It's not that the campaign is bad. As a piece of video, it reminds me of early Terry Gilliam in its insistence on making us cringe:
The problem is, not everyone appreciates this nasty kind of humour — especially when it involves children. In fact, following an outpouring of outrage online, 10:10 themselves pulled the ad:
Sorry.
Today we put up a mini-movie about 10:10 and climate change called 'No Pressure’.
With climate change becoming increasingly threatening, and decreasingly talked about in the media, we wanted to find a way to bring this critical issue back into the headlines whilst making people laugh. We were therefore delighted when Britain's leading comedy writer, Richard Curtis - writer of Blackadder, Four Weddings, Notting Hill and many others – agreed to write a short film for the 10:10 campaign. Many people found the resulting film extremely funny, but unfortunately some didn't and we sincerely apologise to anybody we have offended.
As a result of these concerns we've taken it off our website. We won't be making any attempt to censor or remove other versions currently in circulation on the internet.
We'd like to thank the 50+ film professionals and 40+ actors and extras and who gave their time and equipment to the film for free. We greatly value your contributions and the tremendous enthusiasm and professionalism you brought to the project.
At 10:10 we're all about trying new and creative ways of getting people to take action on climate change. Unfortunately in this instance we missed the mark. Oh well, we live and learn.
Onwards and upwards,
Franny, Lizzie, Eugenie and the whole 10:10 team
The bigger problem is that 10:10 put forward a sophisticated approach into a debate that is anything but. Critics of the environmental movement were only too happy to jump all over this video as an example of the hidden evils of the greens:
...if the blowing-up bit was jokey and post-modern and not meant to be taken seriously, then what about the rest of it? Were we supposed to think the earnest environmental campaigners in it weren’t meant to be taken seriously either?So, an interesting piece of art, but piss-poor judgement on the part of social marketers.
Of course not. The joke was only about blowing dissenters to bits and raining their flesh down on terrified people. Because exterminating human beings is acceptable to greens as a joke.
From which we can only assume at best indifference towards and at worst a profound loathing of the human condition. And if you think that’s an exaggeration, ask yourself if Curtis would ever have made a similarly playful satirical point by showing winsome furry animals being repeatedly blown to bits. Unthinkable. But exploding global warming sceptics? Hahahahaha!!
What's your take?
That's just wrong on so many levels... especially when people blowing up others and/or themselves is rather prevalent these days. This doesn't forward the cause at all. Leave Monty Python humour to Monty Python.
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