Documentary Analysis: The Creek Runs Red

The issue I will be discussing is environmental racism. Environmental racism is the concept of allowing or even forcing dark-skinned minorities to take on the burden of pollution or other environmental issues. An example of this would be a factory located in a poor area dumping chemicals and other pollutants into the water supply of the town. In this example, the factory is allowed to harm the environment and create a hazardous environment for the people who depend on the water supply in which the factory dumps the waste.

Environmental racism is an issue that has been taking place all over the United States for many years now. The environmental racism movement is the economic correlation between economic status and environmental health issues. The media plays a huge roll in this issue because it is their job to make sure that social issues get the correct exposure they deserve. The citizens should know the status of the area they are living in considering that their tax dollars are going to upkeep the community. Hempstead, Texas is a prime example because the city is at risk of having a land fill put in their back yard and the media has given the issue virtually no coverage. Coincidentally ten minutes down the road is Prairie View A&M University that is

The environment people live in impacts them everyday. just like low income, minority, blacks, hispanics, latinos, asians, phillipons, latin americans, factory owners, people with money. Stated from the passages “ Rosenthall of the NAACP suggests keeping waste facilities out of areas already overburdened with waste or potential toxic exposure”. This proves that environmental racism is everywhere and you won't even know it.

Warren County became a token of a new philosophy called environmental racism as people of low socioeconomic status and people of color were victims to ecological risks (Mohai 2009). This superiority complex is a continuing issue and is ingrained in the way people treat each other today.

In society, both past and present, individuals with mental illnesses are judged and stigmatized for their inabilities and differences. The Australian filmmaker, Michael Buckley explores this aspect of society through his short biographical film Witness implicating the life of John Harrowell and his sufferings due to being institutionalized at such a young age. The text runs for brief period of time, but within that short period of time, a variety of filmic techniques are utilised to create a more emotional impact on the viewers. Through the utilisation of three prominent filmic techniques; symbolism, characterisation and themes, Buckley is able to effectively portray the tragic life of John

The environmental justice hypothesis as stated by Brown, P. is that “hazards in the physical and chemical environmental disproportionately affect those individuals and households that also face hazards in their social environment. “

In Mark 21:31, the bible tells us, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Humans were created by God to enjoy life more when we care about another individual's needs besides our own. Thus, all humanity should be concerned for the rest of the population's well being. In today’s world, we are more connected through internet and express transportation than we have ever been before and have ample opportunities to improve other people’s lives. A line from the movie, National Treasure, paraphrases our responsibility in regards to poverty and disease, “Those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.”

In Howard Hawks’ film from 1948, Red River, was a story of a journey to the South West to create a great new life in hope to start a successful business in the cattle market. The drive to go West was based off of rumors that promised opportunity, land to be settled in. This was the case for many frontier men, but is considered rather naive to sacrifice your future based on word of mouth. Later the group gets hit head on with the difficulties and hardships of going to a land where you know nothing about. First off, the land that the leader of the group, Dunson, claims is his land is actually owned by the Mexican’s that was patented by the king of Spain. Dunson anticipates a draws and kills the Mexican guard. This action is presented necessary

Alexandra Carroll Fall 2014 A Walk in the Woods, written by Bill Bryson in 1988, incorporates strong elements of travel memoir, explaining his great journey through the woods along the Appalachian Trail, which runs the length of fourteen different states. The story starts off in a small town called Hanover, as the narrator begins to prepare for his rather spontaneous trip. It is made very clear in the beginning of the book that Bryson has a limited understanding or knowledge of the outdoors, thus the reader is immediately left to wonder about the outcome of this grand adventures to come. It is almost comical as Bryson describes walking through the outdoor sporting goods store, taking it all in and getting a feel for what is to come.

For the first fifty years, filmed images of nature documentary were perceived as a simple expansion of human vision, a world not visible to the audience allowing them experience the pleasure through the act of visualization in moving images. Soon after the end of World War II, Walt Disney produced a hugely successful series True-Life Adventures in which nature in the continental United States was depicted. The style Disney influenced virtually every wildlife film made for theatrical release or television in the next twenty years. The influence of human civilization on the natural environment was not an agenda until the end of 1960s when the arrival of a new ecological movement in the political landscape leading to the concept of ‘Gaia hypothesis’,

Ecological prejudice has likewise been brought on by the way that a few races are more prone to be in close vicinity to ranges of contamination than others. African American neighborhoods have generally been focused for the transfer of earth debasing waste. One helping variable to ecological bigotry is the way that numerous African Americans have low livelihoods and poor training and fail to offer the political force and association to oppose the acquaintance of risky material with nature 's domain. Minority races are likewise more averse to look for money related remuneration for wellbeing and ecological issues connected with the dumping of dangerous material in their neighborhoods. Also, whites have a tendency to live in more affluent neighborhoods that are far from mechanical territories. Due to racial segregation in urban regions, poisonous offices, for example, incinerators, landfills, and contaminating modern buildings, are basically put in close vicinity to dark neighborhoods (General Accounting Office, 1983, p. 1). Also, atomic waste dumps are likewise found in Native American reservations as Native Americans are yet an alternate race that is regularly focused for segregation. Minority races don 't have full get to the assets and apparatuses required to battle the arrangement of such offices. Additionally, they may pick not to battle for trepidation of losing occupations in the region. General Accounting Office (1983) contends that

Due to Mosaic’s initial secretive reaction to the sinkhole incident, some residents are now fearful of the water in their homes. A resident about three miles from the contamination site has witnessed polluted water in her home while giving her child a bath. She stated that, “I thought it was rust, but it wasn’t, I don’t know what it was” (Kinane 1). This concerned mother, like others in her community, are worried about the conditions of the water they are using to bath and drink. Also, what future damage does the community need to worry about? It is an echoing worry through Polk county and the citizens there are frightened and uncertain about how polluted the water is. Another long time resident, Ted Jones, lives on a street fairly close to thee phosphate plant. He has had issues with Mosaic before and it has left a bad taste in his mouth. Previous pollution has come in the firm of acid rain and affected one of Jones’ crops. Mosaic did pay him for damages, however, not enough to recover from his lost business. Jones feels that even if Mosaic confirms that they will correct the damage, his faith that they will take care of the community is gone.

My incredible journey as a water molecule began in the frigid river water of the Red Deer River , just off the Rockies . I was simply minding my own business , when WOOSH , a current came and swept me right off of my feet ! I couldn’t control where I was going , I didn’t know what was going on , I had been kidnapped . My attacker dumped me off in some warmer water way farther down . I swam around a little bit, running in to way more fish than I would have seen at home under my rock in the river . It didn’t take me long to realize , I had been dumped into a lake . After more than one run in with some very grabby algae , the weather began to take a turn . Strangely enough , the sun was out. yet , it was raining . I looked up out of the water

Everything about environmental justice is supposed to give the environment and the world the treatment it deserves, people have spent a lifetime trashing it with pollutants, smog, and cutting down its trees, but at the same time the people who live on the Earth have been treated with injustice as well, “Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” (EPA 1). “Environmental racism is policy or practice that differentially affects or disadvantages (intentionally or unintentionally) individuals, groups, or communities because of their race and/or class. Poor communities and communities of color often experience disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards.”(The Weave 1). Water discrimination is an example of environmental racism and the act of distributing clean water to wealthy people and dirty water to those who live in poverty and can not afford the clean water. This is a tactic used to separate the rich from the poor, and in this case, money equals health, however, clean water should not be a privilege to the people who can afford it. It should be something that is given to everyone despite their background and the money they come from.

The goals of this environmental justice conference are stated simply: firstly, to explore whether racial minorities and the poor are being environmentally victimized, and secondly, to evaluate public policies that promote environmental fairness. Each speaker provided insight and information from their respective area of expertise. Led by keynote speaker Dr. Bunyan Bryant, they drew upon the realms of academic investigation, government and public policy, sociology, healthcare, and philosophy to unite the environmental movement with the quest for social justice. After absorbing so much information concerning the current state of environmental justice, one leaves the conference