Communicating Environmental Advocacy & Activism

A major aspect of creating environmental improvement is advocacy, which is necessary to persuade those who are not environmentally friendly to change. As a global society, we need motivated individuals and collective groups to advocate for a sustainable social system that will hopefully resolve the issues of climate change. As suggested in this week's readings from Liu (2011), as well as, Stewart and Clark (2011), media can be a very effective method to communicating environmental advocacy and create change. Liu examines communicating environmental advocacy through the Internet, which takes a more serious or direct approach. Stewart and Clark approach the topic through analyzing three episodes of South Park that use comedy to make light of environmental activist. While the two methods are polar opposite, they actually are effective in completing the same task of advocating for a sustainable society.

Direct Advocacy

Liu's study looks at how environmental non-government organizations in China have used the power of Internet technology to spread advocacy for improving human lifestyles to support a sustainable society. The findings of the research show that these organizations have actually made a significant impact in China, as they have produced change in the ways that businesses and government organizations operate, and they have even brought about policy changes (Liu, 2011, p.162). This is a direct form of advocacy because it takes a serious approach and communicates the message in a straight to the point matter, which is quite different than how advocacy is communicated in South Park. 

Comedic Advocacy

As Stewart and Clark explain in their analysis of three of South Park's environmental episodes, comedy is also an effective form of indirectly communicating advocacy (2011, p.324). South Park is effective at doing this because it parodies topics in popular culture (in this case environmental activists), while reinforcing the ideas of the issue being critiqued at the same time. One of the episodes Stewart and Clark analyze is called "Smug Alert", and this episode makes fun of the notion that environmentally friendly people have a sense of superiority over those who are not. Below is a montage from the episode, which blatantly makes fun of "smug" environmental activists.

People who watch South Park are clearly aware of its comedic nature, which is why the show can directly express one message, while indirectly imply another. The direct message of this episode would be that all people who support environmental activism are egotistical maniacs. However, because of the so bluntly obvious parody, the audience is unlikely to seriously leave with the idea that the directly communicated message is the one that the creators of the show want to leave with them. The message in all South Park episodes is for the audience to decide themselves. In the episode, "Smug Alert" the show leaves the audience to critically reflect on their experiences with environmental activism to decide on their own what they feel is best. The idea is that most rationally thinking adults would understand that it is important to consider becoming environmentally friendly, however, it is up to them to decide.

Bibliography 

Liu, J. (2011). Picturing a green virtual public space for social change: A study of Internet activism and Web-based environmental collective actions in China. Chinese Journal of Communication, 4(2), 137-166.

Stewart, J., & Clark, T. (2011). Lessons from South Park: A comic corrective to environmental puritanism. Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 5(3), 320-336.