When I saw the alluring green cover of the latest Bitch magazine, my heart skipped a beat. I was excited to read their take on the recent surge of eco-tainment, but *spoiler alert* I’m sad to say they really dropped the ball.
In the editorial they confess we were a little sick of this issues theme before we even got started. After all, a parade of green issues preceded us in 2006, from Elle to Dwell to the Economist to Vanity Fair. So they rebel with an issue devoted to all things green, including pot, money and jealousy.
The broad theme is a cool idea on its own, but it’s prefaced by some serious eco-bashing. Explaining, green, after all, is associated with plenty of things not nearly as righteous as the likes of Bono might have you believe they admit they are reluctant to be just another magazine earnestly waving the flag for environmentally aware consumption, pondering the implications of global climate change, and enthusing about the awesomeness of driving a Prius and living in a solar-powered geodesic dome in the woods.
Hold up. Bono? Geodesic domes? I double check that I am in fact reading Bitch, and that they still offer a feminist response to pop-culture.
Yes, the Earth and we Earthlings have a mess on our hands. Its quite the kerfuffle, really, but there are exciting ways to be active, and inspiring people are making a difference. Life in a geodesic dome sounds pretty rad, but is really only one option.
Like feminism, environmentalism is diverse, exhilarating, frustrating, refreshing, humbling and empowering. Also like in feminism, taking an ecocritical viewpoint involves thinking about the political, social and economic structures that govern how we live on this planet. Its hard to communicate this kind of awareness, and even harder when we have to compete with stereotypes for credibility.
Its true that we get a little numb when the media gang up to shove one particular issue down our throats for long, intense periods of time. Its a natural reaction, but it also means that the truly important issues are perceived as yet another passing fad. So when we think critically about the ways corporate media may be selling a watered-down environmentalism (eco-chic as the cool du jour), we need to be careful not to dismiss real ecological issues at the same time. An irritating green fashion spread is not a reason to bail out of the conversation. Indie media can inject the discussion with new perspectives, analysis and opportunities for action. Ill be doing my best around these parts, and Id love to know your thoughts.
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two comments
Hi Erin! I also read the said issue of Bitch Magazine. I can see what you mean about the green movement being just as diverse as the feminist movement, and how it is disappointing when a similarly "progressive" movement bashes another.
But the sense I got from that editorial was not that Bitch was bashing the eco-movement, but that they were bashing the more consumerist, glamourous and classist elements of green. And I was happy that Bitch included a critique of the green movement's consumer-happy aspects. Even though they were pretty sharp-tongued, I didn't think they were dismissing green issues en masse - after all, the critique prefaced a whole issue almost solely devoted to feminism and environmentalism.
As much as it is nice that Bono gives a rat's ass about something, considering he could be spending his time swimming in piles of designer sunglasses, I don't really buy his approach to the green/social issues movement. Consider the latest high-profile campaign he backed: the Red campaign, where a bunch of mega corporations sold red-coloured products and promised to donate 10% of the profits from their red stuff to AIDS research. Now wouldn't it have made more sense for Bono to encourage people to donate money directly to AIDS research, rather than encouraging them to blow $300 on an ipod, only $30 of which would go to AIDS research?
The parts of the green movement that encourage consumerism really get my goat. I do try to be non-judgemental and grateful that green issues are finally getting mainstream coverage. But every time I hear about some celebrity spending thousands of dollars on an eco-car instead of let's say, riding a bicycle or donating to public transit or backing something un-glamourous and un-consumerist - I feel like sticking my head down a composting toilet, and flushing.
Posted by Thea
February 9, 2007, 12:59 PM
[...] Jeff only got any alcohol at all because he spent twenty or so minutes trying to catch the attention of one of the bartenders, who had, apparently, other and far more important things on their minds. Like world peace or What Would Bono Do? [...]
Posted by Cui Bono? An evening at Ceili's « raincoaster
March 16, 2007, 4:26 AM
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