i just saw the inconvenient truth. what a simple acount of the horrific challanges that lay ahead for our generation. for me this film was a convincing testimate to the power of marketing. it was wrapped in the cloak of hegemonic power which tells us that these ideas are legitimate. everything from al gore's suite, to his cow farm, to his trio/powerbook set tells us that this guy is legit.

of course for me, these are all power structures that i want to break down and stomp on, but for the general population these symbols seek to comfort the viewer and enforce the inconvenient truths. it is funny that gore lives the executive lifestyle that is transforming our planet. he drives a car, takes flights around the world, and uses hightechnology. his solution is by transforming the world through technology.

i'm not sure if it's possible, but if that guy in the suite says it will work then it has to be true. i'm a bit more hopeless i guess, but hey, if america can get rid of segregation and slavery then...... wait a moment? aren't there more black men in prison today then there were black male slaves back in the day? isn't los angeles a stunning example of segregation in action?

i'm not as positive as gore, but that sure doesn't mean that i'm going to stop fighting. it means that we all have a tough road ahead if we're actually going to turn things around. i think it's important that we don't just look to the high tech solutions to make change, that we also look to the "developing" countries to see how they're living ecologically. there are lots of examples that i can think of from mexico; air drying laundry, hand washing dishes, farmers markets, using horses for farming and transportation, etc.

i am so tired. but i have hope. one thing that the movie really made me think about is the power of marketing. today i was hanging out with my boss' daughter talking about fashion. earlier my boss had admited that her daughter was into designer brands, and how much it upset her. i was talking to her about vintage jewlery and how cheap and funky it was, and i told her we should go shopping together.

i know that sounds like the smallest thing, but imagine a world where americans bought vintage clothes (for their cool factor), and saved their dollars to purchase healthy local organic foods. the paradigm that designer clothes are cool not only destroys the environment, but empties our pockets for investments in a solid healthy carbon free future.

here's where the genious comes in..... green marketing. what gore did is a prime example of green marketing, the product being your investment in hybrid cars, ethnol fuel, energy efficient appliances, lowering of losses for insurance companies (if america really listens) and of course, votes for the democrats.

what i want to sell the world is not just products, but overall a philosophy of environmental cool. people are so quick to gobble up changes in fashion, food, video games, blogs, vlogs, lo que sea. but rarely do they stop to question what these trends are doing to the environment. i want it to be cool to bring your tupperwear to a restaurant. i want it to be cool to buy organic, and to ride your bike to work. i think vintage is cool, but then i see places like urban outfitters mas marketing faux-vintage and it makes me want to cry.

let's make green trendy, and let's do it before it's too late!