www.monbiot.com - something to ponder...

I am currently on my dissertation reading and research week and I came across George Monbiot's site. He's a great commentator on environmental issues and things surrounding all the issues. Here's a small snipit of one of his articles called 'Power Trips',

"It also encourages the superman myth: that a few powerful people can save the planet. In reality, only big social movements, emphasising solidarity and collective effort, are likely to be effective. Those who are rich and powerful already will frame their environmentalism in terms that reinforce their wealth and power, ensuring that the system which has rewarded them so lavishly remains unchallenged. I doubt that anyone who works for the Observer believes the superman myth, but they pretend to do so, because power lists – like every other species of celebrity trivia – are popular and easy to read.

Worst of all, it represents another attempt to tame and package this movement. As Paul Kingsnorth puts it:

“Capitalism, always so effective at absorbing and defanging dissenters, is transforming an existential challenge into yet another opportunity for shopping.”

Environmentalism is one of the last hold-outs against celebrity culture. It’s not untainted by this plague, but more resistant to it than any other sector. If the papers have their way, they will trivialise and capture us, just as they have done to everything else that once had substance." (http://www.monbiot.com/2011/01/18/power-trips/)

This is a really poignant excerpt I think! He gets straight to the point. On how this relates to me, I have to say that it would discourage me to use celebrity for personal gain....but would that aid me as a designer in this time and space?