On comparing two opposing videos that surround the theme of
nature, I preferred the Bliss n’ Eso perspective over the Sigur Ros BBC perception.
These videos vary as the first details the harm humanity has caused to nature,
whilst the second portrays a still perfect and untouched world of nature.
Therefore, the Sigur Ros BBC music video privileges a beautiful world with no real
environmental concerns. Consequently, the Bliss n’ Eso video has the most
effect as it portrays a natural world that has been betrayed or forgotten. The
video imagery of a world of poverty, explosions and war foreground an
environment that has been utterly forsaken. This video silently blames humanity
for how the world has been treated. It privileges that something needs to be
done to maintain nature’s beauty, and soon. It makes the audience reconsider
what life is all about, and how we treat one another and the natural environment
in this depicted way? Is humanity really that bad?
This above Bliss n’ Eso video portrays why there are
spiritual ways of life such as paganism, eco spirituality or “green religion.”
In other words, this video explains why people connect with the sacred and
spiritual nature, striving to take care of God’s creation. It makes one
consider that maybe God should have given the world an eleventh commandment.
Should God have made the people of Israel promise to conserve the resources of
the environment? Would this have made any such difference to the current state
of the natural world? Would we be struggling with the ideology of global
warming, and rising sea levels, if people had been more empathetic to nature?
Media can corrupt and utilise the ‘green’ theme of sacred
nature to sell products and motivate people to act differently towards nature.
For example, the movie titled Avatar awed
many viewers by the world and worldview encountered on Pandora (Klassen, 2012).
It is a construction of a fantastical natural world where spirituality is
embedded in nature. This film foregrounds a spiritual interaction of the
indigenous people with the natural world (Klassen, 2012). According to Klassen
(2012), Avatar is “a story about a desirable spirituality embedded in the
natural world” (p.74). Therefore, it motivates people to act differently in
their everyday lives in response to environmental issues. This Avatar moral
makes one think about technology and its influence on people’s spiritual views.
Additionally, it forces one to consider indigenous culture and religious
appropriation and the need for environmental preservation. Alike the Bliss n’
Eso video above, it makes that audience reconsider humanity’s role and view on
preserving and maintaining the nature that God gave us. Should more be done to
protect our environment from pollution, urbanisation and industrialisation?
Various digital effects and 3D technologies alter the way
viewers can access the nature in the Avatar
film (Klassen, 2012). These technologies provide an optical illusion of nature
with no reference in our real world. This nature constructed with technology
appears to be better than our real nature. As Klassen (2012) foregrounds, “only
stepping out of the technological mediation that viewer can engage with the ...
environmental ethics” within the film (p.86). Therefore, it can be said that people
can become depressed in comparing the real world to the fantastical world of
Pandora, wanting more from the environment. This is foregrounded through the
notion of ‘dark green religion.’
Dark green religion is a concern with nature spirituality,
as found within popular culture media (Klassen, 2012). It is characterised as a
kinship with the rest of the natural world. Popular culture has a growing
interest in themes of spiritual connection to nature (Klassen, 2012). This is
seen in many films, including Pocahontas,
the Lion King, and of course, Avatar. Therefore, films such as these motivate for environmental and social activism. However, this can be dangerous as people can become depressed that reality's nature is not actively spiritual like the natures in the aforementioned movies.
Thus, media utilises nature to sell products and motivate
people through movies. However, this can be dangerous. People can become
depressed in comparing the real world to the fantastical world of Pandora,
wanting more for environmental protection and preservation.
References
Klassen, C. 2012. Avatar, Dark Green Religion, and the
Technological Construction of Nature. Cultural
Studies Review 18(2): 74-86. http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/csrj/article/view/2757
Cgmasroor. (2009, Jun 29). BBC Planet Earth – Hoppipolla song by Sigur Ros [Video file].
Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH2Z_1-Frb8
Lifeseditor. (2009, Sep 17). Bliss n Eso feat: John Butler Trio – “The Sea is Rising” – Peace One
Day Video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J08MqOtAEVs
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