The articles “The Fruits of Ill-Health: Pesticides and Workers’ Bodies in Post-World War II California” by Linda Nash and “La Pica Tierra/The Soil Bites: Hazardous Environments and the Degeneration of Bracero Health” by Mary Mendoza relate by examining the relationships between workers and pesticide use following the second World War. Nash argues that the bodies of farmworkers and the environment are intricately linked, while Mendoza’s article focuses specifically on the discrimination of Mexican agricultural workers in the Braceros program. Nash challenges the belief that bodies and the environment are “separate entities and that both could be bounded, monitored and regulated.” Nature could not be controlled, bodies could not be monitored
in a society with a need for mobile labor, and the environment could not be managed in the way officials had hoped (Nash 219). Nash writes, “As laboring bodies transformed the orchard...the orchard transformed those same bodies, often in less visible, but no less material, ways” (204). This refers to the harmful effects that pesticides had on the bodies of agricultural workers following WW2. At the time, little was known about the effects of these chemicals, but researchers eventually linked them to nervous system function, which caused common problems such as muscle twitches, convulsions, vomiting, and heartbeat irregularities. There is still little known about the long-term effects, but research suggests it may be linked to neurological problems and cancer (Nash 205). Occupational health experts recognized the effects of pesticides and worked to reduce its impacts on the body, however, they quickly realized that the issue was much more complex than had thought, allowing the problem to go unsolved for years to come (Nash 208). Mendoza argues that racist and ableist thoughts about Mexican bodies led to discriminatory workplace practices, eventually resulting in the hospitalization and deportation of workers (477). The Bracero program was created as a collaborative effort between the U.S. and Mexico that brought in guest-workers to fill positions during labor shortages (Mendoza 476). Social bias depicted Mexican bodies as being “dirty” and “diseased,” and resulted in mandatory medical examinations to ensure workers were healthy and fit for the position. Americans used this “racialized perception of bodily difference” as justification to subject Mexican workers to poor living conditions (Mendoza 477). As a result of close living quarters, hot and humid weather, exposure to chemicals, and poorly prepared meals, many workers quickly found themselves hospitalized and eventually deported. Despite the negative thoughts about Mexican bodies, the United States began a propaganda effort aimed at encouraging “neighborly” relationships (Mendoza 478).
Chapter four talked a lot about The Tanaka brothers Farm and how the workers had picked berries once a week or twice a week and experienced several forms of pain days afterward. Workers often felt sick the night before picking due to stress about picking the minimum weight. This chapter also focuses ethnographic attention on how the poor suffer. The poorest of the poor on the farm were the Triqui Strawberry pickers. The Triqui migrant laborers can be understood as an embodiment of violence continuum. Triqui people experienced notable health problems affecting their ability to function in their work or their families. This chapter also talked about how crossing the border from Mexico to the United States involves incredible financial, physical, and emotional suffering for Triqui
The use of dangerous and also deadly chemicals by Florida’s tomato industry is due to the insufficient regulations made by the Department of Agriculture. Florida’s soil is pure sand, making it impossible to grow tomatoes. The plant also faces completion with other plants as well as being attacked by diseases and insects. The only reason then that Florida’s farmers grow is because it’s summer in Florida, while the rest of the United States is experiencing winter. Greed, the want for larger profit, is the reason why the fresh market tomato industry is located in Florida. ...
Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur, a Frenchman living in America, wrote many letters to Europeans telling them of the great opportunities for immigrants to America and its generous, welcoming, paternal government. However, a study of the farm workers ' experiences in America does not always paint a rosy picture. In particular, John Steinbeck and Cesar Chavez portrayed the dire circumstances of farm workers during the Great Depression (1930 's) and the 1960 's. Today my interview with a farm worker shows that farm workers today still face injustices.
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
"Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam." Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam. N.p., 1994. Web. 3 Apr. 2011. .
The Mexican Migrant Farm Workers’ community formed in Southern California in the 20th century because of two factors that came together: farming emphasized by migrations like the Okie farmers from the East and Mexicans “imported” to the U.S. because of the need for cheap labor as a replacement of Americans during World War II. The migrant labor group formed after an already similar group in the U.S had been established in California, the American farm workers from the East, known as the Okies. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s caused the movement of the Okies to the West and was followed by the transition from American dominant farm labor to Mexican migrant labor. The Okies reinforced farming in California through the skills they took with them, significant to the time period that Mexicans arrived to California in greater numbers. However, the community was heightened by World War II from 1939 to 1945, which brought in immigrants to replace Americans that left to fight in the battlefields. Robin A. Fanslow, archivist at the Library of Congress, argues that because of World War II, “those who were left behind took advantage of the job opportunities that had become available in [the] West Coast” (Fanslow). Although some Mexican migrants already lived in the U.S prior to this event, a vast majority arrived at the fields of California specifically to work as farmers through the Bracero Program, created because of the Second World War. Why the Second World War and not the First World War? WWII urgently demanded labor and Mexico was the United States’ closest resource. Although WWI also caused the U.S. to have a shortage of labor; at the time, other minorities dominated, like the Chinese and Japanese.
Just as Georgiana died when the hand that nature gave her was severed from her being, so too will we suffer if we sever ourselves too far from nature. At this moment in history, with climate change, pollution and population on an exponential rise, Hawthorne’s story is as relevant as ever. It reminds us that while science can serve us as a tool, it can neither bring us perfection nor sever us from the nature to which we belong and of which we are a part.
Although agriculture is one of the most hazardous jobs in the United States, there is a huge gap in healthcare for those that work in the industry. Due to the large migrant and seasonal worker population, especially those from Mexico, it is a hard population to reach when it comes to healthcare needs. Fear, language barriers and cultural norms are all barriers that need to be addressed for this special population. “(Holmes 2011) Agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. In 2000, there were 780 deaths and 130,000 disabling injuries in agriculture. The only industry that had more deaths was construction, with 1,220.”(Hansen and Donohoe 2003) “Migrant workers face numerous barriers to medical care, including lack of transportation, insurance, and sick leave, the threat or fear of wage or job loss, language barriers between MSFWs and health care providers, and limited clinic hours.”(Hansen and Donohoe 2003) Traumatic injuries, food insecurity, infectious disease, chemical and pesticide related illness, dermatitis, dental, heat stress, respiratory conditions, musculoskeletal disorders, and reproductive health are just some of the issues that migrant farm workers face. (Hansen and Donohoe 2003; Wang, Myers et al. 2011; Weigel and Armijos 2011)
Civilization began with agriculture, and agriculture continues to be an integral part of our lives. Civilization brought knowledge, knowledge brought technology, and technology brought chemicals and pesticides to “improve” our world. “The Obligation to Endure” is an excerpt from Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” a passionate and masterful work on the results of civilization’s efforts to control pests and insects. These effects include destruction of the environment, alteration of gene structures in plants and animals, water contamination, and an upset of nature’s delicate balance. This article is an impassioned plea to the world to understand the threat and demand the information necessary to make an informed consent on use of these deadly substances.
May 14th 1963: The jungles of Zaire are much more intimidating and humbling in person than in the brochure at the Peace Corps office. I have been dispatched here to assist in the quarantine and treatment of the locals and some wild life. While I am overcome with the beauty of the flora I can't help but ponder the sheer amount of insects and mosquitoes that this sort of environment can support...
The documentary stated that over that 47 million Americans do not have healthcare coverage. 7% of Americans reports very good to excellent health. 37% of lower income Americans has poor health (California Newsreel, 2008). The middle class numbers are not too far from the lower class. Good health decreases significantly as the socioeconomic class status gets lower. “Low income increases one’s exposure to a host of health risks, such as crime, poor housing, and poor nutrition. Conversely, sick people both tend to work less and tend to accrue medical bills, thus lowering their household earnings and accumulated wealth. Therefore, low income can damage health, and sickness can lead to the loss of income” (Peter Muennig, 2008). This increases the
William F. Baxter exemplifies this anthropocentric viewpoint. In his book People or Penguins: The Case of Optimal Pollution, he argues that society should respect and attempt to preserve environmental balance only if the benefits to humans outweigh the costs. Baxter claims that, since there is no normative definition of “pure” air or water, society should aim for a level of pol...
Self-Inflicted Diseases Self-inflicted diseases are those in which a person's health is damaged by their own decisions and behaviour. These can be such things like smoking, alcohol, sunbathing, eating large quantities of fatty food. Also deliberate self-harm such as attempted suicide is classed as self-inflicted as it can cause major damage to body organs. Those who start smoking at a young age are highly likely to become addicted to nicotine. Smoking leads to a risk of developing mental and physical disease.
...es, and acknowledge the fact that man’s life is regulated and controlled by the nature around, for nature is at the centre of man’s life.
To understand the nature-society relationship means that humans must also understand the benefits as well as problems that arise within the formation of this relationship. Nature as an essence and natural limits are just two of the ways in which this relationship can be broken down in order to further get an understanding of the ways nature and society both shape one another. These concepts provide useful approaches in defining what nature is and how individuals perceive and treat