Response to "Environmental Justice: Writing Urban Spaces"

While I don't doubt that the SHOWED method is effective, it makes me think about how even when confronted with issues that need addressing, some people just don't want to address or fix an issue because it's not something that actively affects them.  There's always some people that, no matter what facts you put in front of them or how well-written your argument is, will never agree with what you say.

One section of the reading that I'd like to analyze is the part where the one student was talking about the disparity between areas in North and Northeastern Philadelphia.  It really shines a light on how bad areas can just get worse without the proper funding, and if you live there, then chances are likely that your job doesn't pay you enough so that you can get out of there.  Meanwhile, the richer places just get richer and richer, and the gap between the two areas gets larger and larger.  For both places, it's like an Ouroboros, one with a negative outcome and one with a positive.

Parts of this reading reminded me of how I grew up, though maybe not as extreme.  I spent the weekends at my dad's house all the time when I was younger, in a neighboring city to where my mother lived - it was only about 5 minutes away by car.  My dad's town - at least back then - was more on the run-down side of things, while in comparison my mom's town is consistently over the years considered one of the best places to live in the U.S.

Overall, I thought this piece was very insightful, and I was really intrigued to read the section about the environmental racism in regards to New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.