Hollywood, particularly at awards ceremonies, prides itself as being courageous, ahead of the pack and willing to discuss and say the unpopular long before the rest of the world has caught up.
This is of course nonsense but it has proven a persistent and popular narrative. Hollywood does not like to admit it but the film industry is often woefully late coming to social and political change.
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It was only after gays became one of the world’s most protected and revered minorities that Hollywood felt it was ok to give them a movie all to themselves. And so Brokeback Mountain came to pass. And everyone in the industry congratulated themselves on how courageous they were tackling a subject that almost every family in America has had to deal with for decades when their sibling, child, uncle, aunt, mother or father came out of the closet.
The truth is that Hollywood generally makes movies that repeat received wisdom that has since been disproven by the facts.
Take communism. Please.
We are still being provided with “courageous” movies that show how “courageous” journalist/actors/writers coped with being prosecuted for being communists or supporting communist regimes.
Well I used to be a journalist in Romania and on Christmas Day 1989 after opening the presents and eating too much, the Romanian people felt the need to have a revolution and execute by firing squad Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu – communists – whose ilk and ideology are still being celebrated in Hollywood.
For the people of Romania – that Christmas really was the start of a Wonderful Life.
And so it is with environmentalism and climate change.
Hollywood is making more and more movies telling us that man is bringing about the end of the world as opinion poll after opinion poll show Americans and the world believe less and less in environmental alarmism.
If you needed any confirmation that Hollywood is very often an ideology in search of a business model – then you should look at the issue of climate change. Big Business used to be the biggest supporter of Cap & Trade legislation – that was going “to save the world from Climate Change.”
They could see a lot of profit in rationing energy which would then enable them to charge extra for providing it. Rationing and regulation would also ensure they could keep smaller rivals from entering their market.
But – no matter how much they lobbied – the American people remained unconvinced and after the Climategate scandal the Big Business Climate grouping split apart. Of course some businesses will remain addicted to government regulation as a way of maintaining their profits but others see value in understanding customers and the society they operate in and trying to work out and provide for those needs.
And so it will come to pass that long after the rest of America became a skeptical nation Climate Change skepticism is being brought into the heart of Hollywood.
On Thursday I am debating Climate Change with alarmist author and broadcaster Simran Sethi at a debate in the Palihouse, West Hollywood.
The Palihouse discussion is a follow up to the Sarah Silverman hosted event in New York in April. The Los Angeles debate is also being sponsored by Lexus, and will be moderated by Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live).
It is probably no surprise that these debates are being sponsored by Lexus who are using them to promote their new Lexus CT 200h premium compact hybrid.
Because cars are so expensive to design and take so long to come to market car companies spend a lot of of time and money trying to figure out how we will be feeling and what we will be wanting in five years time. And so, looking into our futures, Lexus have started a series of debates on environmentalism and climate change. They have called the events an examination of The Darker Side of Green.
Maybe its time for Hollywood to follow.
The Lexus Debate – The Darker Side of Green is on July 8th at the Palihouse west Hollywood It starts at 9pm. To get on the guest list go to lexusdebates.com
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