Crude

I attended the documentary “Crude” for my Spanish class, and was appalled by the violence that is occurring in Ecuador. The violence was not direct, physical abuse. Instead, the land of the Ecuadorian people was left in shambles in corporations’ (mainly Texaco) pursuit of crude oil. They left many areas with pools of oil, seeping into the ground and into the water. This subsequently affected the Ecuadorians because now, in certain areas the cancer rate is extremely high, safe drinking water is not always available, and there is oil even in the ground.

It is astounding to me that such an act of violence could perpetuate. How are the individuals heading the Texaco oil company able to sleep at night knowing that there are people dying because of their ignorance and incompetence? One of the most heartbreaking stories in the movie was of a man talking about losing two sons to the effects of the oil. He said that one died soon after birth and the other drank from a stream that was polluted with oil and then died within 24 hours.

What did I learn from this documentary? That corporations can be cruel. I will never buy gas or support Texaco again. I feel that it is the responsibility of the people to take action when injustice is occurring. We were asked in class several weeks ago if there was a cause that we would be willing to fight for. This is certainly something I could see fighting for. People should be more than a means of attaining material wealth.