Comfort vs. Consumption

By Anthony D'Angelo III

Consumption was the topic of the readings and viewings we examined this week. Communicating Nature chapters 4 and 5 identified a bunch of concepts and terms that our class used to analyze a variety of works this week, ranging from documentaries, TV shows, YouTube videos and online articles. One of the subjects of chapter 4 was “the links between attitude and behaviors.” I think this was an essential theme to this week’s focus on consumption, because our society is so used to overconsuming, it going to take a serious revision of attitude in order to change our behaviors.

30 days: Working in a Coal Mine did a good job making the connection between coal energy to modern technology. It also showed just how hard and dangerous this line of work is, and how important the job is to the economy of West Virginia. The first thing I noticed was the star power of Morgan Spurlock, who directed, produced and stared in the famous documentary Supersize Me, as well as many other very popular TV series and documentaries. Spurlock has a very recognizable face, and gives instant credibility to whatever it is we the viewers are about to watch (one of the miners even says something along the lines of “I recognize you from that McDonald’s movie.”) He looks and acts a little goofy, but it plays to his audience in a way that captures their attention and even their concern for him. 

This show has a very friendly appeal to it. The background music is perky and upbeat. The producers added cartoon illustrations to show what Spurlock will be doing in the coal mine. The family orientation throughout the show was also very heartwarming.  I like the personal camera shots of Spurlock, divulging his inner feelings about that particular scene. I like seeing someone’s eyes when they are talking to you. The cameramen also do a great job focusing in on the faces of the other workers. It really connects the audience to the people that actually do the job.

I really connected with the shoveling scene of the movie. I have a background in the construction industry, and I remember starting out as a laborer. I really connected with the pain he was feeling after the first day of shoveling for hours straight. How he describes his pain: “beaten with a shovel for hours” and “run over by a coal truck” really resonated with me. I could almost feel my knuckles swell up, my back start to ache, and my biceps lock up. The use of hyperbole in his description of the job is well placed, and justified.

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard was a very interesting video that is different from anything we have examined in this class so far. It combines cartoons, video blog-style filming and an almost interview or teaching-like intimacy with the audience. It was originally a two hour lecture that was condensed into a “made for YouTube” video. It almost felt like “Environmentalism and Consumption for Dummies” as told by the left. I had a hard time absorbing all of the messages being thrown at me. I felt, while watching this video, that I had been stricken with temporary Environmentalism ADD. From government bashing to breast milk toxins to pollution and over use of resources; it just felt like too much.  It seems as though Leonard’s massage was being directed at junior high students and not adults. It felt way too generalized and dumbed down for my liking. I think the video could have been better had it been a little longer and more descriptive, and maybe had shown some kind of evidence or stats to back up her claims.

No Impact Man was clever and original, but just like The Story of Stuff, I couldn’t really connect with the movie on a personal level.  I found it almost offensive that this privileged, Manhattan-based family did this cutesy, family orientated, eco-friendly experiment (on camera, watched by millions using electricity, for profit). I really have a hard time with these kinds of documentaries. Yes, in theory, this family is trying to make a difference. But are they really making a difference, other than bringing attention and publicity to the issue of overconsumption? (Which shouldn’t be overlooked, but it’s not an “eco” impact as much as it is a publicity stunt.) I feel that this documentary serves as more of an advertisement for the issue of overconsumption rather than a blueprint for how society can change.

I couldn’t help but imagine what all the ladies in our class were thinking when this notion of “no impact man vs no impact family” arose.  If the idea of Eco-feminism came to my mind, I can only imagine what everyone else was thinking.      

“23 year old hasn’t produced any trash in two years” by Chelsea Huang was an optimistic article that I found very appealing for different reasons than most people. I don’t see myself ever being as dedicated to the cause as Lauren Singer. However, her message of “don’t talk about it; be about it” I found was an incredibly refreshing take on environmentalism, from the perspective of an engineering major. 

“Being an environmental studies major you learn quickly that nobody likes being told what to do. I learned really fast to not tell people how to live because they'll never change or learn from you."

Everyone has their own way of trying to deliver a message, and I thought hers was subtle yet affective and very respectable. She seems to be opening up new avenues to send her messages with her blogs and her new position at The Simple Co. I just find it hard to believe that she entirely cut plastic out of her life. The classrooms she learns in, the stores she shops at, the public transportation she uses all in some way utilize plastic. So the idea that she has eliminated plastic from her life I think is silly. But her incredible lifestyle adjustments and personal belief system is very admirable and I think the sustainability and environmental community could use a bright mind like hers moving forward.

Realistically, I connected with the issue of consumption a lot less than other issues we have discussed up to this point, including climate change and fracking. However, the use of paper on our campus horrifies me, and if I’m going to make any contributions to reducing consumption, I feel that I can do my part by using less paper. This article, “Ten Easy Ways to Reduce Paper Consumption,“ details ten very easy ways to consume less paper. Another easy way we can use less paper here on Stony Brook campus would be to allow more use of personal electronic devices in the classroom, and ban printing entire chapters of books at one time. 

When researching ironic green advertising, it seemed only fitting to use BP, who has spent millions since the gulf oil spill to try to convince Americans that they are an environmentally friendly company.

LOL.

This particular advertisement makes the claim that just one year later, the gulf water is a beautiful blue color and the sky is sunny and clear. Oh and by the way, the rigs are still there, and BP’s “commitment” to cleaning the gulf is still strong. To me, this ad is offensive, and is a slap in the face to all the people that lost their businesses.  I’m sure the people of the gulf coast area would like to see BP “commit” themselves elsewhere.