I stumbled across a warming-in-pop-culture gem while prowling through websites on a simple “global warming” google search. The “title” of the link was just “global warming” so I was surprised when I got the site loaded and a video started playing, narrated by non other than Leonardo DeCaprio (I recognized his voice from Titanic and confirmed with the url). The video was pretty long for an intro to a website and filled with plenty of arguments, so I’m going to focus on just that instead of attempting to tackle the whole website.
Argument number one is made simply by the name attached to the site. From the very beginning of the video (or viewing the url or actually visiting the website), it’s pretty apparent that Leo is behind it. So, we get a celebrity endorsement of global warming. All the glamour, power, wealth, general coolness that we link with celebrities is then linked to the issue of climate change. Now, caring about the climate is not only “conscientious” but “cool” and “glamourous”.
The video starts off with a series of beautiful photographs of the earth and Leo’s narration. As he describes the earth, the “key words” flash on the screen–the planet is “ours” and “one of a kind”, etc. Leo is, essentially, making an advertisement for the planet. He tells us it belongs to us while showing us how beautiful it is, that there’s nothing that can replace it. Planet→product.
Suddenly, menacing music starts. Leo starts to describe our “oil addiction” and how it’s destroying the planet. Images change from lovely pictures of the earth to hoards of people, smokestacks, and oil drops. I noticed a couple things here. First, the music let’s us know how we’re supposed to feel about the issue. Even if someone knew literally nothing about global warming, they know now it’s BAD. Second, the language Leo uses is meant to simultaneously draw the viewer in and repulse them. His description of the process of events that lead to our current oil dependence is told almost like a story. There is no presentation of data or citations of facts. This (clever) tactic is used to appeal to the people who are interested in learning about Leonardo Decaprio. NOTE. I do NOT mean to suggest that people can’t be interested in pop culture and also be interested in science, or that people interested in pop culture are dumb, or anything like that (clearly, I am one of those people). What I do mean is that when someone goes to a website for Leonardo Decaprio, they are generally not looking for scientific information, but narratives about people’s lives. So, Leo gives us a narrative. END OF NOTE. The words that flash on the screen are “addiction” “consumption” “sewer” (among others)–words meant to disgust us and provoke fear. In the same way Crichton describes villans in his novel (meaning environmentalists) and the evil events they are planning, Leo uses powerful language to hook the viewer. This happens really intensely later, when he talks about the affects of global warming. “Freak weather” and “giant ice chunks” and other terrifying Day After Tomorrow-esque descriptions of the state of the world in 20 years. Clearly, Crichton and Leo both understand the value of scare-tactics.
After talking about oil for a bit (how it’s formed, why we use a lot of it), he gets to the issue of global warming–and barely says anything! He talks plenty about the consequences, but says maybe one sentence on the link between oil use and global warming. He does not even touch on how we know it’s occurring (apart from stating “many scientists agree” or something like that–more on that below), any of the science, or even why oil use would cause global warming. I think this is a wise choice by Leo and company. They try to (1) keep people’s interest, (2) avoid discussing something they probably are less than experts in (but then, what is an expert? See below), but most importantly (3) paint global warming as an incontrovertible fact. Not discussing the internal links between our practices and the climate crisis sends the message that there is no need, because it’s just fact. This is reinforced later, when Leo mentions skeptics (not their theories, just the fact that they exist, so as to not immerse himself in science) and says “don’t be fooled!” (the phrase also flashes on the screen). You’re a complete idiot if you don’t believe in warming! Listen to the movie star everyone, not the skeptics!
The video then launches into what YOU can do about the issue. I think this is where the issue of authority gets most thoroughly explored. Leo tells us all politicians are “dangerously resistant to change” (word flash) and won’t do anything about climate change because they have profited so much from the oil industry. The use of the word “dangerously” sure makes me not want to trust politicians. Leo ties consumption (identified as a problem in the oil sequence) to politics, which lets the viewer make the connection of all the scary stuff we saw before to politics. This strips politicians of their authority pretty effectively. Who then, are we to trust? After going on for a while about the alternative energy posabilities, Leo tells us to “think for ourselves” and “get educated”. So, read a lot and then form our own conclusions? Read who? Can’t trust politicians, can’t trust the skeptics, science is too complicated…hmmmm. This theme of “think for yourself” is one that is encountered in Crichton’s novel and in the presentation of global warming in class the other day, and it seems like a difficult one to tackle. Leo seems to believe that we can somehow think independently of the culture, that there is some kind of objective fact and we just need to learn enough of the other objective facts floating around to find it. Haha, there is no such thing! I talked a lot about this in my other blog post about Crichton and don’t really wanna go into it again (this is way too long…) but I think it’s funny how people keep suggesting education and reading more and sorting through the BS to find truth as solutions to the problems with the way we receive information about warming information. Clearly, everyone can draw conclusions, but the idea that we can make our “own” conclusions seems a little backward, especially when the way we get to them is education (be it school or reading newspapers or watching Leo videos over and over).
Anyway, interesting stuff on many levels. Post video, we know the planet is our possession (and really really pretty), politicians can’t be trusted, warming is caused by selfish humans using oil (and that is 100% fact agreed on by anyone worth anything), and that people need to think for themselves. The whole thing reminded me a little of the scene in the film Zoolander when Derek is being brainwashed by Mugatu and Katinka. Obviously, the messages are a little different (murder of the Malaysian prime minister for trying to put an end to child labor vs stopping global warming) but I think the tactics are similar (contrasts between “good scenes” and “bad scenes”, use of images, spin on information). Just to note, I am a fan of stopping global warming and not a fan of murder.
Finally, here is the link to the Leo movie, which I am craftily putting at the end so you will watch it after reading my post and then be influenced by what I’ve written before you’ve even viewed the clip (sound familiar anyone?). Aaaand sorry again this is so long.
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I like that movie stars like DiCaprio are making an effort to make a difference in the world in concern to global warming. The most important part is that young people look up to him and others who decide to contribute to humanity.
ReplyDeleteAll though some movie stars do it for to be seen, e.g. the Haiti fundraiser. Other stars like Sean Penn, who was helping in New Orleans before Bush got there, are remarkable.
I know that the facts Leo presents are probably far fetched. The images are probably over the top, but he is just trying to get our attention. That is the good part: that he is trying to make a difference.