Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Activism in the media

By Luke Schmitz

The word activism is a difficult one to define, because everyone has different perspectives on what true activism is.  To some, being an environmental activist means using less plastic.  To others, being an activist means participating in environmental events and protests.  However, some people are extremists and take things into their own hands.  Regardless, being an activist comes in many different styles and levels of participation.  Unfortunately, it seems like the media has a large say in what to label the people who partake in various forms of activism.  

In chapter 10 of Communicating Nature,” Julia B. Corbett describes different groups of activists and how the media has such a large impact on the way the public views certain groups and ideas.  I think a major part of this chapter is for Julia to educate the reader on the influences of the media.  This is important so that the reader can look at the news with caution and do research on a topic to form personal opinions.  However, I also feel that it is important to educate the reader if they ever decide to become an activist themselves.  This prepares her readers so that they understand how the media might distort their intentions or mislabel them.  
The movie, The East, which is directed by Zal Batmanglij, shows a very extreme example of environmental activism.  This film shows a very grey area because the characters in the group called The East are harming people, but the people they are harming are responsible for hurting and killing thousands of people through the pharmaceutical industry.  In the movie, the media views the activists to such an extreme that they call The East terrorists.  This is a pretty good portrayal of how the media can distort reality.  Although the group does cause chaos, the media portrays them are heartless and harmful people when in reality, they simply want justice.  This movie changed my perspective on the media because I imagined myself sitting on my couch watching the news about The East and I know that I would have thought they were a terrible group of people, when in reality I would be missing half of the story.  The movie helped me open my eyes and ensure that I try to see all angles of a story before forming any feelings on the situation.  

Although The East was a fictional movie, there is activism that occurs in the real world regularly.  In the state of Utah, a man named Tim DeChristopher used peaceful activism to protect land that he felt was sacred.  The documentary, Bidder 70 tells Tim’s story.  Tim illegally bid on land in Utah in order to protect it from being turned into an industrial wasteland.  For the majority of the population, his actions were heroic and justified.  However, because he broke the law, Tim was sentenced to two years in prison.  I think that this is a great contrast to be activism that took place in The East.  Tim was peaceful in his actions and him and his followers didn’t harm anybody.  For Tim, activism meant trying to do the right thing in a peaceful manner.  

Civilians are not the only people who can be activists.  Currently in California, there is a severe drought and the state is running out of water.  However, the governor of California, Jerry Brown, recently proposed a 1.1 billion dollar drought relief bill.  The bill will cover water recycling and drinking water quality, according to the article, “Jerry Brown, lawmakers propose $1.1 billion drought relief bill amid increasing tension,” which was written by David Siders on March 19, 2015 in the Sacramento Bee.  I think that this story is very good because it shows a politician being an activist.  This is important because politicians have the power to enact change, so it is pleasing to see Jerry Brown being environmentally friendly and active.  

David Goodman wrote an article in Yes Magazine, titled, “Deep in the Amazon, a Tiny Tribe is Beating Big Oil.”  It is about Southern Ecuador and how 1,200 people of a tribe called Kichwa have fended off large oil companies from draining the land of its oil.  This story is interesting because it shows the power that activists can have.  In this case, a small village was able to overcome a much larger foe.   They have an interesting approach to their activism, which is both a lifestyle and has turned political.  The article reads, “In 2008, Ecuador’s constitution became the first in the world to codify the rights of nature and specifically sumak kawsay.”  Sumak kawsay means living in harmony with the natural world and that nature has rights they deserve to be protected.  I think that this article is very powerful in showing that even the little guys have a chance at defeating large oil companies.  

The novel, The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood is a fictional, post-apocalyptic story.  In the novel, there are two groups that could be considered activists who are trying to fight for the sake of humanity.  The first group is called the God’s Gardner’s, and they are a peaceful group of people.  Their leader, Adam One who says, “Our role in respect to the Creatures is to bear witness…and to guard the memories and genomes of the departed.  You can’t fight blood with blood.” However, there is a second group called the Madaddams, and they are more violent.  Their view is, “Peace only goes so far…there’s at least a hundred new extinct species since this time last month.  I think that you can compare these two groups to Tim DeChristopher and the members of The East.  If these people lived in the world created by Margaret in her novel, Tim would become a member of God’s Gardners, while the members of The East would join the Madaddams.  Even in the fictional story, there are different forms of activism that are portrayed.

Ultimately, It is very clear from many forms of media that there are far different kinds of “activists.” Both the members of The East and the Madaddams are portrayed as violent activists.  However, the God’s Gardners and Tim DeChristopher would be considered peaceful activists.  Lastly, Jerry Brown is showing political activism.  Lastly, the Kichwa combined their lifestyle with political activism to fight off large companies.  Although all of these people have different methods, they are all considered activists.  


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