Thoughts on Development

This morning I had a conversation with one of my roommates about the refusal to change that one encounters in Louisiana. What I realize is that this place is different from most of the rest of the country. It has its own culture. And, having done my training in development, I was clearly reminded of the usual development paradigm in which some relatively well-off person from the West arrives with a plan to solve local problems. The genocide in Rwanda is one result of this kind of approach. The riots in Kenya in late 2007/early 2008 were a legacy of British colonial rule, which passed power on to an anointed "independent" leader of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta.
Down here, people talk about carpetbaggers. I have found this term, applied to me, offensive. But thinking about the conversation this morning, I can see a similar dynamic.
At the same time, the truth is that this place is incredibly corrupt. The Danziger Bridge cover-up scandal that was revealed in the national press last week is not unusual in this part of the woods. What is unusual is that the federal government has gotten involved and is actually doing something to bring justice. Yet, on the other hand, the federal government (HUD) also approved Louisiana's plan to distribute grant money to homeowners for rebuilding post-Katrina in a way that fundamentally discriminated against African-Americans. So having the feds involved doesn't seem to guarantee anything.
Yesterday I found out a job that an acquaintance had told me about will only be open to candidates who were referred by the local arts council. It was another moment of seeing how this city works for those who are part of the inside, and I am definitely not (yet). Even though these things make me angry when I experience them on my own skin, this morning's conversation was helpful to making me see that New Orleans is like the developing world, and, as such, or just like any place else, arriving with all the answers doesn't mean that people are going to want what you're selling.