For this analysis on sustainable practice regarding social justice, I referred to the Flint, Michigan gentrification incident that nearly cost over 100,000 men, women and children their lives. The Flint, Michigan water contamination case is an important milestone in the history of prevalent reasons to study and explore sustainability as well as being a relevant argument as to how social, ableist, classist as well as socioeconomic discrimination in our modern society can harm our larger ecosystems and fruitfulness as a singular planetary ecosystem.
Environmentally, regarding The Flint Michigan water contamination case, resources were misappropriated in favor of those who had more capital, social pull and notoriety, as well as simultaneously being intentionally kept away from those who had less.
****Why so greedy?
Sustainability is such a real and demanding issue, people have already begun to fight for high ground as global temperatures rise, and less land is available to safely cultivate, own, manage or control. Meanwhile, the population continues to increase, the demographic of the populations that increase the most rapidly are obviously part of the 80% of the world population who own only about 20% of the world's wealth.
As resources begin to Quickly dwindle at higher rates, access to resources will soon become impossible if no change or impasse is agreed upon by leaders on an international scale.
Disparity is a socially acceptable excuse to deny those who have less of the basics and reward those who have more with unnecessary exorbitance. The impact of this type of behavior and ideology has a high toll on human behavior. As survival becomes more and more difficult, people become less empathetic and willing to accommodate or of others in need. Resources that may or may not be needed are hoarded and kept safe for a small view despite class.
Inequity in acquiring basic resources to survive has become a severe blemish on our responsibility as the guardians of this planet. We have misappropriated our resources, and we have delayed creating and enforcing policies that would slow this process down, giving us more time to inject empathy and understanding - as well as tolerance - into the minds of the mainstream populace.
When people do not fear that they will not be able to acquire what they absolutely need, there is less of a likelihood that they will steal for it, maliciously deny others of the same necessities, and worst of all horde them away.
What strengthened the community that made-up Flint Michigan before the gentrification began was their general concern for each other, their willingness to work together, and their open mindedness allowed them to view each other as comrades despite their cultural differences, the basic mainstay of their issue was that they were unable to acquire clean and safe water for drinking bathing and other necessities.
Disparity when speaking in terms of classism can be a deadly thing. Those with more money and resources to begin with are always going to have the upper ground, but the Flint, Michigan case showed that sometimes, when you can resonate and connect with your fellow community members, working together can accomplish much more than we had never expected it to. Moving forward, I feel that this should be one of our highest held policies regarding sustainability.
Diversity, equity, inclusion and justice are all important tools used to fairly implement punishment against intentionally depriving people of their human rights and needs to survive.
Human ideology becomes a problem regarding environmental systems because there is an implicit bias related to cultural, economic and trauma backgrounds that lead many to believe that they are better or worse than other human beings. All human beings are equal, but the choices some human beings make trick us into believing that they are not.
Having known how stigma can affect a person from personal experience, I have seen the looks on people's faces that mirror their inner thoughts: you don't need this, there's someone that needs this more than you is usually the nuanced attitude I receive when I’ve asked for help. People's ideas do not match truth in many circumstances, and because of that fact, some sects of human beings believe that they are entitled to more than the general masses.
In the case of Elm Glen, a run-of-the-mill neighborhood in Michigan, it would have seemed as though everyone’s basic needs were being met at first glance. But after several members of the neighborhood noticed certain parts of communal areas were being gentrified and prepared for those who were markedly more affluent than they were. These observations, made over time by residents of Flint and Elm Glen were noted and passed along to their neighbors via word of mouth and town meetings.
A relatively small but determined group of residents decided to investigate farther only to have the gentrification rumor confirmed, leading them into a deeper investigation into two topics in particular: Growing illness in the poor parts of their neighborhood, and an exuberant amount of money being spent to spiff up the parts of their neighborhood deemed worthy of gentrification. As the residents followed the money trail, they slowly realized that this was no mistake, it was in fact government negligence that was done with intent. We cannot trust our own government to protect us from disparity in socioeconomic situations because the government too gains from the bribes and the taxes paid by the affluent when they get what they want.
Conflict was finally resolved when the local governing bodies assigned to the Flint, Michigan water supply and filtration system was found guilty of negligence and environmental injustice, meaning misappropriation of resources that should be equally available to all. Instead, people lost their lives because someone wanted a nicer home to live in and they felt that they deserved that more than a person with little money deserved their life.
The residents who suffered the most were residents who were already in financial crisis, socioeconomical struggles and health issues. They dealt with low wages, the was diverse, so that leads me to believe that their level of mental health may not have been as well as someone with less worries and constant stress. Especially those who thought very little if any about fiscal instability.
When survival is not guaranteed, the adrenal gland produces cortisol and changes your body physiologically. Simply the overproduction of cortisol can make you sick; add that to drinking water contaminated with lead and an impending housing instability due to upper class citizens covertly easing you out of the land they decided they deserve more than you---- and you have yourself a large mess. A mess no one wants to admit being responsible for.
The residents who suffered the most suffered because the environmental injustice they endured was intentional. Things were hidden from the books, census data most likely omitted, strings pulled so that no one would notice large amounts of maintenance and resources had been diverted to the gentrified side of Elm Grove.
The main cultural advantage the residents of Elm Grove / Flint, Michigan were that they were open minded enough to accept each other and strong willed enough to stand together in diversity despite their adversary being well financed, legally represented more thoroughly and they were able to do so with lacking basic resources. One of the most important items we all should work on sustaining should be our relationships with each other, because in this case, camaraderie and teamwork saved lives and served social justice that was well deserved.
Explain why sustainability improvement is needed in your chosen group.
The sustainability improvement that I feel is needed in the Flint, Michigan/ Elm Grove case would be the sustainability of dependable representation and equity regarding government bodies who are elected to represent us and protect us. I feel that any senator, elective body or leader with ulterior motives bred from bribery and promises of a grandeur life should be sentenced with a felony. Not only did they lie to the public, but they also stole from us as well; Furthermore, they did all of these things under an oath to act as an advocate and trustworthy representative off all American citizens. They did this with intent, knowingly and with forethought. Some may have only been guilty of neglectfully allowing citizens of this country to become injured. In the very place they should feel safe: their home country.
