The Canary Effect: Examining the Ethical and Moral Impacts of US Policies on Indigenous Communities

Abstract

[Name] 500 words Robin Davey and Yellow Thunder woman are main filmmakers of this interesting documentary “[Author]”. Based on what I have watched, the documentary aims at enlightening its targets on the effects of some government policies especially those that are racially coined. While defining genocide, these filmmakers argue that the American government is guilty of extermination crime that they committed to African American over three centuries ago. Basically, the film is all about the pains of racial profiling as racism lead the indigenous American to suffer in the hands of the enforced policies that lead many to segregation forcing them to experience unbearable living conditions simply because they were not white. It is a documentary that reminds its target viewers on the impacts of racism and how old this concept of racism has dominated the American people especially the people of color. While analyzing [Author] from Kohbergs and Giligan’s theories of moral development and gender, it is open that the experiences of the Native Americans offer a healthy platform to critically analyze the moral and ethical dimensions of American government policies. Kohlberg’s theory argues that humans progress through stages of moral reasoning shaping their ethical decision making (Conerly, Holmes and Tamang, 2021). In this regard the pre-conventional stage which I characterized by obedience to authority and self-interest lead policymakers justify their actions. Settlers gave in to forced relocation based on what was legally permissible. Conventional stage comes with valuing conformity of order which was well reflected by conformity with boarding schools demands no matter the effect this had on Native Americans. Lastly the post-conventional stage which revolves around reasoning as per the universal ethical principles and human rights remains expressed through intervention of activists and scholars interviewed within the film. These figures advocated for recognition of the...