The Significance of a Story
NowThis News (2019) provides a short, powerful narrative about the Green New Deal’s potential impact. Like many, I believe making strategic changes to curbing climate change is vital for our survival, and I believe that something like the Green New Deal. Hopkins (2019b) focuses a chapter on the concept of storytelling and the importance of our storytelling. One of the premises that he provides is that there is a need to tell these positive stories for people to see them. He describes Baden’s (2019) research to help explain the challenges that she found through her qualitative research looking at people’s reactions to stories.
I find myself wondering why we have so many fewer examples of utopian scenarios. Is it really like McKay describes in Hopkins (2019a) that it’s lazy to think of dystopian ideas, that those stories can be interesting dramatically. Something like Jones and Brooker’s (2011-present) TV series, Black Mirror is something that I found engaging and a bit frightening. The majority of the episodes were dark and painted an example of a more dystopian future. I wonder where a more bright mirror might come into play. I’ve not seen many examples of this, but I think there can be. While not a science fiction thriller, something like Ingold et al.’s (2020 - Present) Ted Lasso felt like a bright current hero’s heartwarming story and was still incredibly engaging.
It seems important that as we work to create a space to promote positive steps to climate change, we will have to continue to improve our storytelling and how we share about the needed change and encourage people about the progress that has been made.
Reference
Baden, D. (2019 January 8) Environmental storytelling can help spread big ideas for saving the planet. Aerogramme Writers’ Studio. https://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2019/01/08/environmental-storytelling-can-help-spread-big-ideas-for-saving-the-planet/
Hopkins, R. (2019a January 7) James McKay, the man who draws the future. Rob Hopkins. https://www.robhopkins.net/2019/01/07/james-mckay-the-man-who-draws-the-future/
Hopkins, R. (2019b October 15). From what is to what if: Unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Ingold, J. (Executive Producer), Katzer, L. (Executive Producer), Lawrence, B.(Executive Producer), & Sudeikis, J. (Executive Producer). (2020 - Present). Ted Lasso [TV Series]. Ruby’s Tuna Inc.; Doozer; Universal Television; Warner Bros. Television Studios
Jones, A. (Executive Producer), & Brooker, C. (Executive Producer) (2011 - Present) Black mirror [TV series]. Zeppotron; House of Tomorrow.
| NowThis News. (2019 February 16). _Why we need Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s green new deal | opinions | NowThis [Video]_. YouTube. https://youtu.be/kZtmwWgIw0k |
About
This essay was originally used a discussion forum post for TSD 6137 - Reverse Imagineering as a part of my coursework working on my Ph.D. at CIIS.