Black+Wave

** Director: ** Robert Cornellier ** Release Year: **2008 ** What is the central argument or narrative of the film? **  The film depicts the struggle of the local residents during and the in the years after the Exxon-Valdez spill in Alaska. It shows how their personal lives have changed, along with the dynamic of their local community and economy. Also the film shows their struggle to get proper compensation from Exxon. Then the years of appeals and trials that have followed the spill. The main story behind the film is the disastrous job that Exxon had done in their cleanup effort and general recovery from the spill. ** Who are the key social actors and stakeholders of the film? **  The people immediately involved were the fishermen and locals in the towns around Prince William Sound. These were the people that were forced to deal with the massive amounts of oil destroying their livelihood. Exxon then was responsible for correcting the situation. They did their best to avoid taking full responsibility. There were only looking to get back to profitable business as usual. Even though this took place in Alaska it can be translated to any place that the petroleum industry had a large facility. In those areas there is a record of health issues and the oil companies denying responsibility. This is a good example of that lack of respect that oil companies have for the people they affect in the operation of their business. ** What does the film convey about the matrix of the factors that contribute to our dependence on oil? **  It is evident that the oil companies are extremely powerful in this society. In this case Exxon was able to avoid paying billions of dollars in reparations for the disaster because of their talented legal department working the judicial system to their benefit. This power allows the oil companies to have great sway over politicians. Encourage laws that support the development and growth of the oil industry in this country. It also allows them to continue unsafe practices even after disasters. The general public that was not directly involved in the incident may have believed that Exxon did their job cleaning because of the impressive media coverage of the boats in the area of the spill immediately after the spill. This is another example of the power of the oil companies. Exxon was able to look as though they were we doing their job. When public interest in the cleanup ended, so did Exxon’s efforts, leaving behind tons of oil on the beaches. ** What does the film convey about the matrix of problems caused by our dependence on oil? **  In this case Exxon was addicted to ever increasing profits, and to accomplish this they began to cut corners in their operations. The dependence of the nation on oil allowed them to make such vast profit on oil. To continue these growing profits Exxon relaxed on many of the necessary safety standards in the industry. They allowed a man to captain their tanker who had a known history of alcohol abuse. Also they refused to upgrade their ships to double hulled tankers which could have averted this disaster. These problems could have been avoided if companies such as Exxon were not allowed to practice business this way, people forget such disasters quickly because they need that oil for their lives. This addiction allows companies to do what is best for their image and profit margin, there is no one with real power to oppose them. ** What does the film convey about the matrix of affects that would be mobilized by a shift away from oil? **  In many of these situations, the general public does not know or care enough about the situation to make any real changes in their lives. It is very easy to forget, the spill was thousands of miles away for many people. For there to be a shift away from oil more people would have to understand such issues and then want to do something about them. This would involve viable alternatives being available. Currently there are not many that are readily known by the public. It then becomes seen as inconvenient and difficult to move one’s life away from oil. This problem is partly caused by the oil companies, they do not want people to know about alternatives. They have control over government legislations to allow for the continued viability of oil products. This entire system of oil companies supporting government officials would have to change before any real changes could be made to the policies in this nation. This could happen with overwhelming support for a move away from an oil society from the public. ** What part of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? **  The film showed the total social and economic collapse of the towns around the spill. Then the story about Exxon spent millions of dollars in legal fees fighting the payment of damages to the people. It is amazing that they were willing to spend years and millions of dollars fighting something that could have been a simple and relatively inexpensive fix. It shows that to Exxon it was less expensive to fight the payment, even with the possible damage to their image as a company. The system in this country is truly on the side of the big business. The government allows companies to take advantage of the people who it is supposed to be protecting. ** What part of the film did you not find compelling or convincing? **  It was very interesting that people in that area were so set on staying. They did not talk about moving their lives to another town. They did have a large social and monetary investment into the town, however when there is nothing left to fight for and to live with most people you leave. There were cases where people’s health was being affected. I may have different attitudes toward my home, but I feel that once my health and lively hood were being affected by any problem I would make the necessary action to survive. I am sure there were other options for employment in the area besides fishing, and maybe many of them did take up other jobs. However the town should have looked into some economic development to helps its people, to allow the town to continue to grow. ** What kind of corrective action are suggested by the film, if the film itself does not suggest a corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective? **  One of the arguments of the film was that there needs to be stricter regulations governing the oil industry, as well as all other industries that deal in hazardous situations. At the time there was very little effort to regulate the industry. Exxon was shown to not comply with standards of its ships. They did not have double hulls. Also Exxon did not regulate its own employees; the captain of the ship did not have a driver’s license because of alcohol problems. Then during the cleanup there was no plan for such a spill. Exxon spent months with futile efforts to clean the oil off rocks. Even with their improved methods of cleaning there were unable to remove much of the oil. There is still a great deal under the surface of the beaches 20 years later. More regulations must be in place to ensure that every company has a plan for such a disaster and then the equipment and personnel ready to perform the task necessary to the cleanup. ** What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out, provide two examples of what you learned? **  After viewing this film I was interested to learn what is currently happening in the area. I found an article that tells about the reopening of the court cast for environmental damages to the area. This is after a settlement in 1991. The case is looking for an additional $92 million on top of the $900 million that was already paid. The article sites that there is still unexpected environmental damage in the area because of the unknown amount of oil that is still lingering under the beaches around Prince William Sound. It is still amazing that Exxon has been able to avoid such an issue for two decades. This should have been one of the first things cleaned up. This will be something that will haunt Exxon until it is completely cleaned. One would think that the heads of Exxon would realize this and do the right thing. That is one of the problems with today’s society, people can avoid the responsibility for their mistakes. []
 * Title: ** Black Wave: The legacy of the Exxon-Valdez