Unnatural Causes Documentary

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Institution

Unnatural Causes Documentary

The documentary, “Unnatural Cause” that was produced in 2008 and broadcast nationally on PBS, presents a shocking and a heartbreaking statistic accompanied by personal stories from different individuals. The four-hour documentary explores racial and social-economic issues in healthcare in United States. Instead of delivering health to people regardless of their race and income gaps, the documentary shows that poverty, discrimination, unemployment, exploitation and lack of support, are the reason why mortality is high among the American people. Sadder, the documentary shows that inequality is the reason that is making people sick and why the American healthcare is spending more money and getting less out of it. Several factors the affect the American healthcare emerge and they include racism, discrimination and exploitation (Documentary Series, 2015).

In episode two, “When the Bough Breaks”, the video introduces us to Kim Anderson, a successful lawyer and a mother from Atlanta. Through her painful experience when she was in labor in 1990, we learn that there was an element of racism. Despite her high socioeconomic status, good state of health and abstinence from unhealthy activities such as smoking and drinking, she delivered an underweight baby. The documentary reveals to us that Mrs. Kim went into labor pain earlier than expected. According to SES, Genes and expert, James Collins and Richard David, they demonstrated that both the African immigrants and the US- born whites’ babies had similar outcomes at birth, yet, the weights of African-Americans babies weighed significantly less. The cause of the problem was racism which was labeled against the African-American in their daily lives and when they were accessing health care. As a result, they experienced stress (women in particular) making them to have health problems. Racism against African-American as observed from the documentary, does not depend on their social economic statuses, but on their skin color; which transcend access of healthcare by the African-Americans. Moreover, although civil rights were implemented in United States in 1960s, the documentary reveals that today, racism continues to act as barrier against the African-Americans accessing healthcare, thereby denying the social justice (Documentary Series, 2015).

Another problem affecting the American healthcare is discrimination. The episode, “Becoming American”, reveals that although immigrants, for example, from Mexico, try to shield themselves through tight family ties and traditions, the negative American culture still prevent them from accessing proper healthcare. According to Dr. William of Vega’s research on Mexican immigrants, he reports that most Mexicans who have worked in America for more than 13 years have stress problems. The cause of the stress problem is discrimination perpetrated through low wages, poor working conditions and the social exclusions. Social exclusion has denied immigrants the right to access healthcare. However, Amadar admitted that farm owner have formed union that has ensured the immigrants’ social justice and their socio economic well-being is protected by running free clinics for workers and providing after-school teaching for the children to have a better future (Documentary Series, 2015).

Thirdly, in the episode, “Bad Sugar”, Indians from Pima and Tohono have been unable to access medical care due to exploitation by the Native Americans by diverting a river upstream. The river was the source of livelihood for the Pima people and as a result of the diversion; it destroyed the Indian agricultural and made them poor. According to Dr. Don Warne, a trained physician who works at Pima, he reported that people had health problems long time and could not afford going to the clinic because of poverty. As a result poverty, the people from Pima could not practice the customary ways of controlling diseases such as diabetes and, had a higher likelihood of getting diabetes than high income earning Indians. As a way of restoring social justice in Pima and Tohono, Attorney Rod Lewis negotiated the return of water, building of road and other infrastructure (Documentary Series, 2015).

At the end of the documentary, it raises my eyebrows to realize the tragic events that were happening in America and the subsequent denial of social justice in healthcare. It is clear that America is still intoxicated with racism, exploitation, discrimination and inequality which; has denied the African-Americans and immigrants freedom and their rights in United States.

References

Documentary Series. (2015). Unnatural Causes: is inequality Making Us Sick? Documentary

Series. Accessed February 6, 2015.

Retrieved from: http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/episode_descriptions.php?page=2