Both Captain Planet and Toyota Prius claim to be "Eco-friendly". However it was made clear that event though Captain Planet and the Prius had the title they did not mean that the result and effects of these two products were truly improving ecological state of the planet. Captain Planet actually shows that humans can't improve the ecological issues alone and need some sort of magic rings and a supernatural being (Captain Planet) to actually have an impact in the improvement of the environment crisis. Then for Prius it is not as gas efficient as it states and it also creates a lot of chemicals that harm the earth. The list goes on, on how these products only have the title and don't necessarily do or have the result as expected.
It was also made clear that they both were advertised as such because people are more likely to by or watch something that claims you ll make a difference or you will help fix an issue. They feel as if they are demonstrating they care. What I found interesting however that the buyers of these two products are the same type of people. They are types of people that want to feel like they are helping improve a popular issue without doing the work. They do it because they feel the societal pressure to do something that will helps the environment, but don't see the actual positive or negative effects.
If they truly cared why is it they just go along with the advertisements and buy a Prius, or just let there child watch Captain Planet just because of the title thinking your actually teaching your child something without putting the effort. When this happens instead of helping they are perpetuating the cycle of environmental destruction in a indirect. It is until we stop having the mentality of- I am doing something don't judge me- to actually caring and taking the time to research what we actually consume and support that there will be a advance in the ecological issues.
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I agree that we need to change are approach to becomming more eco-friendly but a lot of the reason for our current vies, as a society, is a result of corporate culture and the influence of advertisements. Ads directly target the desires of the majority. They show people whatever they want. In the case of the prius, the ads show a greener world. However, the reality behind it is that people don't buy hybrids to save be environmentally friendly, they buy them under the guise of being green. Ultimately, it is just an economic decision. Saving 20-30% more gas pee year translates to hundreds of saved dollars.
ReplyDeleteMaribel: Good point about the effort required to make sound environmental decisions. As Royce is also pointing to, the same care we use in making financial decisions (renting a new home, buying a car, taking a job) needs to be used in thinking through our impacts on the environment. And when was the last time we could accept advertising claims at face value? Really?
ReplyDeleteAll have valid points in this, and it has been my experience, in watching the many wonderful presentations and in researching my own final project that all of our 'green' efforts are really marketing paradoxes. I agree with Alenda's inquiry as to when we could really accept advertising at face value...Have advertisements ever REALLY been about telling the truth in selling a product? Chiara pointed me in the direction of AdBusters and I think it is really interesting. Maybe some of y'all might want to check it out. https://www.adbusters.org/
ReplyDeleteI really like the spoof ads...
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I am trying to incorporate into my paper is that although "Captain Planet" may not be providing sustainable solutions to environmental issues and isn't directly empowering viewers, I still wouldn't say that I regret having watched it or that I would want it to be removed from television completely. I still think there is some value in the fact that it still exposes young children to environmental issues. While the exaggeration included in the show and the motto "The power is yours!" is probably a way to appease our desire to feel like we are making an impact, I still can't discard that perhaps the creation of such a show signifies a step forward in making a difference in our interaction with "nature."
ReplyDeleteAs for adbusters, that's a very interesting website. Lots to explore! I found an entry about "Taking Over Transit Adspace" which reminded me of social interventions and such. They targeted a McDonald's ad by posting "I'm not lovin' it" beside the ad. This brought back thoughts about the environmental impacts of fast food chains, Food Inc. and that video game that we played a while back when we were talking about procedural rhetoric.