Category: Cultural responses

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May 30, 1990 – Midnight Oil do a gig outside Exxon’s HQ in New York

On this day, May 30, 1990, Australian band “Midnight Oil” held an impromptu concert in New York, outside Exxon’s HQ. You can see the footage here

Exxon were villain du jour because of a certain carelessness the previous spring in Alaska.

We didn’t know then, but Exxon already had a solid ten years of climate knowledge under its belt – they knew that their product would wreck the planet, but why, erm, rock the boat?

You might also like this song, by “Max Q”

Why this matters. 

Culturally, we can resist.  Economically, persistently, strategically? Not so easy.

What happened next?

Midnight Oil kept burning.  They stopped while Peter Garrett, lead singer tried to change the system from within.  Have since resumed.


Exxon?  Oh, Exxon kept up their boundless love and generosity for future generations by, you know, funding denialist outfits, getting IPCC chairs sacked – the usual.

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Cultural responses

May 21, 1971 – Marvin Gaye asks “What’s Going On?”

On this day, May 21, 1971 Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On was released

As per wikipedia

What’s Going On is a concept album with most of its songs segueing into the next and has been categorized as a song cycle. The narrative established by the songs is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to his home country to witness hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye’s introspective lyrics explore themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. He has also been credited with promoting awareness of ecological issues before the public outcry over them had become prominent (Mercy Mercy Me).

“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology),” was released as a single on 10 June.

Woah, ah, mercy, mercy me
Ah, things ain’t what they used to be (ain’t what they used to be)
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north and south and east

Why this matters

Before the 1986-1992 wave of concern (deforestation, ozone, greenhouse) there was another big wave of concern – 1969-1972. Same dynamics of media, legislative interest and organisations going up like a rocket and tumbling down like a stick. We should know this, while appreciating the genius of people like Gaye.

What happened next

Gaye was murdered by his father iin 1984.

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Cultural responses United States of America

April 5, 2008 – Charlton Heston dies, star of first movie to mention the greenhouse effect

On this dayApril 5  2008 Charlton Heston died. What the hell has this got to do with climate change? 

Well, two things. One, superficially, Heston was the star of the first Hollywood movie to mention the greenhouse effect.  Soylent Green, released in April of 1973, has the following exchange

More deeply Charlton Heston is a good example of one of the problems that environmentalists face from a demographic and gender perspective. Namely, this Heston was a small-l liberal as a younger man and made the right noises about desegregation and racial justice. But as he aged, he became steadily more right wing, especially on the issue of gun control. And he became a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association (which is not a social movement organisation but is a lobby group disguised as a social movement organisation). “You’ll pry my gun from my cold dead fingers.” 

And this move is one that men often make. Especially men as they age, and it means that it’s really hard to sustain the concern for the environment, which becomes framed as a woman’s issue.

Why this matters. 

People take their cues from those they admire. We are very very social animals. And when a “macho” man’s man like Charlton Heston goes all anti-reflexive, it matters…

What happened next?

Well, last time I checked, Heston was still dead and the C02 was still accumulating.

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Cultural responses

March 30, 1992 – Thelma and Louise could teach humans a thing or three….

On this day in 1992 Thelma and Louise wins the Oscar for best original screenplay.

What on earth has this got to do with climate change?

Well, a throwaway line by Harvey Keitel’s cop character, Hal Slocumb,  sums up the human condition.

Another cop wonders aloud why these “girls” still haven’t been caught – are they really smart or just lucky? Hal Slocumb says “Don’t matter. Brains’ll only get  you so far, and luck always runs out…”

.

Our species, collectively, is very very “smart” – that is, technologically adept.  Opposable thumbs and a couple of millimiters of neocortex has been, well, wow. Sadly, we are also dumb as a rock, collectively, and it seems getting dumber.

We’ve been lucky so far, not to nuke ourselves on multiple occasions (probably more of them than the public knows about- “Imagine any mix up and the lot could go”). But if you load the dice against yourself for long enough, eventually your luck is gonna run out.  Here comes the 21st century.

FWIW, someone should do a re”-reading” of this film in the context of Carla Daggett’s “Petro-masculinities”