Let's+Pollute

= __// ﻿﻿ //// Let's Pollute //__ = = __ by Geefwee Boldoe __ =

Assessment by Rachelle Stinson  March 2011

= Synopsis  = // ﻿ // //﻿Let's Pollute// is one of the animated short films nominated for the 2010 Academy Awards. It is a six-minute satirical short modelled after educational films common in the 1950's and 60's. The conceit is that it will teach you how to be a better polluter by following its many tips and suggestions. It assumes, in a satirical fashion of course, that its viewers feel entitled to pollute and in fact want to do so. The narrator charts the evolution of human polluting practices back to prehistoric times and proudly explains how the tradition has continued since then. With the tongue-in-cheek attitude of "you can always care less" it encourages viewers to practice excessive consumption, think of convenience first, and support the corporate machine. = My Identity = This film speaks to one of the issues that I am most passionate about: environmental responsibility and awareness. In teaching this film, I would definitely make my interest on the issue evident so as to encourage my students to share their own views. Because the creators of the film clearly align with my own view on the subject, I do not feel that my own bias in favour of environmental activism would hinder an objective consideration of the issue or the effectiveness of the film. In fact, as part of our discussion, I will be sure to touch upon the negative aspects of the film and why it does or does not work as an educational tool. In presenting this to my students, I would hope that my role as teacher does not create an overemphasis on the didactic nature of the film and thus negatively impact their appreciation of it. To address this, I will stress that this film is not addressed to a specific age demographic, but rather to a wide audience that includes myself. As we assess the film together, I would hope that they see me as an equal in terms of our responsibilities and duties as global citizens.

=Suggested Grades / Courses / Related Texts= I would use this film in a Grade 10 Academic English class, during a unit on satire and / or parody or as part of a media criticism unit. It would work well in conjunction with other satirical texts, perhaps an older one such as Swift's //A Modest Proposal// or another contemporary example such as //The Simpsons//. There is a satirical episode of //The Simpsons// that addresses the environmental cause titled "Two Cars in every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish." (season 2, episode 4) It would be interesting to use this as a comparison piece. Besides an English class, one could also use this film in a social studies class where environmentalism is commonly a topic of discussion.

=Main Ideas / Discussion Points=

__ Topical Knowledge: __
- Stressing the importance of environmental responsibility and awareness - What are the examples of excessive consumption that this film highlights? Ideas: gas, products, food etc. - Who are the main culprits of this problem (thinking of both citizens and corporations)?
 * **Environmentalism** - Discussion of the message / purpose of the film
 * **Consumerism** - What has this come to mean in Western, and specifically North American society?

__ Cultural Knowledge: __

 * ** Whose Culture Is This? ** - Do you think this film targets a specific culture? Does this film say something about Western culture in particular? It is obviously a negative depiction, but what are the specific accusations?
 * **Consumer Culture** - Do you agree with this portrayal of consumer cultures? Do you find the exaggeration to be effective?
 * **Critical Voice and Culture** - Apart from the targetted culture, I would also discuss how the critical voice of this film can also be viewed as a Western voice. i.e. what are the subjects that are critiqued and how do they represent Western practices? (here I would encourage students to consider what images they are seeing, the types of cars, the activities presented, the apparent race or ethnicity of the people)

__ Social Knowledge: __

 * **Humanity** - What is the portrait here of humanity in general? What unappealing traits are we painted with?
 * **Ignorance** - What are the causes and consequences of ignorance? Does a society ignore or is this the privilege of individuals?
 * **Social Consciousness / Awareness** - Besides monitoring our environment, in what other ways should we be socially responsible?

__ Textual Knowledge: __

 * **Satire** - This film is an excellent example of satire and would be an ideal way to introduce the genre. Students would be encouraged to consider what is being satirized / critiqued, and who is doing the critiquing. What are the advantages of using satire to draw attention to an issue? What are the disadvantages? (here students will consider whether the issue is treated seriously or whether the viewer might feel alienated by the satiric attitude) Students should also consider how the use of animation effectively aids the satirical message.
 * **Parody** - Modelled on the educational films of the 50's and 60's, this film is also a good example of parody. For examples of these types of films visit the website silverscreenclassics.com and search under educational films. Important Question: Why is it effective here to use the model of an educational film? How does it add to the meaning? Considering the role of the audience, with an educational film the viewer often adopts the role of student. How is this altered with the infusion of satire? Are we still students, or do we align ourselves with the critical narrator because we are savvy enough to realize the truth behind his satirical words?
 * **Meaning Makers** - What contributes to the meaning of the film? Ideas: Critical Voice / Narrator's voice, Images, Tone. I would encourage students to consider how the images in particular often create meaning by working in direct opposition to what is said. For example, the narrator advocates buying foods that are treated with pesticides while the image shows the consumer instantly growing old and sickly. Similarly, the film ends with the slogan "do your part, don't delay, pollute today!" while contradiction is implied via a skull-and-crossbones that flashes across the screen amidst the sound of someone coughing.

=Possible Challenges= This film might be difficult to teach insofar as students are often not as comfortable dissecting / understanding satiric messages as they are with straightforward ones. Additionally, students are also probably not very familiar with the form and style of an old-fashioned educational film and for this reason I have advocated showing examples of these in the lesson (see above). With regards to the project I have proposed, the challenge that I foresee is making sure that students understand how to convey a satirical message without trivializing their subject or being offensive. = = =Possible Project: Use Your Own Satirical Voice!= For this project students would be asked to think of a cause / issue that they are passionate about and to present it, in small groups, in a satirical dramatization with the purpose of drawing attention to its importance. This could be done as an educational film, a commercial, a newscast (think Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert), or a short narrative skit (like those on SNL). Students would have to be aware of their specific message, their target audience, their object / subject of ridicule, and the most effective vocal tone and language to display their message.

While watching the presentations of their classmates, students would have to peer evaluate the effectiveness of the satires that they see. Aspects to be evaluated would be: how effectively the message was conveyed through the satire, how clear the target of criticism was, how consistant and appropriate the tone and voice was etc.

__ Curriculum Expectations Addressed with this Project: __
- **2.1** - Communicating orally for a variety of purposes and using appropriate language for the intended audience - **2.3** - Communicating in a clear and coherent manner - **2.4** - Using appropriate words, phrases, terminology, and stylistic devices to communicate meaning - **2.5** - Using different vocal strategies including tone, pitch, pace, volume - **2.6** - Using non-verbal cues (facial expressions, gestures) to convey meaning - **1.1** - Demonstrating an understanding of how media texts cater to particular audiences and purposes - **1.2** - Interpreting media texts, and identifying and explaining the messages they convey - **1.3** - Evaluating how effectively information, ideas, issues, and opinions are communicated and whether or not they achieve their intended purpose - **3.4** - Producing media texts for a variety of purposes and audiences
 * **Oral Communication**
 * **Media Studies**