Childhood Obesity

Al Gore uses visual media to enhance his presentation in An Inconvenient Truth.  This is done in many ways: photographs, computerized images (showing the projection of global warming problems in the future), graphs and charts.  All of these images work as a form of visual rhetoric aiding in getting his message across.

Al Gore’s presentation raising awareness on global warming using many photographs of well known places. These photographs are used in a before and after manner, showing the effect global warming has had on the amount of snow and ice, which used to exist in excess.  The depletion of these ice caps is emphasized by the visual images shown.

In addition to real life photographs, Gore also uses computerized images of the globe.  These images are areal shots of the world.  They are used to demonstrate how the water levels of the oceans would be effected by melting ice caps in the north and south poles.  Using a digital technology, Gore shows the slow increase of the water levels….and the gradual disappearance of land.  He explains how many millions of people currently live in these areas, which could someday be underwater. For an emphasis of the severity of the issue, he relates it to Hurricane Katrina.  Imagine this flooding on a much, much larger scale.

A last form of visual media used in An Inconvenient Truth is graphs and charts.  As discussed in my previous post, I think the chart concerning the CO2 levels on Earth is the most effective.  As the 50 year projection was shown, the data literally expanded off of the chart.  Gore used a scissor lift to bring himself up to the level of the chart, which extended onto another screen.  This supplements the lecture he is given, and emphasizes the severity of the issue.  If nothing else, it grabs the audience’s attention…which I would assume is the main goal of the presentation and film.

Al Gore also uses humor to enhance his presentation.  He starts off by saying, “I’m Al Gore, I used to be the next president of the United States of America.”  He uses sarcasm to poke fun of the political figures who deny the existence and problem of global warming.   Instead they spend their time and resources focusing on the threat of terrorism.  Gore states, “Should we prepare for other threats besides terrorists?”  He also uses a cartoon in the beginning of his presentation to define global warming.  These instances of humor help to keep the audiences attention.  It turns attention to the “other side” of the issue in a sarcastic way (in efforts to convince the audience to believe in his ideas and presentation).

There are many ways in which An Inconvenient Truth is an effective form of risk communication with regards to global warming.  Continuing to analyze the film has greatly helped me learn effective uses of rhetoric.  Visuals can be very beneficial, but it is important to use them in the appropriate manner.

(Credit: National Center for Health Statistics)

This image is a graphical representation of the childhood obesity rates ranging from 1963-2002.  It shows the gradual and continual increase in the incidence rates throughout the past 4 and a half decades.  I think this image would be useful in risk communication for childhood obesity because it demonstrates the large increase in the amount of overweight children in the United States.  A graph is more effective in showing the difference than a simple statement of the data.  The article in which it appears also provides a chart of the hard data, towards the bottom of the page.  For me, the bar graph was crucial in visualizing the facts.  I think that this visual does a great job of explicitly portraying their message: the prevalence of overweight children on the rise.

(Credit: Joe_13 on flickr)

This image portrays an obese baby being fed fast food by his parents.  It is a cartoon representation of the many issues today which lead to the problem of childhood obesity.  I think this would be useful in risk communication regarding the problem.  Two of the main causes of childhood obesity are poor diet and poor environment (parental upbringing).  This image demonstrates both of these.  It implies that if children continue to be fed unhealthy foods the incidence rates of childhood obesity will continue to be a problem.

(Credit: ktheory on flickr)

This final image shows the irony of American advertising.  Just below a bulletin board advocating the fight against childhood obesity is another for McDonald’s.  More and more children in the United States become overweight while the fast food industry continues to advertise its unhealthy and fattening foods.  I think this image would be effective in risk communication focusing on childhood obesity.  Mainly because it pinpoints one of the largest issues surrounding it: poor diet.  Children need to be brought up with healthy lifestyles, eliminating the exposure to such harmful foods.  The placement of these advertisements struck me as both ironic and unfortunate.

I recently viewed An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary based on Al Gore’s global warming campaign. The documentary can certainly be looked upon as a piece of risk communication. It provides a combination of clips from Al Gore’s informational campaign on global warming and narratives where Al Gore tells about his life experiences. I think this unique combination of data and story telling offers a meaningful message. Visual images were a crutial part of the message portrayed, and gave the audience something to focus upon.

In the beginning of the film Al Gore quotes Mark Twain, “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know – it’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” This shows Gore’s belief that people whom are so sure that global warming is a hoax are only setting themselves up for trouble. He spends a large part of his campaign presentation on educating the audience on the straight facts. Graphs and charts were provided to give a visual picture of what is occuring in the world today. This terrifying information is not open for interpretation, the concrete data speaks for itself. Our world is experiencing global warming. What is often disputed is the cause of this crisis. Gore speaks of the Scientific Revolution and it’s effects on the environment…including possible contributors to the rising temperatures on Earth. In addition, he displays a chart of the increasing carbon dioxide levels on Earth over the past. As the 50 year projection was shown the data skyrocketed off the charts. Another screen above was used to extend the data, and Gore himself used a lift to bring himself up to its level. This extreme visual aid was successful in getting the audience to grasp just how large a change the world is seeing.

I thought that one of the most effective aspects of the documentary was the narrative and stories told by Gore. Several times he gave an insight to his personal life, making himself more relatable to the audience. Telling tales of his childhood and family link the issue being discussed to emotions. Specifically, Gore tells of his father’s tobacco farm. Even after the Surgeon General’s warning about the dangers of tobacco and smoking his family continued to run a tobacco farm. It wasn’t until after his sister died from lung cancer that they stopped. It wasn’t until it was too late. The parallel between this story and the dangers of global warming is evident. If global warming is not made a more publicly acknowledged problem, and if people don’t start acting out soon…it may be too late. As the films title says: The truth may not be convenient, but it’s still the truth.