In chapter 3 – the difficult problem of anxiety in thinking
about climate change, Sally Weintrobe reviews the aspects of our psyche that
complete to manage the anxiety we feel, the reality loving and the narcissistic
aspects. Further, she examines the
coping methods used to deal with anxiety, including projection, splitting, and
denial (both denial as negation and denial as disavowal).
Weintrobe notes that when examining a western add for a L’Oreal
that the marketing is addressing both normal narcissism (vanity) but also “their
underlying more arrogant wish to be part of an in-crowd of superior women,
valued by society and lovable” (p. 41).
Adds like the above are a good example of western life; “we
are actively encouraged to use disavowal and to live within an organized psychic
retreat from the anxieties that reality brings” (p. 41). Further, Weintrobe
notes that if we support disavowal we are unwittingly encouraging people’s
anxieties to rise. Similarly, the work
shop that Olive hosted on Friday, we were provided a forum to allow for people
to express themselves and allow the reality loving aspects and narcissisms see
the light of day. Community support seems to me to provide an opportunity to
discover aspect of self, which allow for the opportunities of change making.
It occurs to me that perhaps in order to encourage people to participant in activities that support climate efforts, we need to also appeal to peoples narcissistic sides to some degree. Environmental advertisements have focused heavily on reality, and reality can be anxiety producing and difficult to deal with. But if we also appeal to people’s sense of specialness we might be able to encourage involvement. Similar to the Smokey the Bear campaign, with the catch line, “only you can stop wildfires”, environmental organization could use a similar catch, or World Vision’s campaigns to sponsor a specific child, that needs your support. I’m not sure how exactly that would look for environmental groups, but perhaps offers a avenue for further investigation.
It occurs to me that perhaps in order to encourage people to participant in activities that support climate efforts, we need to also appeal to peoples narcissistic sides to some degree. Environmental advertisements have focused heavily on reality, and reality can be anxiety producing and difficult to deal with. But if we also appeal to people’s sense of specialness we might be able to encourage involvement. Similar to the Smokey the Bear campaign, with the catch line, “only you can stop wildfires”, environmental organization could use a similar catch, or World Vision’s campaigns to sponsor a specific child, that needs your support. I’m not sure how exactly that would look for environmental groups, but perhaps offers a avenue for further investigation.
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