[ad_1]
Climate change, which is responsible for the amplification of the deadly this summer heat waves, hurricanes, Forest fires and floods, is usually not a laughing matter. But for one night, seven popular late-night comedy shows hope they can change that.
On Wednesday September 22, the hosts devote a portion of each of their shows to giving climate change a very unusual platform. The goal of this unprecedented coordinated effort is to reach a large audience and convey the gravity of the challenge facing humanity.
CBS “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden”, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from ABC, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” from NBC and “Late Night with Seth Meyers”, Comedy Central The Daily Show with Trevor Noah “and” Full Frontal with Samantha Bee “from TBS all appear on Climate Night.
“I am delighted to participate in Climate Night,” said Bee. “But maybe we should wind it up a few days? Just because, you know, it’s urgent?”
“I’m proud to devote an entire night of my show to the climate, so I can say I wasn’t part of the problem, I was 1 / 365th of the solution,” Colbert said.
The initiative is the brainchild of comedy veteran Steve Bodow, former executive producer of Netflix’s “Patriot Act” and “The Daily Show”. In an email exchange with CBS News, he said he hoped the event could help normalize climate talk, thinking and even jokes.
“Laughing at a problem can help make the problem less intimidating – maybe even more solvable,” Bodow said.
What prompted him to organize the effort? “Making big, fundamental changes in the way the world works (ie what’s necessary for the climate) is, uh, difficult,” Bodow replied. “Getting people to hear, speak and think more about climate is one of the steps needed to make this change even more so. possible. And, God help us, late night television is a place where a lot of people get a lot of information. ”
And with Americans constantly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of media content, he felt that a coordinated event could cut through the noise. “And so -> Climate night!”
Bodow says that when he approached the shows they seemed “pretty excited about it” and liked the idea of doing something that was both together but also always in their separate and unique shows. What they do with the common theme of climate is up to them, and each show will tackle the problem in its own way.
While communicating about climate change through comedy might seem like an odd mix, the formula could help reach people who might otherwise not be engaged on the issue. This is perhaps the opinion of the world’s only climate comedian, New York-based Rollie Williams.
For years, Williams wrote and hosted a comedy club show in which he emulated Al Gore and interviewed climatologists on stage. He took the issue so seriously that he even earned his Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University. (By all disclosure, Williams was my classmate.)
Now Williams has a successful YouTube channel called ClimateTown, with over 60,000 subscribers, where he makes educational and in-depth climate videos, much like what you would expect to see on “The Daily Show”. Just be careful what you call it.
“I think some people call the kind of comedy that I do ‘edutainment’, but the term is so unsexy that I want to flare up every time I hear it,” Williams joked.
But Williams says the entertainment aspect is what helps get the message across to new audiences.
“A lot of the climate crisis videos tend to be depressing or guilty, and while these videos are MUCH better than mine, I think they lose a lot of people who are just on the internet having a good time.”
So Williams gives them a good time and leaves them a dose of climate truth. His most recent video highlights Exxon lobbyist Keith McCoy, who was recently filmed by Greenpeace recounting Big Oil’s efforts to downplay the severity of climate change and derail climate policy. “I get a lot of comments like, ‘I DIDN’T HAVE ANY IDEA THAT I WANTED! ‘And’ how is that possible ?? ‘ Williams said.
When asked why he thought this kind of serious comedy resonated, Williams said, “I think people have a natural sense of justice and witnessing injustice tends to really turn people on. C. It is very satisfying to see a criminal caught. ”
As for Bodow, he believes comedy helps people approach this otherwise important topic in a new way. “Fun. Optimism. A healthy sense of absurdity. Because what we’ve been doing – throwing and air conditioning and hamburgering and generally thriving in serious trouble – is pretty absurd.”
Williams says it’s the absurdity that makes these videos necessary and fun, and while he enjoys his climate comedy niche, he would be happy if he could just move on.
“If they all talk about climate change, that’s fine with me, but I would really like the climate crisis to be resolved so that I can start making other kinds of videos again,” he said.
[ad_2]
Source link