This week in Writing we watched the Erin Brockovich movie. For those of you that don't know, this move is based of the true story of the PG&E scandal in Hinkley, California. See, this company, like many others out there think they can bend and break the rules and get away with it. Although some of them do end up getting away with their actions, sometimes all it takes is someone like Erin Brockovich to be willing to stand up and fight. I think that is movie really opened my eyes and made me think that as we as citizens should be willing to stand up and fight for the greater good. Companies such as PG&E should not be able to get away with putting people in harms ways by disregarding environmental standards that the national government has put into place.
Above(
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveglass/3243756335/sizes/m/in/photostream/ )
is a photo taken in Hinkley, California. This photo represents that now nearly abandoned town of Hinkley that was turned upside down by PG&E's intentional cover-up. The corporation was using the harmful Chromium 6 for their developments. They knew that it was getting in the water supply of the town but neglected to fix the problem.
PG&E has also been involved in many other scandals that have been related to the harming of citizens in near by towns. The website below gives a timeline of PG&E events and scandals. (
http://www.energy-net.org/1NWO/PGE/8PGE.HTM).
It shocks me that so many scandals like these happen so often but it does give me hope that an ordinary citizen like Erin Brockovich can stand up and make a difference. I believe that more citizens should be willing to speak up and in turn force the government to make a change.
I went to Erin Brockovich's talk last semester, and I felt so inspired by her words. One of the things she kept re-iterating is that regular people can make a difference.
ReplyDeleteOne thing she said is that it takes one person to go door to door to get others on the bandwagon. I think that's in large part how the Occupy movement started. You know, a few people gathered in a park to camp and protest in an effort to show the devastating effects the banks had on our economy. The next thing we knew people were occupying all over the world. I'm not sure how much change the Occupiers created, but I know that others came to understand their agenda and see them as a political force.
It takes just one person to get it started, one person with passion and compassion. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie.