Except for rare circumstances, such as extinction-level events in which the magnitude of hazard is sufficiently large enough to impact all populations in an area with total destruction regardless of preparation, vulnerability is a socially constructed condition (Wisner, et al. 1976; Wisner, et al. 1994; Oliver-Smith 1996; Oliver-Smith & Hoffmann 2002; Bankoff 2003) which exposes individuals to risk, often unequally (Bankoff 2003).
Where once, theorists proposed that humans placed themselves in vulnerable positions, returning to rebuild in the same locations of risk through a ‘bounded rationality’ (Wisner, et al. 1994), or through ignorance of the dangers (Oliver-Smith 1996), researchers now recognize that many vulnerable people are aware of potential dangers, but are often unable to enact changes to protect themselves (Wisner, et al. 1976). The social construction of vulnerability is primarily embedded in existing social patterns “evidenced in the location, infrastructure, sociopolitical organizations, production and distribution systems, and ideology of a society (Oliver-Smith & Hoffmann 2002:3). These patterns are often tied to relationships of power and economic forces (Wisner et al. 1994; Bankoff 2003).
A top priority among the eight Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, the eradication extreme poverty throughout the world would greatly improve the ability of billions to protect themselves from natural hazards. While poverty is not the only cause of vulnerability, nor does it fully explain the complex social relationships involved, economic imbalance remains one of the leading factors in identifying vulnerable populations. Throughout the 1990s, developing countries accounted for 94% of the world’s major di...
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...ll area in Goiania, Brazil highlights the danger of public opinion when perceived risk vastly outpaces a real risk. After two men, scavenging an abandoned medical facility, discovered and opened a sealed canister of cesium-137, they exposed their family and neighbors to radiation poisoning. Public fears resulted in stigma and economic losses far outdistancing the relatively isolated contamination of a few city blocks. While the cleanup cost heavily, the community suffered a massive economic blow from the loss of tourist capital compounded by funding tests for thousands of residents who feared they too were contaminated (Petterson 1988). The stigma itself was used by neighboring communities to gain economic advantage over Goiania through competitive industry while many uncontaminated citizens were denied travel and lodging throughout the country (Petterson 1988).
This film was made in 2008, and maybe during that time this observation could be compartmentalized based on geographical location. The research is a bit outdated for the world we live in now. Social environments bleed together in today’s society. The reference of “middle class” becoming more extinct with political influence. The violence and dangers are not limited to congested areas of the economically challenged. We are no longer safe in schools, movie theaters, or work environments. These are no longer isolated incidents, becoming more frequent effecting many levels of our emotional and spiritual health. Humans have adapted the use of their stressful warnings to a non-useful state ignoring the signs. What use to be a safety mechanism is now a
The engineers in Visit Sunny Chernobyl created a new frontier past the safety zone because they want to test the limits of the reactor. What the scientists didn’t account for is that fact that the reactors already had the potential of a dangerous chain reaction. (Blackwell 6) Consequently, their boundary destroying led to catastrophic consequences and the total annihilation of a land area because of massive radiation. Blackwell thought Chernobyl was so horrific he expressed that no one should visit without a “working understanding of radiation and how it’s measured” (Blackwell 7). These are some horrific consequences that followed from surpassing the
Imagine working with radioactive materials in a secret camp, and the government not telling you that this material is harmful to your body. In the book Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters by Kate Brown, she takes her readers on a journey to expose what happened in the first two cities that started producing plutonium. Brown is an Associate Professor of History at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has won a handful of prizes, such as the American Historical Association’s George Louis Beer Prize for the Best Book in International European History, and was also a 2009 Guggenheim Fellow. Brown wrote this book by looking through hundreds of archives and interviews with people,
Drea Knufken’s thesis statement is that “As a society, we’ve acquired an immunity to crisis” (510-512). This means that humans in general, or citizens of the world, have become completely desensitized to disasters, we think of them as just another headline, without any understanding of their impact upon fellow
Many of us view poverty as mainly a third world issue, because it tends to have little effect on the majority of individuals on a recurring basis. Yet, it is a difficult situation prevalent in all types of civilization, despite the overall advances in technology, medicine and education that one country may have over the other. Poverty does not necessarily have to affect a specific individual, but as a country, it affects all levels of production; even when the production of a single country begins to falter, it could potentially have major effects on others, creating a continuous cycle.“Poverty is color blind”, it does not discriminate, and is a societal problem that needs to be dealt with today (Fullerton, par. 3). If not helped or solved,
Poverty is not just an issue reserved for third world countries. Instead, poverty is a multifaceted issue that even the most developed nations must battle
Environmental risks and hazards provide the world with some of the most important issue pressing obstacles. Being able to manage risks and hazards on an environmental level can save many lives and create economic benefits in the process. The Flint, Michigan water crisis is such an example of this. When the water supply of a small urban Michigan town became tainted with lead, the pressure was put on the officials in order to manage the dangers surrounding that problem. Some of the ways at which reducing the risk and hazard would be to understand them better. One way to do this is to put prejudices aside and to understand the human condition. In other words, perceiving risk appropriately and being able to take risk out of the equation in order to protect the lives of humans.
“Vulnerability is at the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences” (Brown, 2014). Vulnerability can be regarded as a constant human experience that can be affected by physical, social and psychological dimensions (Scanlon & Lee, 2006; Malone, 2000) Deconstructing the concept of vulnerability and how it relates to client care is imperative for nurses due to their dynamic role in health care (Gjengedal et al.2013). In this paper I will provide a theoretical overview of the nursing concept vulnerability. I will explore how a thorough understanding of vulnerability informs the nursing concept of vulnerability and informs the nursing practice and the nursing profession. I will identify the gaps in the nursing
The Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment need the whole community to pass on information, account for population-specific factors, and acknowledge the effects of a threat or hazard. Communities have to be educated and updated on threats and hazards that they may specifically face in order to accurately plan and prepare. All situations are usually handled starting at the lowest level, however, they will also have to discuss on how the federal government will assist if needed. “By providing the necessary knowledge and skills, we seek to enable the whole community to contribute to and benefit from national preparedness.” (FEMA, 2015). Local communities recognize their risks and conclude on how they will handle the significant amount of risks. Local governments discover and address their greatest risks by finishing the Threat and Hazard
Ulrich, Clare. “Safe Or Sorry?.” Human Ecology 32.3 (2005): 8-9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.
Over one billion people are living in poverty, lacking safe water, housing, food, and the ability to read. There is a high concentration of communities in poverty in Africa particularly Central Africa. States that are considered in Central Africa are the following: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Republic of Africa, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. The majority of these Central African states’ economies are dependent on agriculture. As a result of this dependency, natural disasters, droughts and wars can displace subsistence farmers from their land, resulting in poverty becoming even more prevalent and harder to come back from.
Shah, Anup. "Poverty and the Environment." - Global Issues. N.p., 12 Feb. 2005. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
People are often blinded by the situation in which they are in, and by their personal motives which drive them to act. Humans, by nature, have faults and vices that are potentially harmful. It is the responsibility of society to anticipate harm, whether to oneself or to others. Once dangerous patterns and habits are recognized, it is imperative to anticipate and prevent injury from reoccurring. To allow any individual to be inflicted harm forces citizens to lose trust in the government, thus unraveling the fabric of society.... ...
United Nations Development Program (UNDP). (2000). Human development report 2000. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Impoverished countries are suffering because of overpopulation. Overpopulation remains the leading driver of hunger, desertification, species depletion and a range of social maladies across the planet (Tal, 2013). If you look at the world most of the countries that are dealing with these problems it is due to overpopulation. Impoverished countries do not have the money or resources to help them overcome this issue (Tal, 2013). Impoverished countries also do not have the medicine or technology to even prevent the most common of illnesses (Tal, 2013). Malnutrition is also affecting...