Hey, folks! Dr. Erin here with some thoughts on the Summer blockbuster "Oppenheimer":
I haven't seen "Oppenheimer" yet, but I read this article recently. It got me thinking about the importance of asking questions and the significance of small actions.
For context: https://www.latimes.com/delos/story/2023-07-26/oppenheimer-atomic-bomb-new-mexico-cancer-aftermath
This is the story of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium and the numbers of Hispanos and Indigenous peoples displaced, made sick, and killed by their proximity to the nuclear test sites in the American Southwest.
The article describes how "Oppenheimer" perpetuates the lie that the land the US government used for the Trinity Testing site was unpopulated and remote from any human settlements.
Oppenheimer poster. © Universal Pictures.
Protestors for the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. © Union of Concerned Scientists
I understand that the filmmakers have limited (over three hours) time to tell a story. Also, I wouldn't want them to pay lip service to the Hispanos and Indigenous folks who were harmed by the Manhattan Project.
But, we can ask more questions of the art we consume. We can think critically and expand our own understanding of this complicated part of US history.
Secondly, we can think about small actions that can make a difference. Activists working for recognition and compensation for the victims and their families reached out to the filmmakers to add a slide to the closing credits.
A small action that would have recognized a group of humans erased by history and by the story told in this movie.
What stories in your life can you ask more questions about?
What small actions can you take to make an impact?
