The last group, I felt, brought to light some interesting
perspectives for class in their presentation about water scarcity. At first,
the short video (of the show Dual Survivors I think) puzzled me, I actually
thought they were trying to eat time up. But after it ended, I saw the
significance. Despite the fact that the hippy survivor seemed to have spent
several days out in this dry landscape, the conviction he expressed during his
interview and the fact that back home he does live in a home that reuses much
of what is expelled was powerful. With regards to the former, the finite aspect
of water is so easily forgotten when you live in the Midwest. I’ve grown up in
a house on a lake that drew its water from a natural underground spring, we
never had to worry about only being able to apply so much water to the lawn. So
when I choose not to flush the toilet, it is more out of concern of the energy
that the pump would consume rather than the use or contamination of perfectly
clean water.
I also feel that this discussion of
water scarcity parallels a larger attitude that especially first world
countries like the U.S. seems to suffer from. Many humans, myself included,
have a hypersensitivity to controlling their environment (like maintaining a
very high degree of cleanliness of body and environment) and is something, if
addressed, can help act as a gateway to other problems I feel we have. From the
presentation, it seems while water restrictions are present in areas, we
continue to move towards increasing accessibility/supply through increased
distribution rather than preventing consumption or restricting development in
inhabitable areas. Such examples include the proposed pipe from the Great Lakes
into the western U.S.. This can be paralleled with our general reliance on our
scientific understanding and technological capabilities to survive and be
comfortable in areas that would otherwise be dangerous. This generally comes at
the cost of resources and habitats. What seems like cultural domination may
very well lead to the demise of other cultures (like what happened in Brazil, which
is unjust) and eventually even ourselves.