Poor and the Polluted

Los Anglos Factories by Doug McKnight

Many of us live comfortably and when we do so we think nothing about pollution accumulating. When pollution is being produced it's not usually anywhere near our homes so we tend to think nothing about it. In reality, pollution is a constant threat to our lives but even a greater threat to those who live around it. Who lives around it? The people who can't afford a good neighborhood or the ones who end up where the community does not care as much to their living conditions or just don't want them around. Who are these people that live this way? Minorities.

According to an article by cbslocal.com a new plan in Los Angles is being looked to be put into action. The plan is said to use tax rebates to lure green businesses to poor areas. The whole plan is to lure cleaner companies to low-income industrial neighborhoods and better the greater good area.

Black neighborhood in California photographer unknown

Poor areas are home to heavily polluting businesses not only in California but all over our nation. Businesses such as metal recyclers, chrome-platers, rock cutters and auto body shops are often close to home for these poor communities in which have mostly minorities. Why is this? We look to Robert R. Higgins and his writing on Race Pollution Mastery of Nature. Higgins explains right of the bat, the economic, institutional and racial causes for inequalities in living conditions of poor communities. He explains because of our society's dominant culture ethic and project of mastering nature these inequalities towards minorities occur in their living conditions. Which brings us to "social pollution", basically the social norm of society in which creates bias beliefs and concludes in segregation in neighborhoods."The idea of “social pollution” has historically helped to segregate and subordinate people of color, especially African-Americans, who, in the univer- sal logic of pollution taboos, appear as threats to the structure and organizing principles of social order." 252 The dominant race (Whites) view minorities (mostly blacks) to be as Higgins states, "uncivilized, lazy..." The "social pollution" of that view creates several situations in which the minorities live in poor conditions of pollution. The ones who are "socially polluted" are a little threat to and invisible to white citizens of centers of power. Therefore, we think nothing of those communities of minorities. They become polluted space and invisible to white communities. The living standards of those in charge are good and healthy, the people who are not at the social class level of white americans suffer. All in all, the focus is on white citizens and making sure we are living healthy. The minorities are put in the dust and ignored. Their places of work which tend to be industrial or labor jobs tend to pollute their homes and still are not a concern to the white communities. Minorities are invisible and irrelevant in our society's eyes. This new plan might be a start in changing the views of others on what is important.

by Schyler Duvall
links used-
http://losangoles.cbslocal.com/2011/01/21/plan

https://ecampus.unt.edu/webct/urw/lc5122011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Related links-
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10452037/ns/us_news-environment/

http://baselinescenario.com/2009/05/05/pollution-race-and-poverty/

http://www.platts.com/weblog/oilblog/2009/05/08/environmental_injustice_minorities_and_poor_at_greatest_risk_from_refinery_pollution.html