The producers of 'An Inconvenient Truth' wanted to hand out 50,000 copies to science teachers. When they approached the NSTA (National Science
Teachers Association) they were turned down. They cited 'special interest' as one reason for the denial. In other words this might set precedence
for others to follow. They also mentioned they don't do 'political endorsements.' In any event the 50,000 copies lie idle in a warehouse.
www.washingtonpost.com
The producers of former vice president Al Gore's film about global warming, myself included, certainly agreed. So the company that made the
documentary decided to offer 50,000 free DVDs to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) for educators to use in their classrooms. It seemed
like a no-brainer
The teachers had a different idea: Thanks but no thanks, they said.
In the past year alone, according to its Web site, Exxon Mobil's foundation gave $42 million to key organizations that influence the way children
learn about science, from kindergarten until they graduate from high school.
And Exxon Mobil isn't the only one getting in on the action. Through textbooks, classroom posters and teacher seminars, the oil industry, the coal
industry and other corporate interests are exploiting shortfalls in education funding by using a small slice of their record profits to buy themselves
a classroom soapbox.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
The producers of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ wanted to hand out 50,000 copies to science teachers. When they approached the NSTA (National Science
Teachers Association) they were turned down. They cited ‘special interest’ as one reason for the denial. In other words this might set
precedence for others to follow. They also mentioned they don’t do ‘political endorsements.’ In any event the 50,000 copies lie idle in a
warehouse.
Actually Exxon Mobile has donated millions of dollars to NSTA and they are afraid their supply would be cut off if they accepted the DVD’s. This
is, a not so subtle, example of how big business is shaping what American’s will see. They are entering a gap left by state and federal governments
as they reduce funding.
Certainly these kids could see this film elsewhere or a teacher could purchase it to show but many who would have seen it had the DVD’s been
accepted will not see it now.
This all comes at a time when oil companies are under close scrutiny for price gouging, theft of royalties, and greenhouse gas emissions. Are they
grooming the next generation of consumers? Are they just attempting to stave off the inevitable uproar over decreasing oil supplies?
As James Kunsler puts it in his book, The Long Emergency,
I do not believe that the general ignorance about the coming catastrophic end of the cheap-oil era is the product of a conspiracy, either by
government or news media. Mostly it is a matter of cultural inertia, aggravated by collective delusion, nursed in the growth medium of comfort and
complacency. AKA “consensus trance”
And so it goes our trance continues.
Related News Links:
www.businessweek.com
www.nytimes.com
[edit on 12/6/2006 by Gools]