Flint Water Crisis Case Study

The water crisis in Flint Michigan was a travesty of justice and could have been avoided. While examining this unfortunate incidence, the truth of what happened is clear, conscience and deplorable that the choice in cost-cutting measures would lead to contaminated water that was harmful to many.

The water crisis could have happened in any town or city in America, or could it. However, Flint, Michigan a place 70 miles north of Detroit, which once thrived as the home of the nation’s largest General Motors plant, and according to the 2016 US Census Bureau Report, “41.2% of the residents now live below the poverty line and 56.6% are African American.”

Flint, Michigan’s economic decline when GM downsized its industrial plant represents Auguste Comte’s coined term Sociology, as in this crisis, the study of social behavior, groups, attitudes and how a society develop and change were examined, dominated the headlines and reported on around the world for months.

CNN reports in the Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts, “in order to reduce the water fund shortfall, the city switched water sources, after an audit projected a $25 million deficit, and the water fund was declared solvent and the remaining deficit was eliminated by an emergency loan.” C. Wright Mills’ sociological imagination was

not taken into account when the city changed water sources as those in charge, did not estimate the impact changing would have in the relationships between individual and the wider society.
According to, Don’t Drink the Water: The Crisis in Flint from a Sociological Perspective by Sociology in Focus, “using our sociological imaginations means being able to see that personal troubles can be, and often are, public issues. In other words, we cannot just focus on the individual and ignore the social context.” This water crisis is not just a public health issue or an issue of pipe infrastructure; it is now a social issue. It took one person, then another, leading to all the residents of Flint who joined together to express their concerns over water that looked, smelled and tasted poorly which helped in drawing attention to the water crisis as a greater public issue. Also in Don’t Drink the Water, “as Flint recovers, many families’ personal troubles of learning disabilities, behavioral issues, caused by the disregard for corroding water pipes will be linked to further public issues such as special education, lost productivity, juvenile delinquency, and incarceration.” Something as simple as water which is a More which is deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society, however, because of one person’s actions has caused a large group of people to suffer unnecessarily with long term affects that are known and can be treated, as well as those affects that will not be known about for years as studies of the water crisis is now in the process.

W.E.B.

DuBois (1868-1963) and African American contributor to sociology who speaks of the Double Consciousness division of individual’s identity into two or more social realities. In Flint or Philadelphia: How the Michigan Water Crisis echoes Du Bois and “The Philadelphia Negro”, which mirrors Du Bois thoughts for a racially egalitarian society, combating prejudice and the study of urban life. Du Bois addresses many subjects concerning African Americans and it is noted in Flint or Philadelphia that “black people in the US are at greater risk of harm than whites because of built-in prejudices. The economic culture of the US left many of them behind and forced to live in unsafe

situations.”
Although the person who initiated the water crisis is Caucasian, LeeAnn Walters, in Meet the Mom Who Helped Expose Flint’s Toxic Water Nightmare, it was indicated “the lead exposure persisted for 17 months, despite repeated complaints from residents of this majority-black city.” Because of Walters, the Flint situation is a full-blown national scandal complete with a class-action lawsuit, a federal investigation, National Guard troops, and many people including Bernie Sanders was calling for the resignation of Gov. Rick Snyder. "Without [Walters] we would be nowhere," Mona Hanna-Attisha, the head of pediatrics at Flint's Hurley Medical Center, said "she's the crux of all of this."
It may have taken the voice of a stay at home Caucasian woman to get the issue moving, however, this could not have been as impactful without the many voices of those who this crisis also has affected.
In the “Conflict Perspective” the water crisis occurred, as it was characterized by tension and struggle between groups, (who did inevitably join forces) with Inequality, Capitalism, and Stratification. As people were shaped by power and authority, (making the water changes) changes took place and have positive consequences, resulting in treatment for all people.
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) is regarded as the founder of the interactionist perspective and encouraged the focus on micro-level societal behavior, a way of understanding the larger macro phenomena.
Children will imitate the people around them, particularly family members according to George Herbet Mead’s Stages of the self, the preparatory stage. Although the water crisis is horrible, children who attended the community meetings and protests with the parents learned that it is important to stand up for what you believe in, as well as Socialization wherein people learn the attitudes, values, and actions appropriate to individuals.
The Interactionist perspective can be seen in the water crisis as well, and is affected in the day-to-day social behavior in our society as people living in a city who only want clean water. The people wear t-shirts and carry various signs that indicate their desires or needs, and can be seen having the same nonverbal communications and face-to-face interaction. The combined action or effort of the town’s people is crucial and necessary to work well together for the best outcome. We can learn a great deal from how people perform as a unit with one purpose. There is support in team work. Gestures and words that form the basis of human communication, Symbols, were seen during the crisis.
The Flint water crisis can be considered as Macrosociology, which concentrates on large-scale phenomena which was developed by Robert Merton (1910-2003). This crisis affected a city with a population of 98,310, according to the US Census Bureau Report.

Although it appears that Race, (is not a meaningful way of differentiating people) may have been a leading cause as to why it took so long to resolve this crisis. According to The Racism at the Heart of Flint’s Crisis by the Editorial Board of the New York Times, “while it avoids using the word “racism,” it clearly identifies the central role that race and poverty play in this story. “Flint residents, who are majority black or African-American and among the most impoverished of any metropolitan area in the United States, did not enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards as that provided to other communities,” the report said.
Flint is categorized has a Minority Group, a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives. There was unequal treatment and solidarity.
City and State officials who do not live in the Flint area and are not effected by the crisis, exhibit various Prejudice, Racism, and Stereotypes toward the people in Flint with there negative attitude, belief that one race is supreme and others are innately inferior as well as the generalizations made members of a group that do not recognize individual differences.
There was Discrimination, the denial of the opportunity and equal right to a basic need, water that was harmful to all people, not just blacks because of poor fiscal judgment.
The Role of Language, one of the major elements of culture, which facilitates day-to-day exchanges, includes both the written and spoken word and nonverbal communication where all expressed in a positive manner which resulted in change.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and Todd Flood, the attorney heading the AG’s investigation, discussed the charges, "Some people failed to act, others minimized harm done and arrogantly chose to ignore data, some intentionally altered figures ... and covered up significant health risks and must be punished," he said according to the Detroit Free Press. Sanctions, penalties and rewards for conduct, as well as Negative sanctions, fines, threats, imprisonment, and stares of contempt which the city and state perpetrators are receiving.
When the change occurred, Innovation, process of introducing a new idea or object was given which turned out not to be a good idea for Flint, however, as other cities and states as well as around the world were watching, Discovery, the making known or sharing existence of an aspect of reality was a testament that research is important prior to undertaking such a major change which should be done first and foremost before looking at costs when the public is concerned.
Information about how to use material resources of the environment to satisfy human needs and desires, Technology, (Nolan and Lenski), were misused. Haizhou Liu, an environmental engineer at the University of California at Riverside who studies corrosion and water quality, praised the study's "careful sampling," and said it shows how crucial phosphates are to controlling corrosion in water systems. More importantly, he says, it portends the future America faces with outdated water systems in the 21st century. "In my opinion, the Flint story reveals the challenges to maintain our aging water infrastructure nationwide,” says Liu
in Scientists Now Know Exactly How Lead Got Into Flint’s Water of the Smithsonian.

In conclusion, as a parent of two children, I can’t imagine living the horror that occurred in Flint Michigan which was a nightmare for the families and children who were affected. The city and state that was supposed to protect families instead put them at unconscionable risk. How much do we take for granted, drinking a glass of water, taking a bath which are daily activities that should be safe. However, the government at multiple levels failed, to provide safe water, recognize the problem and to enforce the law.
As there are no known drugs to effectively reverse the developmental damage caused by lead, this crisis was and is complex. Residents suffered terribly for more than a year from rashes, hair falling out due to improper chemical treatments which there are potential long term threats to children and to subsequent generations which can have developmental delays, and behavioral issues, not to mention then tracking them for many years for evidence of injury.
Although various government agencies and community organizations assisted during and after, this crisis reflects Sociology, the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society or as I wrote on January 19, 2017 in my notebook after listening to my Professor…Sociology is the study of society and what is going on.