Documerica

Documerica was an interesting but depressing exhibit. The photographs showed images of industry and pollution overtaking the environment, and it was hard to look at the effect of development on the landscape. Even though these images were taken in the ‘70s and we have a lot more environmental regulations in place to stop these things from happening we are still seeing the effects of this environmental degradation. Talks about global warming and drilling for oil and tons of other environmental issues are always occurring on the news. While it is upsetting to think about, I think that images like these are really important because they show these environmental dangers in a very real and physical way. It can be hard to take the environment seriously when you are not seeing the damage that is being done. 
I liked that some of the pictures showed places like neighborhoods and parks, because I think that helps bring a sense of urgency to the issue. It is sad to see things like beautiful mountain landscapes obscured by trash, but it does not give the feeling of urgency that the image of a smoggy playground or a polluted neighborhood does. I think that by showing domestic setting in danger the images really help remind people that pollution can affect them and their families.
On the brighter side, these images can have a slightly positive twist. These pictures show images of an America of the past. We have already improved our practices – otherwise we would see more images like this in our everyday lives. These pictures give me some hope that we can continue to improve, especially because the environment is an important political topic right now. I think that people are aware of the dangers and they are trying to prevent further damage from being done. For that reason, I think exhibits like this are really important because they help us remember where we started – so that we won’t repeat the dangerous mistakes that we made in the past.