Interesting view George Marshall has here - I have a lot of time for his approach...Climate Change Denial » Collapse Porn?
A movie that is now being launched in the UK called Collapse shows Michael Ruppert chainsmoking his way through visions of social and economic disaster. It is symptomic of the utterly self defeating way that peak oil and climate change are typically communicated
I saw that film the other week. It was pretty good. A tad apocalyptic maybe, but there's a lot of truth in there I'm sure. No part of our current way of life is sustainable, and if that film can spur people on to make positive changes towards sustainability then it's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI also think our current political and economic institutions are incapable of slowing down our civilisation's destruction of the environment or making real changes towards sustainability, necessitating more grass roots rather than top down leadership, and if this film can encourage people to see that, then once again I am all for it.
A bit of collapse porn never hurt anyone.
Hmmm...'if that film can spur people to make positive changes' and 'if this film can encourage people to see that' then I would agree with you. Problem is that this style of communication tend to push people into various forms and degrees of denial rather than positive change and action (see the orginal post by George Marshall for the full reasoning behind this). I'm all for doing whatever works to tackle climate change plus other major problems and for me this is not it.
ReplyDeletePeople are already in denial. Nobody wants to talk or even think about these problems, because they don't think they will effect them. I think this film can potentially make people realise that overconsumption and unsustainability can and will have a real effect on their lives, and that doing nothing could lead to disaster, not 100 years from now, but in our lifetimes.
ReplyDeleteAll of us need a good kick up the arse, which is exactly what this film delivers.
And why are people already in denial?? Why do they not want to think about these problems? Does any film that has a doom and gloom message prompt people to feel hopeless, powerless or perhaps defensive and even more sceptical as a result? Have we not had many other films like this...and what is the evidence that they work? A 'good kick up the arse' doesn't sound like a well thought through communication strategy to me.
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