Saving Gaia

The Saving Gaia campaign by MediaCorp is back and Channel NewsAsia will be showing the new Saving Gaia documentary series from June 16. We think this is a good effort by MediaCorp to educate and engage viewers on environmental problems and solutions.

However, we feel that the provocative campaign advertisement of the boy doll dripping oil and blood, and cut by a chainsaw does not serve its intended purpose as stated by MediaCorp:

“We’re trying to deliver a message that’s cut through. We think that if it’s a very pretty ad on saving the environment, touchy-feely, it might not achieve the same results. And that’s why we’ve resorted to something a bit more thought-provoking, and hopefully it’ll register the impact of what we’re doing to the environment.”

 

After watching the video advertisement, the first thing that came to mind was, “Is this a campaign on prevention of child abuse?” The terrible acts performed on the boy doll were supposed to represent the bad things we are doing to the environment. But that representation was not clear and one was only focused on the doll “being tortured”.

We also think that viewers will first be shocked and be put off by the advertisement. After watching it again, they might feel numb and a sense of helplessness. We think that more people nowadays are aware about environmental issues but are not taking action because they are not being inspired. After watching endless shows and reports on environmental issues, it is depressing and one just loses the motivation to take action and “fight on”.

What we need from the media leader is not a ”I have a nightmare” campaign but a “I have a dream” campaign that inspires people to take action. This inspiring and positive mentality is described in the article on The Death of Environmentalism:

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream speech” is famous because it put forward an inspiring, positive vision that carried a critique of the current moment within it. Imagine how history would have turned out had King given an “I have a nightmare” speech instead.

In the absence of a bold vision and a reconsideration of the problem, environmental leaders are effectively giving the “I have a nightmare” speech, not just in our press interviews but also in the way that we make our proposals. The world’s most effective leaders are not issue-identified but rather vision and value-identified. These leaders distinguish themselves by inspiring hope against fear, love against injustice, and power against powerlessness.

A positive, transformative vision doesn’t just inspire, it also creates the cognitive space for assumptions to be challenged and new ideas to surface. And it helps everyone to get out of their “issue” boxes.

The provocative and shocking advertisement campaign is an unfortunate distraction that may result in some viewers feeling disgusted and helpless. Fortunately, the new Saving Gaia documentary series is focused on solutions. Don’t be put off by the advertisement but focus instead on the series and be inspired.

Image source: Saving Gaia.