The first video is from Edward Burtynsky, he is a Canadian photographer and artist who is deeply fascinated and known for his photography concerning manufactured landscapes. The images within his photography depict landscapes that have been altered by industry. The beauty of his work and the images are contradicted by the compromised and destructive environments he illustrates. The photographs he is presenting on the video concern electronic waste (aka e-waste) in China and reveal where the trash of yesterday’s technology goes after being consumed by the wealthy.
The second video shown above concerns electronic trash as well. It is somewhat of an exposé on the lives of those who are affected by Westerns’ desire for technology. In addition it also conveys the destructive environmental problems dealing with e-waste. It shows images of those who work with e-waste and the affects on their health. Specifically, it discusses a village in China where a majority of e-waste is shipped to and the effects it is having on the population their. In particular it is negatively impacting the health of the elderly and children, whose immune systems are unable to handle the toxicity of the fumes and pollution.
E-waste describes all the discarded, excess, electronic or electrical devices. Particularly they refer to all the computers, electronic devices, cell phones, televisions etc. that are unwanted by their owners and thus thrown away. The videos attempt to bring awareness to the issues around e-waste and consumption by Westerns and its consequences. E-waste is a result of overconsumption throughout the world, mainly the West causing destructive consequences in the global South. Westerners desire to have the hottest and newest technological goods on the market create an end result of disparaging environmental problems and devastating health problems for those forced to live amongst e-waste. Hence, our desire for more current electronic devices creates within in us a disregard, for obsolete technology. As both videos demonstrate the technology improving the lifestyles of the wealthy are destroying the quality of life for others. Therefore, technology although good for some devastate the lives of numerous others creating a great disparity between the rich and the poor. For the reason that as the rich accumulate wealth and buy more technology savvy products they discard the older goods creating health and environmental products for the poor depleting their lives and their futures.
The videos make an effort to bring consciousness to people around the world concerning what happens to our trash and the result of Western consumerism. The images and depictions of children playing in the e-waste were very powerful to me, because children in the West typically play on playgrounds and as technology develops they have begun to play more and more with technology. For example, children in the West play with game systems or watch television. This demonstrates how once children in the West are done playing with their toys etc. they throw them away and the children in other places, such as China depicted in the videos, play with or amongst the discarded toys of Western children. As Western children are exposed to this consumerist lifestyle they desire the newest technological toy such as an X-box or new Playstation and become unhappy with having an old toy. The fumes and toxic chemicals that are released from the burning of these obsolete goods attack the children as they are very vulnerable to the toxic smoke within their communities. The children in these videos would typically not be shown and therefore their voices would be silenced and unheard. By showing their everyday lives, the world is able to have a clearer image of the destruction of our trash. It creates a more personal understanding because it conveys how each thing we throw away carelessly, unconcerned about its final destination results in the e-waste areas in the other places around the globe such as China.
The voices of the men who work amongst and with the e-waste describe how their lives are greatly affected by Western consumerism and our desire for the most up to date technological products. The men who attempt to have their voices heard in the second video describe how they are forced to work in unsafe conditions, specially using their bare hands to sort through the numerous amounts of e-waste within each pile. He verbalizes also that he has to work within these conditions because he has to make money. The commenter of the video further explains how the electronic and electrical goods are suppose to be used as second hand goods not be used solely to extract certain parts to sell, in other words the work being done is not only unsafe but illegal. It seems like the United Nations as well as the Chinese government seem to know that this is going on but nothing has been done to stop it or make it safer. In addition, workers describe that the fumes hurt there eyes and the commentator conveys that the smoke from lead and the gas it gives off is damaging to the brain. In other words, our trash is positioning workers, we although might not realize it but our trash has major effects on the environment and the lives of others. In Edward Burtynsky’s video, it shows a portrait of an elderly woman on her porch that is filled with e-waste. Her home has become a dumping site for the trash we carelessly throw away and disregard. As verbalized in one of the videos, 70% of discarded electronic goods are sent to China as reported by the United Nations. This shipping out of trash and waste allows Western countries to avoid the harsh and strict environmental laws within their nations. Similarly to how people push away their problems when overwhelmed, the vast amount of trash we produce in Western society causes us to just simply ship away our problems therefore in our minds they are not our concern any longer. By putting a face and an image of a person onto each piece of trash we throw away we may be more inclined to reconsider if we could recycle it or reuse it.