For Americans of my generation the image of a Iron Eyes Cody shedding a tear while surveying a garbage-covered landscape that was once the land his people and the buffalo roamed is tattooed on our brains. It was a wake up call to "Keep America Beautiful."
Now the folks who brought us Iron Eyes, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires," "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," and "Friends don't let friends drive drunk," have teamed up with Environmental Defense to bring the climate crisis into the living rooms of Americans. The Ad Council ads, there are two 30 second TV spots and two for the radio, are in-your-face and link directly to the future of our children and their children.
In one, a baby-boomer stands on railroad tracks while a train bears down on him ("the train wreck that is the climate crisis"), says the effects of global warming won't be felt for another 30 years so why should he care? He walks away only to reveal a young girl about to be slammed by the speeding train.
While they lack a ringing phrase that will stick in our minds for a generation, the messages, in pure Ad Council fashion, are simple, direct, and jarring. Yet will those of us who grew up with Iron Eyes be moved to take the kind of aggressive action called for in the ads? Stay tuned. Nevertheless, it is good to have the muscle of the Ad Council weighing in at this critical time.
Tick
Train
View the ads at: fightglobalwarming.com
Categories: climatechange, media, activism
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