Conflicted

Chattanooga tried diligently to entertain the evacuees from Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana. These children had never seen penguins before. This was an assignment I really struggled to get through.
I was pushed out of the Red Cross that morning when I was looking for the PR-type who could give me some direction. It's because I'm so big and scary. People think I'm just barging into the place, cameras flashing, to extract all decency from these poor people.
I was allowed to follow the group to the aquarium, where things got really hairy. While waiting for admission to the exhibits (which the city was providing them), a group of the adults got into the courtesy wheelchairs and pretended loudly and rather obscenely to be mentally handicapped. To make it more offensive, two different people in wheelchairs came through the group in the midst of that behavior.
I had to walk away. I was too conflicted about trying to understand the plight of these people, who could not consider the feelings of anyone around them. I guess people will be themselves regardless.