I watched Dr. Seuss' The Lorax the other day with a little girl that I was babysitting. I am a huge fan of Dr. Seuss books so I knew that the story had to do with conserving resources and taking after our planet; it wasn't like I wasn't expecting that. However, the movie brought up some issues that seem really ridiculous and perfect for a children's cartoon movie that actually, our planet is really dealing with right now.
For example, in the movie a greedy business man decides that he's going to bottle oxygen and sell it for a profit. At first the idea is thought to be crazy because oxygen already belongs to everyone. It's a natural right and it's free. But the business man suggests that more people will buy the bottled oxygen as the factories manufacturing the product release pollutants into the air and create smog. If the people of Thneedsville want clean air, eventually their only choice will be to purchase the bottled air and the company will make millions.
It sounds like something that could never happen in real life. Surely no one would ever let that happen... Right? But... wait, perhaps that is exactly what the movie is trying to point out. Some of the things we're doing to our world right now don't make any sense. They are absolutely preposterous but we're not even stopping to think how wrong they are. In some cases, maybe we're even the ones concerned about the profit and forgetting everything else. Take into consideration water bottles. Water used to be a free and natural right to every human being. It still is.. but for how much longer can this continue? Water bottling companies are drilling for water in people's backyards and recreational areas. Then they are SELLING it back to the people. They are depleting our aquifer and slowly making us rely on purchasing their products. It's scary when you think about it for a while. Maybe Dr. Seuss' The Lorax isn't just a silly story for children after all.
The movie also touches on conserving natural resources, overconsumption, overdevelopment, and many other subjects which we've discussed in Colloquium with Hoekenga. I encourage you all to watch this short introduction to the movie and just take in the irony of it all. I hope that it will motivate you to watch the movie from start to end and think about the issues impacting our own world currently, as well as what efforts you can make to help.
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