i get the sense that Europeans cling to history and culture as fundamental parts of their identity, especially in eastern Europe. many of these different cultures and groups have clashed in the past and because of these conflicts, there is a heightened but subtle sense of racism. in this sense, people are racist no longer primarily based on skin color more on language and culture. racism is essentially recognition of those who are different from you. it is in human nature to fear those who are different but it is also part of the evolution of humans to a civilized level to realize the difference but to judge not based on it. in other words, people recognize difference but do not act or base judgment solely on it. it is natural for racism to always be present but the way people react to differences changes as society and law evolves.
in the United States, racism is subtle in many ways in that people are sensitive to race but in general, do not act overtly based on it. there are of course, exceptions to that, as there are everywhere. people will hate or learn to hate everywhere and act on that hatred, so it is no surprise that even though the US is a country of immigrants, many people are tolerant, many are tolerant and accepting, and many are neither. however, racism in the US between whites and blacks is a raging problem. it takes many words to clarify this but i want to say that the dynamic is very real and very problematic. in contrast to another racial dynamic is that of the whites and the asians. asian stereotypes are generally taken in a positive light so whites don't treat asians with much hostility. anyway.
i think there are many factors that play into the Hurricane Katrina reponse. first and foremost, the US budget is not a pleasant plan, as much of it goes towards defense and intelligence. alot of it goes towards funding governmental agencies to fight drugs. how much that trickles down to helping natural disaster victims is a tiny amount, miniscule at best. it is unfortunate for those who lost their homes and jobs but i think the US and many private donors tried hard to help. needless to say, the phillipines disaster happened earlier and that was terrible as well. it has not been a good year and all factors considered (i havent mentioned many, or clearly), it would be rather ignorant to section race as the primary factor for the reaction to hurricane katrina.
it's funny i always start these posts with a point in mind but sometime through it i get sidetracked through and through...and lose my original idea. however, the above mentioned is how i skim the pool of my opinions in an effort at coherent discussion. or not.
EDIT: i've been semi out of loop with current events but
this article covers the events in australia