Community building lies at the root of preventively reshaping our culture into one that is healthy, sustaining and vibrant. We have been hoodwinked and bedazzled into believing that we live in society that has been progressing with our needs in mind and in which there is a democracy of the people and for the people. The false pretences of freedom and liberty are at the core of what manifests into societal and individual problems.
I went to see “Black Wave,” a movie detailing the oil spill that happened aboard the Exxon Valdez oil tanker in Alaska 20 years ago. The movie highlights not only the ecological damage caused by the spill, but also the subsequent legal battle and decimation of the community that relied on the fish and natural resources of Prince William Sound, the site of the spill. I went to see the movie and to participate in a town hall like experience that involved a question and answer session with one of the key community figures from both the movie and the following legal battle surrounding the tragedy. The movie was a sobering reminder of the event and its long-term effects on the area, but further begged the question of how something like this was able to happen and how we are as a world community working to stop a tragedy such as this from happening again.
ExxonMobil was originally held responsible for the disaster by being fined $5 billion dollars to both help those whose livelihoods were destroyed as well as to hold companies accountable ensuring that this would not be repeated. After the fine was levied, ExxonMobil fought the case legally and stretched the battle for over 15 years, finally ending with the fine reduced by ninety percent. The unjustly reduced compensation was unable to cover the cost of the damage to those effected and was to a level that was no more than a slap on the wrist of the world’s most profitable corporation. This decision took away from the people of our world community, from the natural environment and from future generations in order to allow an amoral corporation to continue its war against our best interests; it is truly insane.
I feel that this situation is an accurate portrayal of the world in which we live. The Alaskan community was destroyed, families endured hardships, there were at least 8 suicides attributed directly to effects of the spill and yet, the principle offender was not held accountable. We reward the narcissistic elites with money and power, while leaving the most vulnerable among us to suffer as wage slave, oppressed, resource deprived individuals trying to make sense of the world. We leave no room for anger and frustration while being forced and bombarded by messages of salvation from products, false ideas of freedom and ungrounded societal roles. Our communities are pushed to their stress levels and often begin to fall apart as we slowly bow to the whim of the bottom line.
The battle to radically transform our world and reclaim our imagination space lies at the heart of our social problems. We are often unable to find funding to run programs that have been evidence-tested and have the possibly to truly help people, yet we fight wars costing trillions and let corporations sneak out the back door with what should be ours. As a community organizer and mental health advocate, I can see no real and true change coming while still living in an oppressive society. Those who fail to conform or have brains that distance them from our norms are labeled stigmatized and often ousted from our day-to-day life and communities due to the lack of ability to participate in the traditional consumer society. Who is crazy in this situation? Those participating in a game stacked against us, or those who truly feel the pain of our distanced and individualized mindset bound to an oppressive regime? From an ecological systemic perspective of person-in-environment, how can we expect to help people towards recovery and then turn them back to a society that is so sick? We cannot continue to put band-aids upon problems and expect different results in the future.
This town hall meeting was a great way to truly see the reality of our political-economic system, and how it is as a country failing us. It was also an example of what needs to be done: concerned and empowered citizens engaged in discussion with strategies to take back ownership over our lives and create what is healthy and just. No matter what angle I look at the fields in which social workers are committed to practice, I see no real change and progress without altering our basic paradigm and the fighting the deep-seated flaws of our society. Being well adapted to sociopathic society is no sign of mental health, and without this recognition and subsequent changes, we may as well be treading in toxic water.
perpetuallyphil 3:28 am on November 24, 2009 Permalink
cough:
The front portion of the corpus callosum has been reported to be significantly larger in musicians than non-musicians, and to be slightly larger in left-handed and ambidextrous people than right-handed people.
(i hope i am not getting sick….)