Environmental Propaganda

Chapter Nine in Toxic Sludge deals with the idea of “going green.” One section of the chapter that really surprised me was the “good cop/bad cop” part. It is really hard to believe that, given all we know today about climate change, there are still anti-environmentalists out there who believe “that ecological crises don’t exist, that corporations are really protecting and improving the natural environment, and that environmental activists…are ‘eco-terrorists’…and the latest incarnation of the communist menace” (126). I really wonder how these people are convinced that our environment is not in dire need of help. So called “environmental PR” is propaganda that is put out there to then try and persuade the general public that environmental problems do not exist. However, with the tactics we learned in unSpun, we can hopefully see through this propaganda and search for the facts on our own.

Staying unSpun

After reading unSpun, I am more aware than ever of just how deceptive advertisements truly are. Although it seems many people are conscious of this factor, it is still incredibly difficult to “stay unSpun.” After all, we are only human—we still fall prey to the messages that sound so good on the surface level. In the conclusion of unSpun, we are taken through one final propaganda case study. At this point in the text, however, it just seemed like more of the same ideas the writers had already presented. Still, I found the case study interesting. Nowadays, people look for easy and quick ways to lose weight, so when the Hoodia diet first became known, people were rushing to try it. This is just a perfect example, however, of how people are so quick to try things that sound good without actually reading the facts. In this case, that could have been bad news considering very little was actually known about the Hoodia that was being sold. This proves that many people were looking for a quick fix; thus, even when their health was concerned, they didn’t check up on the facts. Overall, unSpun definitely taught me how to be more assertive when it comes to the media. I now look at advertisements more skeptically because I know just how misleading surface messages can truly be.

In addition, there is one portion of Toxic Sludge that I would like to discuss—the “NIMBY” or “Not In My Back Yard” movements. These movements start from the bottom, or grassroots, level. They are formed mostly of average people fighting for a cause they believe in deeply. About ten years ago, there was a “NIMBY” movement organized in my area. At the local mall, contractors wanted to build a 24 theatre AMC movie complex. At the time, such a big complex was unheard of. People in my township, especially those who live right by the mall, had a lot to say about this. Many people were against the idea because they thought it would bring extra traffic and more crime to the area. Despite their efforts, however, the complex was built and is still booming. Sometimes, all the PR done by these “NIMBY” movements is just not enough to defeat the big corporations.