The Captain Planet Conspiracy

Yeah, it's a cartoon. I know, I know. But bear with me.

For those who don't know what Captain Planet is, it's a cute little cartoon that started airing a few years back. It was the brainchild of Ted Turner (and I assume his lovely wife at the time, 'Hanoi Jane' Fonda) to get the message of going green out to the messes... er, masses. It was fairly entertaining for kids, apparently, and I will admit it was well-drawn and casted pretty well.

The idea was this: Gaia, the spirit of the earth (played by Whoopi Goldberg, no less!) is hurting because of all the pollution on the planet. So she gives five magic rings to some kids from different countries and each ring makes them a certain type of superhero. One kid controls fire, another water, another wind, one the earth itself, and the last one is the power of 'heart'.

Now these poor kids get to go one on one with the bad guys. There's the pig-looking slop-loving Hoggish Greedly, the radioactive Duke Nukem (hey, wasn't that a shoot-em-up game?), and the rattish Verminous Skumm. All of these guys are intent on one thing and one thing only: destroying the planet.

Now the kids fight these villains in order to protect Gaia (not sure why, but she can't seem to fight back herself). And every episode, they get in trouble and have to use their super-secret super-special power. They shoot lasers out of their rings and when they cross, this green-haired dude pops out of the air with the awe-inspiring words: "By your powers combined, I am CAPTAIN PLANET! Then the kids yell "Go Planet!", Mr. green-hair whoops up on the bad guys, Gaia gets all happy, and Cap disappears and shoots the lasers back to the kids' rings.

All in all, it was a cute little cartoon, and had a good message behind it. Keep the place clean and unspoiled. Pick up your trash. Replant after clear-cutting (or don't clear-cut at all). Don't pump sulfur or chlorine into the air willy-nilly. Those are good things.

But the conspiracy begins here: There is no Hoggish Greedly. There is no Verminous Skumm. These guys do not exist. No one exists whose main objective is to destroy the planet. The problems are people who do not care one way or another, and some of those who have found out they can profit from doing things that actually do cause harm.

One example is the catalytic converter. It does precious little to clean the exhaust of noxious chemicals, and in the process it introduces concentrated amounts of these chemicals during its lifetime. Yet, it is Federally mandated to be on every car and truck on the highway. This creates a market for catalytic converters and profit for those who make them. Many factories release hydrochloric acid (HCl) into the air and water from processes used. Scrubbers are available to clean this HCl from the exhaust, but they have to be required or they will be ignored. The profit motive overrides any desire to not pollute the air.

But the real problem is that these things are not noticed by the general public. Instead, CO2, a colorless, odorless gas that naturally exists in our atmosphere as a consequence of the life cycle itself is blamed throughout the media. Those who produce CO2 are seen as evil villains bent on planetary destruction ala Captain Planet. An entire generation of our youth have grown up watching the evil villains attempt to destroy, and now they are being told that these evil villains are real, and that they are among us, producing an evil gas that will destroy everything we hold dear.

It's a classic technique used by progressives throughout history. Teach the seeds of a theory to the young. Wait until they have grown to adulthood and then begin showing how those earlier lessons apply to the here and now. Whip up hysteria by making outlandish claims (truth is not required, as most will be too unconcerned to check factuality anyway). Then point the finger of accusation at the ones who do resist, making them seem to be the villains of yesteryear's lessons in the flesh.

The Inquisition started like this. So did the Salem Witch Trials. Ditto with the Crusades. All of these examples are popularly tied in with Christianity or with religion in general, but the real goal behind them was power. Power over other people.

The Iraqi Waq even had its origins in this methodology. The lessons of WWII and Hitler/Mussolini have been taught to the youth of my generation. Now, as a dispute over oil arose, the people were shown Saddam Hussein as the next would-be dictator. All it took was one attack by crazed extremists to place the entire nation squarely behind Heir Bush in his mad dash to punish the man who dared depeg his oil from our dollar.

On the other side, the early lessons were turned against Bush by those who opposed the war. Bush himself was shown to be the next Hitler, and as the media began spreading that message, the public opinion suddenly turned. The lessons of Vietnam were used as well, becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy since the tactics used to control public opinion were the same used back then. So today we are mired down in a 'police action' that at times seems doomed to failure for the most powerful nation on earth.

But the tragedy goes much deeper than one single country's woes. The issue of carbon dioxide has infiltrated the entire world. Millions, no, billions of dollars are being made as we speak on 'green' technology, backed by tax dollars to make otherwise unaffordable (and sometimes counterproductive) technologies affordable. Ethanol was once touted as the end of America's oil problems, the solution to all of our energy ills. But then we saw the unintended consequence of rising food prices here, and food shortages across the globe. Nothing was said about ethanol creating as much CO2 as fossil fuels, because it was profitable to those producing it to keep doing so.

No, the real tragedy is that, in our zeal to follow the popular myths force-fed to us since our childhood, we tend to overlook the real problems that face us. Buying E-85 is not going to make up for the trash you left lying on the side of the road. Driving a Prius will not mitigate the impact you had on the local water supply by flushing medicine down the drain. A ribbon on the back of your trunk does not reduce the emissions from your catalytic converter. We somehow seem to think these things do make the world better, but in reality, the trash still lies there, the drugs are still in the water, and the smog still hangs in the air.

Want to help the planet? Pick up after yourself. Tune your car up. Buy bulk so you don't have to go to town as much (hey, this one saves you money!), walk across the parking lot instead of driving 500 yards. These things are good. But don't go hysterical when someone challenges 'accepted' science; that is part of the scientific method itself. Look at the facts. Learn how things work, and challenge what you learned honestly and accurately. Lead others by doing, not by snide remarks and threats and taxation. Sure, it might take longer to get everyone to listen, but when they do listen, they will be much more likely to accept your views.

And that, with all condolences to Captain Planet, will indeed 'save the planet'.

TheRedneck

Was that captain planet? I thought the kids were the teen something or other, and captain planet was just similar to superman cept he fought against polluters etc.

It makes sense to not destroy the very planet we're living on. We might be able to get away with our current levels of pollution, but lots of evidence suggests we can't. "Might" isn't good enough to bet the entire future of the planet on.

We should tackle each and every aspect of our unsustainable influence on the planet. Saying "oh it's too hard" or "but X pollutes just as much" is defeatist and illogical.

It's a conspiracy of common sense.

reply to post by dave420
Did... did you just agree with me? Oh... pain... chest.... can't... uhhhh......

It makes sense to not destroy the very planet we're living on...

We should tackle each and every aspect of our unsustainable influence on the planet. Saying "oh it's too hard" or "but X pollutes just as much" is defeatist and illogical.

It's a conspiracy of common sense.

Wow, this is simply amazing. You're 100% right. The only thing I could add is that we should be careful not to let hysterical claims stop us from seeing the real problems we face.

Wait! I see it now! You're trying to give me a heart attack! You want rid of me! It didn't work, mwa-ha-ha! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Wait! Little men in white lab coats... stay away from me! HHHHEEEeeeellllpppp......

TheRedneck


[edit on 7-8-2008 by TheRedneck]

Good post, Redneck.

This is why I know 'Global Warming' is a sham - there is just too much money being made off of it. Notice, I did not say 'pollution' or 'climate change'. Obviously pollution is a very real problem that is not too too hard to mitigate. However, CO2 (something that is part of a natural life cycle) falls outside of my definition of pollution.

And climate change is something that is constantly happening to the planet. The earth used to be really hot, then it got really cold, and then it warmed up again. I would definitely call this climate change and clearly it doesn't have anything to do with people.

But what does have to do with people is the 'green' industry. Selling things like carbon credits and, like you said catalytic converters, and particle filters. The new Dodge diesel rams (post 02) have particle filters on them to reduce particle emissions. Sounds good, right? Wrong, because they also reduce gas mileage by 25-30%. So now you have to use not only 25-30% more gas, but also dump 25-30% more particle emissions into the air to get the same amount of work done. It's retarded. Anyone with half a brain could see this was going to happen, but just as you said, people's desire not to pollute is easily overridden by a desire for money.

reply to post by sc2099
The 2007 model and later trucks have particle filters as well, mandated by Federal law. The fuel mileage premium is about the same as that Dodge. They also have regenerators built in. I just had to go through a training class a couple months back about them. Seems if you fail to correctly regenerate them, they can cause the truck (or whatever is around it) to catch on fire.

I wonder how much CO2 that would put out?

We also now have U'___' (Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel) at most truck stops. The maximum sulfur content went from 500 ppm to 15 ppm. The down side is that the mileage is reduced about 10% by using it alone, the truck stops had to go through an expensive certification process to carry it (wonder how much of the fuel cost is paying for that?), and it is required, again by Federal law, to be used in 2007 and later motors.

TheRedneck

reply to post by TheRedneck


I forgot about the ultra low sulphur diesel. Guess the low sulphur just wasn't low enough. It's things like this that are putting the last nails in the coffin of the trucking industry. It looks like everything that can be will be going over the rail asap.

reply to post by sc2099
It already is going by rail. The only thing saving the trucking industry is that there usually isn't a railway depot behind the local department store.

OTR miles are down drastically according to everyone I know. Intermodal (railway-based) freight is way up. It looks like the only thing not going by train now is what has to be there on time.

TheRedneck

reply to post by TheRedneck


Exactly. time sensitive cargo is trucking's saving grace. I would imagine it's food mostly. And packages.

Plus the stuff has to go from the depot to the store and that will never change, like you said.

I watched Captain Planet as a kid!

The most ridiculous thing I have heard them say was this:

LOL

So funny.....

Deserts were created by rabbits over eating the grass.


How funny is that? HHAHAHHAHAH

Bunnies make deserts!

Go CP!

By your powers combined.......LOL

You make very valid points in your OP!

Good thread!

[edit on 12-8-2008 by IMAdamnALIEN]

Interesting ideas Redneck!

Although I think what you're describing here is not a phenomenon restricted to Captain Planet, which I also avidly watched as a child! but just another symptom of the way in which very serious global issues are delivered to young minds in an incredibly simplistic way.

There are so many childrens television programs which I find absolutely shocking because of the simplistic status-quo messages they exude and deliver as fact. I don't know if any of you have seen this show lately, but it is absolutely shocking! It's called THUNDERCATS and has more status-quo-maintaining references than I care to begin thinking about. The patriarchy, the engendered roles, the simplistic morality

I am only left to wonder what all this exposure as a child has done to me and my perceptions of society and the roles different people should play.

I remember watching that show some many years ago. Never really liked it, it seemed too fluffy for my taste.

You are right about the CC on cars and trucks. I would imagine there is a lot more pollution in the creation of them verses what they actually help to subdue. Not to mention the fact that they rob you vehicle of power and cause a reduction in MPG. I think the whole CC thing might be a conspiracy to begin with. I think they have some ties to the oil companies myself.

I would really love to be able to see just how much pollution a CC is catching and compare it to the amount created in the production. The real truth is though that proper care for a vehicle can in truth help to reduce pollutants anyway.

Raist

That's a good post Redneck.

It's a kid's cartoon though, (one that I remember not being allowed to watch, because my mom was freaked by the Gaia part of it) and I think it had a noble intent.

Kids have a short attention span, so better personify the whole aspect of pollution into a few villains and keep their interest then explain it completely factualy and lose them.

reply to post by The_Modulus
You know, I had forgotten about Thundercats! Yeah, I saw that one as well, and yeah, it had a lot of ecological messages in it. It also had a lot of religious overtones as well, I thought. Mumm-ra in the Egyptian-ish pyramid?

All in all, I thought of it as just a bunch of stuff thrown together to make the kiddies happy. Sort of a cornucopia of political correctness, leading to a lot of... viewers. I saw something a while back where someone had put together a listing of the Thundercats and where are they now. Cheetara was hooked on crack and into prostitution, and if I remember right, Panthro was her pimp.

Thanks for the reply.

TheRedneck

reply to post by Raist
I really believe the catalytic converter was the original automotive conspiracy. I used to think they were great devices to help keep the air clean until I got hold of a report on the actual chemical reactions involved and what was really released. This was back when acid rain was the big story, and when I made the link between sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid in the atmosphere... well, I think that was when I lost all faith in the government and began listening to conspiracy theories.

TheRedneck

reply to post by asmeone2
LOL, if my folks had seen it, I bet Gaia would have freaked them out too.

Noble intentions, maybe. I will freely admit that not everyone who screams environmentalism is trying to institute a tax or start a new religion; I'm sure there are a lot who simply want a cleaner environment. I do, too, but I also realize that things are not always as they seem (or are taught). It's very easy to take that noble intention and literally turn it on its ear, making things worse while appearing to try and improve them. That is the danger when we try to oversimplify things.

And as for it being a kiddie show, yes, it is, and that's the insidious part of it. Kiddie shows should be fun and educational, not indoctrination. But that's what you get when you try to force an unproven theory and a hidden agenda on the public, and that's exactly what Captain Planet did. Teach the children what you want them to believe as adults, and they will believe it as adults.

Thanks for the input!

TheRedneck


[edit on 13-8-2008 by TheRedneck]

reply to post by TheRedneck


Why is the air in LA cleaner now than it used to be decades ago even though there are double the cars now on the roads? I was listening to C2C last week sometime, and a guest on the show brought up the idea that due to the catalytic converters the air is now cleaner? Where pray tell did he get such a nutty idea as this?

reply to post by skyshow
I didn't catch that show, but I would imagine that he was referring to the smog levels. Smog is not a gas; it is particulate matter suspended in the air. Catalytic converters do help with that, it's just that they produce more pollution that is not visible to the naked eye.

There are a lot of things you can't see: oxygen, nitrogen, CO2, hydrogen, sulfur dioxide, water vapor (below a certain threshold), even HCl (hydrocloric acid) if in low concentration in the atmosphere. Also, some of these gases are lightweight and tend to move away from where they are produced due to the prevailing wind patterns.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by IMAdamnALIEN

Deserts were created by rabbits over eating the grass.


How funny is that? HHAHAHHAHAH

[edit on 12-8-2008 by IMAdamnALIEN]

I think the point here was to show the removal or vegetation increasing desertification (common in Oz)....only problem is that rabbits dont cause it

I almost remember the entire captain planet song

"Captain planet, he's a hero
Gonna take pollution down to zero
He's our powers magnified
And he's fighting on the planets side"

Ugghh why do I have to remember

Originally posted by TheRedneck
But that's what you get when you try to force an unproven theory and a hidden agenda on the public, and that's exactly what Captain Planet did. Teach the children what you want them to believe as adults, and they will believe it as adults.

I haven't actually seen CP so I don't know if it applies to the show or not.

I think it is a GOOD thing to teach kids to take care of the planet, since it is where we all have to live. Like it or not we are going to eventually reach a breaking point with our consumerism, so this is actually a very important thing.

It is a BAD thing to try to scare them into it or bring debatable science like GW into it. On the parent's side and the show's the should teach the kids that although there is some blame to be placed on the big corperations, the majority of improvement comes from ordinary people respecting the three R's.

Looking back on my kid-hood, although I never got to see CP I did watch Ferngully (I guess the lack-of-Gaia-factor goes a long way:lol and I thought that was pretty propagandic too.