Congratulations to pop star dreamboat John Mayer for penning what can only be termed a reductio ad absurdum of the light-green, change-your-lightbulbs, ten-things-you-can-do, don't-sweat-it-too-much, caring-a-little-is-OK but caring-too-much-is-square environmentalism. I was going to pick excerpts, but really you gotta read the whole post to get the full impact.
Ladies and gentlemen, John Mayer:
(Preface: Don't get turned off from reading this by any pre-conceived notions you have about the subject matter. I'll make you a deal. When something I write turns you off, then you can click the "x" button and go about your day.)
A year ago this month I wrote a song called "Waiting on the World to Change", in which I tried to express the feelings of helplessness that come with knowing what needs to change in the world but also knowing the futility of trying.
Since that song has been released, there has been one social issue I've kept particularly focused on, silently keeping notes in my mind about what needs to be fixed (and more constructively, how to go about fixing it) while hoping that someone else sharing my exact views would carry out the work without my ever getting involved.
Hey, I'm just being honest.
I'm talking about (see preface!) global warming. Wait! Don't move the mouse. Finger down. Please. Just give me a second. You can watch that video of a cat playing the piano in a few minutes. I just may surprise you with what I'm going to say.
In the "degree of difficulty" column, reversing the effects of global warming is a .5 out of a possible 10, at least in theory. You just get back by reversing the way you came. No accounting for a volatile political world stage, or clashing of belief structures. Just throw this bitch in reverse and we're home.
The trouble is, nobody has managed to come close to bringing this issue to you in a way that doesn't turn you off. At best, it's a bore, and at worst (toilet paper square accounting?) it's insulting to human autonomy.
It seems to me that when it comes to this issue, we've been given only two sides to pick from: side one says the future of global warming does not present a doomsday scenario, almost chuckling the matter aside. Side two says it is a dire issue (which it is), and then goes on to inundate side one with so many separate nakedly-scientific points that they make naivete' seem cozy by comparison.
So here I am, introducing a third side. A laid-back, panic free approach to environmentalism. One that believes the message of "An Inconvenient Truth" is sound, but that it's an incredibly un-fun name for a movie. A side free from the cry of hypocrisy, for it doesn't make sweeping promises. A side that drives an SUV on the way to the grocery store but then produces nylon mesh bags at the checkout line. A side that believes in bringing a change of perspective to our government but letting Carl Rove finish his meal first.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Fans and Friends, I submit to you a third way: Light Green.
No thinking about "offsetting your carbon footprint". No rallies. No brow-beating people who think the Earth just has a fever. Pick one thing to change this year, and keep the rest of your life the same. After all, the only message the charts with escalating red lines are meant to send is that the red lines have to stop escalating, not that hey have to drop to the bottom of the graph by next Tuesday.
Part of the Light Green approach will be the (attempted) introduction of products that are cheap, easy alternatives to cut down on plastics. In the next 90 days I'm going to see how many of these products I can get produced. If it works, great. If not, you'll at least have blogs to read. I'm going to make this one of the focus points of my blog for the next few months., and hopefully by summer there will be a few items at the merchandise stands that you might not have a problem switching to.
And to anybody ready to cut me down for this, here's my full disclosure: I drive a Porsche SUV, I still drink lots of bottled water, and I will be flying private charter several times during my summer tour. However, my bus has been converted to Bio-Diesel, and I'll be coming up with even more ways to adapt to the Light Green mentality before I set out for the summer.
Now go watch that guy getting nailed in the balls on YouTube, but think about it. It's all you've got to do in order to go Light Green.
One hardly knows what to say.
Climate Citizen: Mary Stuart Masterson
Climate psychology in cartoons: clues for solving the messaging mystery
Comments
View as Flat
sunflower Posted 9:11 am
30 Apr 2007
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Werdna Posted 9:49 am
30 Apr 2007
Andrew Eisenberg
The gateway project is wrong---http://www.liveableregion.ca/
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Biodiversivist Posted 12:41 pm
30 Apr 2007
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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Karen Lee Orr Posted 12:46 pm
30 Apr 2007
Consider Robert Redford's spot on GWB impersonation (below) on Larry King.
Or the rockers promoting their agrofuel tour buses.
Many show business personalities have made public statements as foolish as John Mayer's regarding the environment recently. A few examples are Bonnie Raitt, BioWillie, Julia Roberts, Sheryl Crowe (she, of bathroom humour fame), Morgan Freeman....
What are they thinking?
These are people who appear to be of above average intelligence and education. They've had some success in life. They have the wherewithal to research issues. They have the money to pay others to research issues for them. Presumably they mean well.
Yet, apparently without much research or thought, these people have lent their names to the promotion of one of the most environmentally destructive scams on earth now -- the biofuels scam.
Robert Redford:
"So, the solutions are here and they're here right now and I think you'll find one in this new energy bill that's being put forward right now called E-85, and that's ethanol. And ethanol is -- I'm for it because simply it's out of corn and there are other agricultural products that could be used to do the same thing.
It's cheaper. It's cleaner. It's renewable. And you know what it's American because we grow it. We make it. We're not depending on other countries who are unstable to have to beg and borrow for it.
And, as far as I'm concerned the solutions do not have to involve dependence on oil because the solutions are here in front of us. They're here. They're now. They're renewable. They're safe. They're clean. They're economically viable. And also it affects our national security.
And they're going to see ways to avoid having to be trapped by that because these solutions are ready. They're here. They're now. They're homegrown. They can make America proud instead of being dependent on countries that we have no idea which way they're going to bounce, as we can see. So this campaign is going to let the people know that."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0605/17/lkl.01.htm ...
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Surely there's a well-known, politically astute entertainer who knows what's what.
But who?
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Its GEtting Hot in Here Posted 6:54 pm
30 Apr 2007
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WKB Posted 1:58 am
01 May 2007
Waiting ain't gonna get it, Mayer.
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zacaroni Posted 3:52 am
01 May 2007
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vestokes Posted 4:39 am
01 May 2007
You know I only listen to John when my 5 year old niece and 2 year old nephew are in the car with me. They like their music as sweet as their cereal.
Let's take him as seriously as he takes the environment.
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SaferAlternatives Posted 4:42 am
01 May 2007
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Epidimos Posted 5:41 am
01 May 2007
Paddy A
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wilderness Posted 7:56 am
01 May 2007
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edstrach Posted 8:05 am
01 May 2007
The other is from Michael Pollen's "The Omnivore's Dilemma." Pollen quotes Gene Kahn, the founder of Cascadian Farms (for those who don't know, think industrial organic), as claiming that everything new in the world eventually reverts back to (or is absorbed by) the way things have always been. He's basically justifying the mixed benefits of industrial organic farming by saying if organic farming hadn't incorporated standard industrial agriculture practices it would have died out.
I think Quinn is right and therefore Kahn is right most of the time, too (although I also think Kahn is a post-hippie, rich, cynic). In other words, in the absence of changed minds, even great ideas eventually come to resemble everything that's come before. But sometimes things come along, changing so many minds, that the extant paradigm fails and something wholly new comes into being. Between occasional spells of despair, confusion, and hopelessness (which I ponder on public transportation) I'm hopeful that enough minds are changing that we're nearing a paradigm shift. And maybe "Light Green" is one part of changing minds. Each of us changing one thing is good. Especially when you consider that a great many of us will change a great many things. There is no one solution to the problem of climate change. And my guess is that changing one thing builds the momentum for making more changes. I couldn't name two songs by John Mayer but his thoughts, directed at an apatheic audience (i.e. not Gristmilligans), are not as bad as you think (I think).
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Delay And Deny Posted 8:48 am
01 May 2007
It ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Let the 3% who own 84% reduce their needs first.
You Read It Here First
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Lives per gallon Posted 11:49 am
01 May 2007
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viper5dn Posted 12:55 pm
01 May 2007
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SHORTY Posted 5:15 pm
01 May 2007
Just goes to show, if someone else is wrong, I must be RIGHT!
I like your music, anyway, John, and it's a good thing your critics in Grist don't make any. (I was imperfect once, too).
Say, Gristofuddies, if I make a biodegradable split-top Papal hat, will I be saintly acceptable to you? I just know I have virtue inside me somewhere!
I don't have much to say because I took the time to say it briefly.--Shorty.
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caniscandida Posted 12:16 am
02 May 2007
Meanwhile, so far as pleasant, uplifting, animal-friendly music goes, we are currently into this:
http://www.yearofthedogmovie.com/
Make sure you have your speakers on!
Chickens are our cousins!
So are other sensitive animals!
Enough is enough!
No more factory farms!
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Biodiversivist Posted 12:20 am
02 May 2007
http://www.iem.ac.ru/EC/images/ecgod.jpg
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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kdavies Posted 1:17 am
02 May 2007
And his approach to 'light green,' again IMHO is commendable. Few people can afford to completely remodel my home this summer so it runs on wind power, get rid of that gas guzzling SUV that they still owe $30k on and trade it in for a hybrid, quit the job that brings their commute to two hours every day and buy only organic, locally produced food and clothing. Not all at once. (I'm not talking about the John's Mayers of the world...I'm talking about the rest of us.)
But by asking people to pick ONE thing to do now, make a habit of and then pick one more thing, he's offering an alternative for those people who are finally thinking that they should do something to help the environment.
My first step was to buy a hybrid when I needed a new car. The 'green' and 'tree-hugger' teasing went on for months. Now everyone in my office is starting to consider better gas mileage for the sake of the environment rather than just their pocket books, even while I'm on to bigger and better environmental improvements (which I no longer get teased about). It takes a while for thick skin to develop and it takes a while for others to see the value in our environmental message.
We should applaud every attempt at becoming greener as one in a series of steps that we all must eventually take. Life is a journey...we all start where are at and take one step at a time. After all...judging by the prices of organic foods at MY grocer, it may be a while before I can afford to switch.
Kathy
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amc89 Posted 4:30 am
02 May 2007
That said, I do applaud any celebrity that speaks out in support of taking action, any action, on climate change. I guess the sooner we make the little things, like using plastic bags instead of re-usable bags at the grocery store, taboo, the sooner we can make the big ticket things, like private jets, McMansions, SUVS, fur coats, blood diamonds, and meat-heavy diets, taboo.
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KG Posted 5:48 am
02 May 2007
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cbass1814 Posted 5:49 am
02 May 2007
He's not saying "too-much-caring-is-square"...that interpretation is merely defensive, as are most of the comments castagating the guy. Instead he's saying "let's ease into this"...that way the message can carry over to people who don't attach a lot of emotion to the issue, or even people whose parents have been browbeating them on the conservative side of the argument.
Put another way, his suggestion is "you can start making a difference without adopting this issue as a crusade."
It's the middle that swings things in modern culture, and chastising them for starting to see your way in entirely counterintuitive.
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caniscandida Posted 3:13 pm
02 May 2007
Little Dog actually lifts her leg when she pees, which is one bit of evidence we have that she is lesbian. Another is that when she was a puppy, her favorite chew-toy was a stuffed toy pliers.
Chickens are our cousins!
So are other sensitive animals!
Enough is enough!
No more factory farms!
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Hannah Posted 9:24 am
06 May 2007
HannahB
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SustainableGreen Posted 9:30 am
06 May 2007
Yes, he has a wimpy voice, his statement is sappy, and he did/does date an airhead for the ages, but his statement is actually correct. Everything, EVERYTHING, starts small, and it is the cumulative effect that has the lasting benefit. And slow change is easier to adapt to and incorporate into our everyday lives. So just do one beneficial thing for now, then do another and another. And the broader the appeal the broader the benefit.
I think that is the message, and one we can all use and respect.
David
Sustainability For Life
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!
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Hannah Posted 10:02 am
06 May 2007
HannahB
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GreyFlcn Posted 10:04 am
06 May 2007
They sympathize with being green.
And for the things that are really simple, and save them money, they will do it with only minor advertisement.
But overall, they aren't going to change much.
They aren't going to SPEND any of their focus on being green. Won't even think about it.
So the only way you are going to get through to MOST people is to make being green, Easy. Cheaper. and Better than the status quo.
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GreyFlcn Posted 10:08 am
06 May 2007
Let people drive their SUVs.
But instead make it so that it's electric.
http://www.greyfalcon.net/truck
Ideally a plugin hybrid SUV
http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/04/phoenix ...
_
Leverage the Cellphone / Ipod effect.
Let people have their cake, and eat it too.
Thats the only way you are going to make something Green, Mainstream.
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SustainableGreen Posted 10:43 am
06 May 2007
Hey, Hannah:
Okay, in the spirit of gender fairness and equality, maybe John Mayer is an airhead too, and his relationships are irrelevant. The point of sodas, beers, and butts is valid, and there is an element of self congratulatory symbolism which does no good at all. It even is self-deluding.
Still, we gotta take our converts and allies whenever and wherever we can find them and cultivate them and educate them and bring them along. Best not castigate them 'til they get pissed off and tell us to shove it. Some who start out "lite" will eventually move much further along the spectrum. At least Mayer is now on the spectrum and is talking to his audience about it. I know I have done a great deal to reduce my own footprint, but I know there are people who are way ahead of me. As I and millions of others progress, we move further along the spectrum. And some who exist and advocate for the radical end help by showing there is a radical end.
Now if I could just arrange to be paid carbon credits directly, I would be very happy!
David
Sustainability For Life
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!
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Hannah Posted 10:07 am
07 May 2007
I think your points are good, despite my slightly more intense approach.
HannahB
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fallingbyvirtue Posted 11:50 am
16 Dec 2007
Regarding "light green," I'd like to mention something John Mayer has going for him. To a reasonably large chunk of the young adult demographic (he sold 750,000 copies of his last cd and grossed $24 million during one tour), he's actually popular and appealing. Environmental lifestyle changes aren't an easy sell to my generation unless they're trendy, and Al Gore certainly isn't turning any 20 year-old heads.
This article could serve well to disillusion anyone who believes that a pop star can single-handedly save the planet. For the rest of us, perhaps we can recognize the value of putting environmentalist ideas (however minimal) into mainstream packaging.
Whether Mayer advocates using reusable shopping bags despite driving an SUV, or imitating Judith Levine's no-shopping experiment for five years, isn't it better to have influential people on our side than not?
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