Documentary Analysis: Unnatural Causes

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Are health disparities getting us sick? A question many seek to answer, PBS has provided us with a provocative documentary that illustrates how class and race can influence healthy living. Unnatural Causes is an important film that sheds light on the racism and class division that exists in our country. Unnatural Causes is a film with multiple sections that bring together a central notion that healthy living has a direct correlation to environment. A combination of poverty, pollution, poor education, substandard housing, poor diet, violence and unemployment are all contributing factors to poor health. This film depicts social determinant present in our society without pointing the finger at any one person, but instead places blame on capitalism …show more content…
This film differs from others because, it doesn’t sugar coat the issues in our society. From urban cities to the suburbs this film shows how health disparities affects a range of individuals, not usually seen in other documentaries that usually focuses on one issue at a time. This film also takes a world look at issues at hand, and isn’t just confined to the race and class issues in America. From Louisville, Ky., to the Marshall Islands in the Pacific, to Sweden the world is explored, and we can see the effect on economic policy and how they affect health, expectations and lives of everyone. In the first part of the film titled "In Sickness and in Wealth," we can see how different people working in the same hospital lives are influenced by their socio-economic situation. Jim Taylor is a White CEO of the hospital in Louisville, KY and at age 60 he is in great health like most other of a higher social-economic class. Tondra Young is a Black female supervisor of the lab in the hospital, she considers herself middle class. Due to her enormous debt of school loans she worries about her future. We also have Corey Anderson who is a Black male janitor of the hospital. Mr. Anderson is the father of two and suffers from hypertension, he lives in a poor neighborhood where crime & violence is …show more content…
Economics plays a role because if you have the financial resources to seek out medical assistance when you’re ill, you’re more likely to be able to afford prescription medicine and regain your health. Additionally, you’ll be able to take preventative measures for your health, such as eating well and exercising. Politics and policy-making can help create a better environment to live in, but it can also create a poorer living environment as well. Living in an unhealthy environment reduces a person’s opportunities for good health, because they are constantly surrounded by factors such as poor air quality or little access to healthy foods. Lastly, culture and individual choices have a huge impact on health and illness. For instance, different cultures have vastly different definitions of what constitutes a disease and how it is treated. If a person’s own cultural context does not correspond with that of the doctor treating him or her, they may not receive the treatment they need or desire to prevent the spread of disease. Despite our individual environments, we all have the opportunity to make decisions that have a positive impact on our health, such as

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