Matt Klein approximately 200 words
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
“The Clan of One-Breasted Women” Response
By Matt Klein
In “The Clan of One-Breasted Women,” Terry Tempest Williams calls attention to the power the US government is abusing. As a Mormon, Williams was taught to “not ‘make waves’ or ‘rock the boat.’” However, once her father told her she had witnessed nuclear bomb testing, she “realized the deceit [she] had been living under.” Williams describes the injustices done to her clan and her people, and how the government avoided most of the blame using the concept of “sovereign immunity.” Though practically all the women in her clan contracted breast cancer from the radiation of the bomb testing, they were not compensated by the government. Williams and her people thus turned to civil disobedience to advocate their cause.
Williams’ story is tragic, but is not very relatable. I understand her call to avoid blind obedience to authority, but I and many others have never experienced such injustice. There are, however, still environmental issues that affect us. When searching for the facts to problems such as pollution and climate change, sharing Williams’ desire for truth will let us to sift through the politics and mass media surrounding the issues, allowing us to find a solution.