Payton’s article, titled “City of Water: Port-au-Prince, Inequality, and the Social Meaning of Rain”, perfectly displays the connection between a person’s ability to access clean water and their place in the social hierarchy. Based around Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Payton’s study analyzes the environmental and political histories of the city in order to prove that the Haitian government used water resources as a form of power and control over their citizens. The Duvalier regime, which controlled Haiti in the 1970’s, noticed how valuable water resources were, due to the shortages and floods that the country was constantly dealing with, and decided to use them as a weapon to divide the different social classes. Decisions like these only split the country apart politically, leading to the eventual overthrow of the dictatorship in the 1980’s.
The findings of this article prove a lot to be true about society. If the government in Haiti managed to use water access as a weapon against the people, what is to stop any other national government from doing the same thing? There are several countries worldwide that struggle with the same issues that Haiti faced in the 1970’s. All it takes is a corrupt politician to take control and people could completely lose access to one of their most basic needs. Beyond water though, governments could base class divisions off anything that suits their agenda, whether that’s education, food, or even money.
It is also important to note that this study shows a different trend than most studies I have seen. More often than not, social hierarchy is used as a way to determine access to resources. Even in America, a person’s position in society can often factor into how easily they can get clean water. The interesting part about this article is that it shows the reverse happening, water access determining social status. Just like with corrupt governments, this trend could occur anywhere. That is why it is important to notice events like these so they can be prevented in the future.