Kathryn RyanJosé VazquezFlammable: Essay 2

Toxic Uncertainty & Waiting in Flammable

In Flammable, Javier Auyero and Debora Swistun examine life in the shantytown, creating a multi-dimensional view of life within the slum that is Flammable through interviews with residents of all ages. These interviews, alongside Swistun’s “life-notes”, allow the reader to truly gauge the uncertainty and insecurity present among residents of the shantytown.

Throughout the text of Flammable, Auyero and Swistun address this uncertainty; such is referred to in this particular instance as “toxic uncertainty”. This term denotes the misconceptions and insecurities that exist among the residents of the slum with regard to the toxic conditions in which they live. Auyero and Swistun assert that the source of such uncertainty is not the individuals, but rather the circumstances in which they life. Through interviews of older residents, the reader can see that the change in toxicity and pollution of Flammable happened gradually over the course of approximately seventy years. Therefore, as it was a build-up of seemingly minor problems rather than a major disruption, “residents [of Flammable] did not abruptly discover that their neighborhood was polluted” (Flammable, 144). Had a major disruption occurred as opposed to a gradual increment of minor problems, there would most likely be a greater probability of action by the residents, as well as by people outside of the community. The residents of Flammable are uncertain about the health effects of industrial pollution, or if the health problems from which they suffer are a product of the contamination of their environment. This toxic uncertainty, as well as the residents’ constant waiting for government action, ultimately contribute to lack of action and therefore, prolonged suffering on the part of the residents of Flammable.

Waiting is a familiar element of life in the shantytown: waiting for medical attention; waiting for lawyers; waiting for judges; waiting for relocation – all is instrumental in the residents’ lack of control over their own lives. Auyero and Swistun notes in Flammable that the individual residents’ perception of the toxicity was altered by their hopeful views of the future. In other words, while the resident would express concern over the unsanitary conditions, said resident would then focus more so on the positive changes to come, such as relocation. The interview with resident Veronica is one such instance, as she expresses her dislike for the community, but must wait to for her lawyer and the courts to rule in her favor. If the ruling is indeed in favor of the shantytown’s residents, Veronica plans to relocate her family to the countryside. Until then, however, little can be done to better Veronica’s situation.

The text offers commentary on the residents of Flammable: “…they experience contamination as something that escapes their control and as something toward which the dominant stance is that of waiting for the powerful to decide over their lives” (Flammable, 111). Oftentimes, relocation is promised, but is postponed. While awaiting relocation, residents within the community go about their daily

routines. It is in such routine that much of the problem is rooted, for a routine allows the resident to focus on the task at hand – the familiarity and normalcy of the task – and therefore calls one’s attention away from the growing problems within the community. A longtime resident, Garcìa, tells Auyero and Swistun how there had been rumors of relocation circulating within the community since 1982 – and still no action had been taken. Disputes over the jurisdiction of the shantytown are a large part of the issue of relocation of Flammable’s residents.

Toxic uncertainty, as presented by Auyero and Swistun, as well as residents’ unease over just compensation in the event of relocation, present great issues for the residents of Flammable.