How to use humor to help the climate (and other scary issues, such as nuclear weapons, etc.)

September 27, 2022 GlenAnderson Examples of Parallax Views, Humor and Satire, Nuclear Weapons, Organizing & Activism (Also see Nonviolence, Outreach), Outreach, Framing/Reframing (Also see Organizing & Activism), Russia 0

This article is about how we can educate people about the climate by using humor – helping people laugh first – before the educational part comes out.

I have long been urging us to use humor to educate people about hard, scary issues such as nuclear weapons, dangerous right-wing politicians, etc.  This article’s focus on the climate is applicable to other hard, scary issues:

https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/humor-comedy-engages-people-climate-science/

 

Here is a GREAT EXAMPLE of how to use humor in our outreach: This movie satirized the Cold War.

During the workshops I conduct to strengthen people’s skills in organizing grassroots movements, I encourage the participants to use humor, wit and satire in raising issues.  Even serious issues such as nuclear weapons can be approached.  When people are laughing, their defenses are lowered, so they can see things in fresh ways.

You can watch for FREE the movie I linked below.  It came out in 1966, during the height of the Cold War.  It pointed out – in very funny ways – the ridiculousness of some people’s fears, and also the humanity of Russian submariners.

I watched it when it came out and watched it again twice in recent years.

You will enjoy it too.

https://www.freegreatmovies.com/Free-Movie/The-Russians-Are-Coming-the-Russians-Are-Coming/5642

 

 

 

 

 

About GlenAnderson 1437 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org