M.C. Hammer sparked the parachute pants phenomenon and Jennifer Aniston sent young women everywhere rushing to get The Rachel. Justified or not, there's something to the power of pop culture. Global Cool is an initiative that uses media celebrities to encourage us to reduce our own CO2 emissions and collectively combat global warming.
Music, cinema and entertainment have long been global unifiers. Global Cool will utilise the powers of our high profile friends to help us deliver, in an uplifting and positive manner, the information that is right now so utterly crucial.
Do you think these kind of celebrity projects have the potential to motivate a global shift in attitude and action or are they too easily dismissed as overhyped alarmism? Perhaps more importantly, do they appeal to a constituency outside of those already convinced?
I'm old fashioned. On the one hand, it's great to get the word out, but I'm more concerned about the likelihood of distortion and trivialization of the science.
And then there's the risk of identifying "the cause" with a celebrity who self-destructs, an all too common phenomenon.
Bono has done an awful lot of good with his celebrity, but I still worry about identifying the cause too closely with an individual.
Of course, there's that old quotation from Adlai Stevenson, which I'll paraphrase from memory. He was told by a supporter that he had the support of every thinking person. His response was to thank the supporter but add that he still needed a majority to win.
If celebrity support equals a majority, that explains why thinking politicians allow it to continue.
Yours,
Gloomy Gus
Didn't Henry Percy influence the hairstyles of 15th century England? It happens. If we're lucky, the celebrity has good sense. But people are prone to follow the leader.
I watched the video. I think Global Cool is a terrific tool for getting information into the public arena, actually watching, paying attention and understanding it.
Celebs always draw a crowd, and armed with the most crucial info, can make a difference. GO, GLOBAL COOL!!!!!