The recent announcement of Lifetime’s network original film on the water crisis that is still occurring in Flint, MI perfectly encapsulates mainstream media’s attitude about crises specifically in urban cities. If you’ve been living beneath an extremely privileged rock for the past year, then you may not be aware of the tragic situation currently inconviencing the population of Flint by stripping them from the use of clean water.
In 2014, the city’s government made the decision to switch water sources in an effort to cut back costs. The pipeline that provided water to Flint was switched to go directly to the Flint River- a water source that was historically known to be of poor quality. Once the switch occurred, residents began to complain about the strange consistency and color of the water and eventually levels of lead were found in the water supply. In an attempt to fix their suddenly very apparent mistake, the city switched to the Detroit water supply, yet the problems did not end there. And thus begins a tragic tale of how a city with a 56.6% African American population and a 41.6% below-the-poverty-line population was left without clean water for much too long.
Like most issues facing predominantly urban cities, the scandal did catch the attention of the media… for about a month. The stories of water containing fecal matter and baths with E-coli bacteria were much too real and depressing to actually captivate the rest of the country for too long. As time went by, it seemed as if less and less of the rest of the population cared about the thousands of people who were forced to make daily treks to the supermarket to stock up on bottles of water.
Today, the problem has still not entirely cured itself. The population of Flint is still tangled in a legal scandal involving charges against six government officials and the investigation into the very slow reaction to the water crisis. Oh yeah, and the people of Flint are still without an easy remedy for clean water.
The governent has provided an amount of crates of bottled waters for each family in need and have provided the instillation of water filters, but even these remedies aren’t quick fixes. For one thing it can be pretty tough living out of water bottles;every bath, every meal has to be calculated down to the tee. Additionally, the water filters aren’t adapted to fit every household. The point is, the water crisis is far from over.
I’m hoping that Lifetime will prove me wrong, but I simply can’t see how White actors and White produces and White directors will correctly convey the story that continues to plague predominantly Black Americans.
Typically, documentaries concerning crises come long after the issue has been resolved. However, this lifetime feature comes right in the gist of the madness. Instead of taking the time to donate to the cause, the geniuses at Lifetime figured it would be better to release a documentary that barely anyone will even watch… how does that sound like a good idea?
To add to this dumpster fire, the team behind the movie is (you guessed it) all white. With the first announced actress on board being Cher, well I can already guess how this movie will turn out. I’m hoping that Lifetime will prove me wrong, but I simply can’t see how White actors and White produces and White directors will correctly convey the story that continues to plague predominantly Black Americans.
As Kevin O’Keefe of Mic Network perfectly summarizes, the movie is “well-meaning but a terrible idea.” There is a lot more to be done about the Flint crisis that comes way before making a lifetime movie about it. I guarantee that a made-for-T.V movie will not magically mend the many problems that Flint inhabitants are facing, I’m afraid that they are going to need a lot more than Cher.
I pray that this movie will not be as bad as many expect it to be. I hope that it will be moving and bring awareness to a very real issue. I can only hope that it will impact the city for the better and perhaps even benefit the cause. But until it is released, Lifetime has a lot to prove.
