Uncooling the SUV
By Dr. Theodore Mangrove
If you were a space alien visiting Earth, you might think that during a time of war when America’s dependence upon petroleum from the most politically unstable parts of the world threatens our national security, not to mention the health and well-being of the whole planet, that the political leaders of our country would be railing against the gas-guzzling behemouth blimps barreling down our overcrowded highways. But quite to the contrary, our government seems to be an extension of the oil corporations, hell-bent on extracting whatever profits it can from the destructive and anachronistic oil economy. So the airwaves of television and radio and the pages of newspapers and magazines are filled everyday with the message that SUV’s are cool, safe, and the things to drive.
However, recently several television commercials have dared to swim against the torrential current of mainstream corporate brainwashing. These voices of dissent have dared to point out that SUV’s support America’s glutonous addiction to petroleum which supports oppressive regimes and terrorists. And they remind us that our reliance upon petroleum is harming our health, changing the world’s climate, and destroying our environment.
The first is a project co-founded by columnist Arianna Huffington and film producer Lawrence Bender. It’s called called “The Detroit Project”. With the help of producers and directors in the entertainment industry, they have produced two television commercials, as well as raised $150,000 of donations from their website to purchas television air time. Although most of the networks refused to run the ads, Arianna Huffington points out that they have “received worldwide attention, including segments on the Today Show, Good Morning America, the NBC Nightly News, The O’Reilly Factor, and The View.” Truly, these ads have struck a nerve, and gotten the attention of the auto industry.
The first commercial features talking heads against a black background. The script reads as follows:
“I helped hijack an airplane. I helped blow up a nightclub. So what if it gets 11 miles to the gallon. I gave money to a terrorist training camp in a foreign country. It makes me feel safe. I helped our enemies develop weapons of mass destruction. What if I need to go off-road? Everyone has one. I helped teach kids around the world to hate America. I like to sit up high. I sent our soldiers off to war. Everyone has one. My life, my SUV. I don’t even know how many miles it gets to the gallon.”
WHAT IS YOUR SUV DOING TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY? DETROIT, AMERICA NEEDS HYBRID CARS NOW.
The second commercial features images of a man filling up his SUV at a gas station, an oil executive, and middle-eastern terrorists. The script reads as follows:
“This is George. This is the gas that George bought for his SUV. This is the oil company executive that sold the gas that George bought for his SUV. These are the countries where the executive bought the oil, that made the gas that George bought for his SUV. And these are the terrorists who get money from those countries every time George fills up his SUV.”
OIL MONEY SUPPORTS SOME TERRIBLE THINGS. WHAT KIND OF MILAGE DOES YOUR SUV GET?
To say that these commercials are hard-hitting would be an understatement. The second one especially indicts everyone, from the “innocent” consumer all the way up to George W. Bush as being supporters of terrorism and, by association, co-conspirators in the attacks of 9/11. It’s no wonder the television networks refused to carry these commercials–we Americans just aren’t prepared to face the truth about the consequences of our everyday actions. The Detroit Project is working on more ads, so stay tuned.
The next example comes from an unexpected source, a website titled “What Would Jesus Drive” from the Evangelical Environmental Network and Creative Care Magazine. This organization approaches environmental conservation from a religious perspective, as good stewards of “God’s creation”.
The television commercial features images of turbulent clouds, Jesus Christ, traffic congestion, and children sick with asthma. A deep soothing voiceover delivers the message. The script reads as follows:
“God saw that it was good, and Jesus said ‘Love they neighbor as thyself’. Yet too many of the cars, trucks, and SUV’s that are made that WE choose to drive are polluting our air, increasing global warming, changing the weather, and endangering our health. Especially the health of our children. So if we love our neighbor, and we cherish God’s creation, maybe we should ask: What would Jesus drive?”
What is strikingly different about this commercial is that it appeals to people’s sense of responsibility to their children, and it frames being environmentally responsible as an explicitly Christian value. Rarely do religious and environmental activists line up on the same side of an issue, and what is most refreshing with the “What Would Jesus Drive” project is how consistent it is with Christian values. Most people don’t constently practice what they preach.
I must say how heartening it is to see some leadership and initiative in this area of what Kalle Lassen calls “culture-jamming”. Movements such as these are beginning to “uncool” the SUV. The advent of cheap, desktop moviemaking and digital media allows a much wider range of people to create these kinds of commercials. And as The Detroit Project demonstrated, you can even get them onto TV where potentially millions might see the message. As the anti-smoking campaign says, truth is contagious.
The commercials can be viewed here:
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