Results for articles with tag 'thecove' (2 total)
07/07/2024 11:09:26 AM 
Men aren't supposed to be care and nurture, they have to find resources for the family at all costs, protect it and hunt for food. It's hard wired into our DNA to value self-interest over the greater good and to acquire what ever we can by whatever means possible to bring sufficient resources to the home.
Tough guys do the tough jobs that often mean driving large gas-guzzling vehicles because they are needed to do man work, killing animals for food and doing the really dirty work like extracting natural resources out of the earth. Sensitivity and care are not qualities that one would typically attach to these activities. Just think of the things little boys say what they want to do when they grow up; they want want to drive trains or the large earth-movers; the tough jobs.
While these blue-collar tough guys are considered to be the bedrock of American masculinity and a paraded in endless beer and of course truck commercials, in mainstream pop-culture there are plenty of tough guy characters, but they are a little different- they don't tend to be true blue-collar workers; they are loads of detectives, crime hunters, firemen, mob bosses and regular dads. Most portray men as having tough exteriors and weak centers, some shows have gone further and pushed weak men to the forefront.
Maybe now is the right time is now for a new type of male hero.
The only example I've seen that gives a tough edge to the issue is the documentary The Cove, which one critic described as a cross between The Bourne identity and Flipper.
The environmental movement needs its Jason Bourne, come on Hollywood, we are waiting.
Posted by Ed Cotton
08/08/2024 09:05:33 AM
Food Inc explores the impact of the industrialization of the US food system on people and animals, End of the Line covers the plight of fish in the world's oceans and The Cove focuses on the dolphin slaughter in small town in Japan.
I got the chance to see The Cove last night and it's a great film centered on the creator of Flipper and explains how a change of heart led him on a mission to release dolphins from captivity. This mission takes him to a small town in Japan where dolphins are acquired for aquariums and the ones that remain are slaughtered.
The problem with many documentaries is that fail to get their point across in a compelling way and end up preaching to the converted, The genius of The Cove and Food Inc is that appreciate and understand the need to expand the audience for the issue beyond the small band of activists. They do this by making the issues very clear and compelling and in the case of The Cove, adding a huge element of drama.
While these films will never capture the box office of Up, they are still must see movies that cleverly use social media as a tool for promotion and a springboard to activism.
The success of these films is proof that there's no substitute for good storytelling as a way to breakthrough in the attention war. Seeing a film about dolphin slaughter is not most people's idea of an entertaining Friday evening, but The Cove got me to pay attention, listen and to take action, which is no mean feat.
Posted by Ed Cotton
Articles for tag thecove (2 total).