the 'other' news is refreshing. Remember the theme from this year's Mardi Gras? They mocked everyone: Bush, Brownie, Chertoff, Nagin, Blanco, no one was/is safe. That's the essence of New Orleans. I bet the T-P's readers loved it. Keep up the good work guys

"Nicole, should the papers start writing jokes about the genocide in the Sudan? That might make a good front cover: Samuel Jackson stars as one of the hatchet-wielding marauders?"

Perhaps I was a bit harsh in that second post, and I'm sorry. I guess my general point was not that every paper should be joking about every tragedy, but that people and/or papers amidst those tragedies have their own way of coping, and laughter's a pretty good option.

"I think the levees will NOT be ready. Unless pressure is put on them.
I think that the politicians and power players will take their time - unconcerned about displaced citizens and those trying to rebuild their lives. Unless pressure is put on them."

I certainly respect your opinion about the politics of this situation, but those things mentioned above aren't really what this page is about. Nor do I think that is what we are discussing. My opinions regarding whether the levees will be ready for another storm is beside the point. It was suggested that this page was inappropriate given the relative amount of time since the storm hit. I disagree.

Trust me. This poster was harmless. And yes, we need laughs down here. The only bad thing about this poster in my eyes is that it makes Mitch look like a mean mo fo, and Nagin like, well, the intelligent and beautiful Denzel. And we endorsed Mitch, the mean looking one. Ha.
Come down here for a visit sometime and I will show you all why we need laughs, Mardi Gras and everything else we used to have. It's essential to any recovery. And if you don't understand that, hopefully you never will.
Dan Swenson
Times-Picayune graphic artist

So what I have learned from posting here is that I have offended citizens of New Orleans because I didn't find the political circus situation down there funny?

I understand - things are bad and everyone needs a good laugh.

But.. Is there nothing else to laugh about? Is there no other outlet for laughter other than the city's main newspaper? Did this joke make everyone feel better?

Many people see it as funny, and that's fine. If you live in New Orleans and you can laugh about it, then perhaps the paper knows its audience better than me. But, if I was forced to move out of my home, evacuate for months and had to return to such a disaster while the politicians laughed, and were compared to movie stars in the newspaper, it would make me angry.

Furthermore, I can't understand why if I find the faux movie poster in bad taste (or just not funny), that the reason must be that I don't want laughter to come the people of New Orleans.

To the contrary: I want there to be REAL action in New Orleans so this doesn't happen again. Nagin is NOT Denzel. And I hope that everyone doesn't expect a Hollywood ending with these political clowns.

Finally, I'm all for political satire, but it just seems to me that it probably shouldn't be coming from the city's main journalistic source.

I don't know think I can make my point any more clear.
I wish all the best for the people of the Gulf Coast, and I respect the Times-Picayune for all the great work they did in covering the Katrina disaster.

Try to remember one other issue ... this page was the Living section (aka: the soft news section). Go look up the front page and all other sections and I'm sure you will see the kind of stuff you think we should be publishing as the city's main newspaper, such as death, destruction, mayhem, depression, heartache, etc etc.