History of a Public Controversy Brainstorm

I think that tracking and documenting the history of a public controversy will be a really intriguing project that will allow me to learn a lot more about a specific aspect of American culture. I have a few ideas for public issues that are highly contested and have had significant enough developments over time to form the basis for a documentary plot. My first idea, which is particularly relevant in light of the recent pandemic, is to investigate the history of vaccine mandates as public health policy over time. Obviously, I could start by covering the period where major vaccines (such as polio, smallpox) became prevalent in medicine and note the initial public reaction to mandates of such vaccines. I could similarly dive into the origins of the “anti-vaxx” movement including what people/groups advocated for it, what reasons they had for advancing their movement (including whether these reasons were rooted in fact or fiction), and how the movement has evolved over time. A significant portion of the documentary could focus on the unique situation of the Covid-19 vaccines, especially considering the accelerated timeline of their development and their exhibition of novel “mRNA” technology.

Another public controversy that I believe has potential for an intriguing documentary would be the history of gun legislation in America. All the way from the founding of America, I could demonstrate how the role of guns in American public life went from being a commonplace to a contentious political controversy. I could especially focus on the increase in prevalence in mass shootings in the past 20 years and how that has prompted the “gun control/gun safety” movements and reciprocating anger from gun rights activists.