WALL-E and the Enviroment

So Sunday night, I went to see WALL-E. And for those who know me, the only surprise is that I didn't see it sooner. I am a Pixar fanatic, afterall. And I enjoyed it. As I noted in my review, there is a strong enviromental theme, but it never stopped to preach. In fact, I thought it was very well done.

Today, I found out that a bunch of conservatives have major problems with the left wing propoganda of the film. Being a conservative, that really bothered me.

I can see why it might bother them. We are bombarded with reminders that the enviroment is in dire straights daily. Frankly, I think it isn't nearly as bad as the enviromentalists and the media make it out to be. So seeing a reminder of that in a film is rather unappealing.

But the opposite reaction is just as harmful. We can't ignor the enviroment just because it isn't as bad as some people claim it is. Saving the enviroment isn't everything. But neither is consumerism and commercialism. If we as humanity are to get anywhere, we must balance the two.

Unfortunately, balance is something that is seriously lacking in our day and age. If you disagree with me, you must be an idiot. Of course, you think I am an idiot for disagreeing with you. This flows all the way down from our leaders to the talking heads on TV. And it's all over the internet. People love to name call and shout down. But it does nothing toward finding compromises. And that's what we need today.

Take the blog I found these quote on. I found most of the quotes collected to be over the top. I assume it was on a left leaning blog. (I followed a link from somewhere else.) But the comments under the post were just as bad. They were name calling, twisting names of the people who originated the quotes, and dismissing them as nutjobs. Yeah, that's as mature as the initial comments.

Don't get me wrong, the message in WALL-E is strong. It shows a bleak future in a world that has been consummed by commercialism. But it also shows that the humans aren't happy living in complete luxury. And the ending is uplifting as it shows humans ability to learn from their mistakes.

If only we could sit down and learn from each other to find a compromise. Instead, we are trapped yelling at each other. We aren't moving forward and we aren't moving backward. We're stuck in place because no one can compromise.

And that's sadder than anything you'll see in the movies this summer.

This post has been part of this week's Watercooler Wednesday.