In this segment they're talking about how in the coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline, it is critical for journalists to make sure the important part of the story isn't overlooked. Bogado points out right as the segment begins that Amy Goodman's story, which brought on the national attention, missed the mark with its focus. As we're provided with the opportunity to hear the stories of the Native American's whose futures are at stake, we must take it.
Although there has been a lot of amazing coverage of the people involved, Bogado worried that it was too juxtaposed with the past, and would lead to people feeling that we don't have to deal with it today. She said: "It makes it easier to say things like, 'well they've always been so screwed over' and 'it's just happening again' as if its fate. And I don't think that that's reflective of what's actually happening".
I know for myself that I get that feeling with almost all current issues. It's important to remember, however, that we still hold the power in this country and the only thing holding us back from it... is ourselves. The common belief that "what I do doesn't matter", when it absolutely does. If we just change how we tell these stories, just as Bogado suggests, we could potentially save these tribal nations' future from further assimilation and annihilation. And if we could do that, couldn't we take that farther and save our own earth from the same fate?
I like how you ended your post with a question. I think it was a well phrased and thought provoking question and it was very effective in leaving the reader pondering their own thoughts. I also appreciate that you admitted that you find yourself thinking that way sometimes, but noted the importance of straying away from that type of thinking. The juxtaposition to the past reminds me of the "temporal context" that we talked about in class. If people relate these ideas to the past, it's almost like a history lesson, which leaves people feeling like it's too late to incite change.
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out the fact that we still hold the power in this country, but we are the only ones holding ourselves back. I think that many of us forget that and overlook it. It is interesting how you said that if we just simply changed how the stories were told, that maybe we could save tribal nations. I think that some news stories today don't contain some of the most important facts, because news and the media has become so biased. It is crucial that all of the parts of the stories are included because some people's livelihood depend on the awareness that is brought to their issues.
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