Week 11 boi

Lindsay Harris

COMM 3824-01

3/27/19

Comm 3824 Reflection 9

            This week I was assigned to read, “Differential Vulnerabilities,” “Incomplete Solution,” and “Refining Memory.” Differential Vulnerabilities was an incredibly eye opening article to read, as Bullard put environmental disasters like Hurricane Katrina into perspective. Not only was I unaware of how many large hurricanes had occurred, I had not realized how many people total are unable to evacuate at all. Colten’s article was interesting because it shed light on how our government does not always prevent major industries from degrading the planet’s resources. Additionally, Rapson did an exceptional job of showcasing white-washing and how people choose to ignore catastrophes in the environment to move on with their daily lives.

            In class the videos we watched were rather impactful. While I had not previously heard of Fannie Lou Hamer, seeing her intentionally being blocked from giving a public testimony by the president of our country was enraging. I believe she had a right to share her story and the story of others, and I am glad that LBJ’s attempt to block her voice actually gave her a platform to be heard by more people than she would have originally. Additionally, I discovered something equally surprising whilst reading Differential Vulnerabilities. Prior to this article, I had not realized how not having access to a car essentially decided whether or not people would be able to escape the impacts of environmental disasters or not. Reading stories about people who relied on public transportation or were unable to afford cars was enlightening, as it is something people take for granted in their daily lives. I was also upset to discover that even in times of crisis, different parishes in Louisiana would still prevent residents from using public transportation from another parish to escape hurricanes. It was upsetting to see cities and governments putting politics before the people, however it is not a new concept in our country.

Necropolitics: The use of social and political power to dictate how some people may live and how some must die.

Agro-Environmental Racism: Harmful to both the environment in which it is used and to the human lives who have to work around it.  

FEMA Trailer: The name commonly given by the United States Government to forms of temporary manufactured housing assigned to the victims of natural disaster by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).