MTV Seeks Eco – Activists Clichés: Is Casting Call for “Eco-Activists” Call for Eco-Stereotypes?
by Olivia Zaleski, New York City, USA on 05.11.07
Wednesday, I posted a casting call for MTVs TRUE LIFE: I’m Stopping Global Warming, an episode highlighting “young environmentalists taking action” and “making change happen.” But what does “taking action” really mean to MTV?
One TH reader, claims she contacted MTV with her story, but was quickly dismissed for not being an “in-your-face angry-protester stereotype of environmentalists.” Curious, I had to investigate and contacted MTV casting.
“We want to inspire kids and students to take action,” said MTV’s casting researcher. “We’re looking for those kids sleeping in the woods so the endangered forest doesn’t get cut down.” Don’t get me wrong . . . it’s great that MTV is drawing mainstream attention to environmental issues, but please, let’s avoid these useless clichés.
When asked for examples of “inspiring eco-activists,” MTV described those who might chain themselves to a company’s headquarters, or make a pile of dead animals to illustrate what “catalogues do to nature.”
Thanks for the typecasting MTV! What about those 17 -28 year olds devoting themselves to seamless sustainable innovation, creating mainstream solutions, thinking outside the predictable ambit of annoying pranks and militant picketing? It’s pretty naïve—behind the times—that their idea of an eco-activist is just some belligerent tree-spiker. Maybe if they read TreeHugger they’d realize most young environmentalists are highly rational, intelligent, cutting edge, and damn sexy.
If MTV is trying to draw attention to environmental issues by highlighting the fringe they certainly won't be doing any good for the movement except maybe drawing in more fringe. It seems that these kinds of moves by the media only make the rest of us seem like we are just a part of the fringe and therefore marginalize the whole movement. Do we want the “in-your-face angry-protester" or the intellectual mover and shaker to warm over the masses?
brian
MTV (as with most major forms of media) use the typical stereotypes to their advantage. Will airing an episode of an environmentalist who works 9-5 in front of a computer as an energy consultant (me, in this case) be good for ratings. Of course not! BUT...the "hippie, tree-hugger" who lives in a tree, wears patch-work, and is a vegan is great for ratings.
This is the culture we all have created, and it sucks. However, stereotypes sell, and to MTV, that is all that matters.
I personally feel that we cannot blame MTV for our (America's) own ignorance. If we want to fix it - don't watch TV. I don't.
How about getting some activist teens to chain themselves to MTV's studios to protest the stereotyping of activist teens!
Seriously, there are indeed very active activists who are interesting and in your face, while also being effective, fun, and non-aggressive. But they are few and far between. I hope MTV can find some of them to feature in their show. I'm thinking that the very active and only occasionally aggressive folks at Rat Patrol, who make weird bikes out of trashpicked bikes and other junk, work with inner city kids to teach them mechanical skills, and sometimes volunteer in third world countries to help people build simple and cheap human-powered machines out of bike parts to help them do their work more efficiently, might be just what MTV is looking for. But those folks probably don't watch tv...
Hi all,
I'm the Treehugger reader who wrote to MTV yesterday and posted my displeasure of their narrow perspectives on "eco-activists".
The friend I was trying to nominate spends his time building citizen action and politician support for great environmental laws at the state level, guiding local campaigns from start to finish.
Here's whatl I got back from MTV:
"It sounds like [he] is active by being a speaker and spreading the word. What MTV wants is someone who is going to climb up a smoke stack and stick a banner up there for a couple of days and get there voices heard.
You get my point...is [he] active in this manner? We will be following someone with a camera for 3 to 6 months...so this is the kind of stuff we're trying to capture on camera."
I was so disheartened to see that MTV thinks that this narrow band of tactics should represent what is being done to "stop global warming"--we all know that there is so much more than that happening all around us....and plenty of it would make GREAT TV!
I hope that MTV learns from this experience and decides to diversify the people they put in their powerful spotlight.
Oh man, where's the vigor? I dunno about y'all, but I'm just glad they're not getting called "eco-terrorists" for sleeping on bark.
Rather than some radical, tye-dye harboring environmentalist, i think it would be more interesting to see someone whose life is not environmentally focused at all, but is trying to make a big difference in their work place or extracurricularly, etc.
For example, it would be interesting to see an intern who works at an accounting firm, which has nothing directly to do with global warming, attempt to persuade the company to cut down on paper usage, or facilitate carpools to work,etc. That way, the story would tie more closely to the American masses... A viewer could watch and get ideas to implement at his or her own school or workplace.
Overall I think it would be a better idea for MTV to choose people from the masses to appeal to the masses. -An average, jeans-and-tee-wearing joe trying to make a difference.
I'd rather encourage young folks who have an inclination towards doing dangerous and crazy stuff to at least do it for a good reason, like sustainability, than to just waste all that creative rebelliousness on stupid stunts like on the show Jackass. So even if MTV does go with the hippy or anarchist stereotype for their eco-activist show, it's at least an improvement over their usual programming!
Hi all,
This is Zoe again--the person who originally posted about writing to MTV about my friend and getting a less-than-desirable reply. Just wanted to let you know that I've posted a short piece about this experience online. Go to: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5076. Would welcome your reactions.