Jun 29 2008
What does it take people?
Last night I went to the theaters and watched the movie Wall-E. It’s a great movie very emotional, questionably so actually (ever sit in a movie and wonder why you’re so emotionally affected?). The movie was very heavily theme laden and as so you’d hope this would have an affect on the watchers.
The main recurrent theme in Wall-E is environmental responsibility, and how it is our individual duty to protect and maintain the environment. Although this theme is heavily emphasized in the movie it is not the focus of it, and in such a manner the movie doesn’t feel like its vomiting propaganda down your throat. It is tastefully addressed and although it is blatantly obvious what the movie is trying to get across, it is not obnoxious. As so it really seemed to leave a good impression on the viewer.
After the movie ended I was curious. The audience, as I did, loved the movie there was applause, you could hear people sniffling, and you could tell a good time was had by all. As so I decided to check the theater after everyone had left in order to see just what type of an impression it left on people. Sad to say I was disappointed.
There were a ton of recyclable bottles left in the theater sitting on the floor and in cup holders, as well as many movie magazines that could easily be recycled if the holder wished so. It was, simply, a small environmental disaster. It was the perfect sample of the gluttony, and laziness of the human race the movie criticized.
My question is what does it take? Do I need to go up to these people and smack them with their own trash to make them realize they’re contributing to the problem! During the movie I expect the average watcher was thinking ‘Man what a horrible future I hope it never gets like that, man I’d never be like these lazy humans.’ Yet they aren’t consistent with what they’re feeling.
I don’t think these are bad people, I just think people don’t realize as they don’t think. Simply, it seems, people drift.
Although cinema is considered one of the most heavily influential mediums of the day, it still seems to not get through to people. Unless it clearly states ‘remember to pick up your recycling before you leave the theater and please….’ as such films as an Inconvenient Truth did.
As far as I can imagine most people lack the means to apply simple self evaluation and reflection strategies that can lead to the betterment of themselves. Drifting from one emotional experience to the other all they see is the feeling that they get, looking past the message that creates that feeling.
Of course Im not a psychologist and that last paragraph is borderline speculation. But come on people! What are you thinking? By my standards the day you stop learning is the day you die. If this standard is the case, it seems most of the population is already dead.
5 Responses to “What does it take people?”
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The movie theater is a special case though. Everyone there knows that a team of employees come into the theater afterwards and clean the place up. They simply assume the recycle-ables are taken care of appropriately. Look at a food court for example. How many times do you see people bus their own trays and dispense their plastic bottles properly?
I know you take your cups and popcorn out of the theater and throw them away, but for many, the attitude is ” why am I cleaning up after myself when someone is paid to do so?” “I worked hard for the money I spent to enjoy this movie and food. Am I willing to do more work and give someone who’s supposed to get paid an easier day?”
Yeah, it’s a selfish mentality, yes we’re lazy and not proactive, but i think we’re aware of what we’re doing. Your evaluation of the theater is a misrepresentation of general society. It’s much better in different environments. I think so anyways.
I disagree with your objection. True that the theater is perhaps an extreme example, but regardless with how the themes of the movie were addressed it directly spoke to to the individual laziness of people and how they do get people to do simple things like cleaning up their waste for them.
With this aside, what of the recyclables. The theater personal don’t separate them, they only come in with garbage bags and chuck everything in it. People know this, or at least observe this. Thats my main objection the fact that people didn’t pick up what could easily be recycled themselves outside of the theater (paper & bottles).
Shouldn’t you be chastising theaters then? Where’s the option of recycling? You see it with paper and pop cans in so many settings. A separate bin for paper and cans are usually next to general waste bin. In the office, in a lunch room, cafeteria, school, mall, resturants do it themselves in the back, almost everywhere. I know walking into a theater I just see the silver opening for waste and only waste.
It’s true that we’re lazy. With that being said why not make recycling easier? You’re better off working with the mentality of the masses than changing their natural way of thinking. I think this is the rationale behind the curbside recycling program.
I don’t know if you notice this in your area but I see more and more people taking recyclables to those huge green bins in parking lots. More and more people are demanding easier recycling. Younger kids look forward to the trip because recycling culture is being taught to them. While the message of your movie is a little lost on the adult population, make no mistake kids are taking it to heart and sooner or later they’ll influence their parents and every adult they come into contact with. Hell, I see toddlers play with giant Tonka recycling trucks instead of the traditional dump trucks.
It’s a shame the movie industry is lagging behind. There needs to be a pressure to convince these places to take recycling more seriously. It’s a shame we’re lazy and recycling isn’t as prominent and widely practiced as it should be.
I honestly think you should create a petition. Gather as many names as possible and submit it to the movie theaters, demanding easier recycling.
The difference between our views is you think people are fundamentally lazy, whereas I feel people are fundamentally unaware.
The important point being that I feel as people drift we need to find a way to avoid this. True more adequate recycling would influence this, however this is not a full solution. Recycling needs to feel right to people, if the movie wall-E couldn’t do that, I find difficulty imagining what could. Remember ‘individual duty’ not corporate (although the corporation does have responsibilities as it is made up of individuals).