What if we’re doing it wrong?
All of it.
Trying to be a hero, saving the world from… something.™
The Ordinary World
If you grew up in the 80s, you believed that kids could save the world.
Every movie you saw had a smart kid and idiot adults and good won out in the end.
The idea isn’t wrong… but isn’t the whole story.
And, like all ideas, all tools… it can be used very effectively for good or evil.
Call to Adventure
Problems always crop up, right?
War. Epidemics. Inequality.
A hole in the ozone. Children starving somewhere. Bedtimes.
And we’re supposed to “FIGHT” them.
It’s our birthright. Our moral obligation. Our righteous quest!
Meeting with the Marketing Mentor
Can you feel your hero complex glow when you read these?
- Recycle so the indigenous person in that commercial isn’t so sad.
- Save water! Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
- Bring a reusable water bottle so the ocean doesn’t fill with plastic.
It’s YOU.
YOU can change the world. Fix the problems.
And who are you to refuse?
Questioning the Call
Now… is this hero’s journey a marketing or copywriting trick?
Most people only REALLY want to hear about themselves.
A headline with “you get XYZ” IS powerful. And often works.
“EARN $20,000 PER MONTH FROM HOME“
“SAVE 10 HOURS EVERY WEEK WITH THIS SIMPLE HACK“
“DOUBLE YOUR FREE TIME THIS SUMMER“
And the question: Is it a trick? Or is “YOU the hero” just… the truth? Empowering?
You can only change YOUR actions.
(And even that’s a struggle.)
I try not to attribute malice where stupidity/status quo is an option, BUT…
Crossing the First Threshold into the Belly of the Whale
That “don’t litter” commercial put precious little blame on the MegaCorps producing all the soon-to-be-trash.
And that isn’t a coincidence.
Keep America Beautiful, the force behind the “Crying Indian” ad was started by the American Can Company and Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Owens-Illinois later acquired the Dixie Cup Company.
And they made — you guessed it! — disposable, throwaway drink containers.
One of their goals was: stop the government from banning throwaway bottles.
Another was to make “litter” and “pollution” synonymous.
And to make both the fault of careless, thoughtless individuals.
Like your rude neighbor. (DEFINITELY not the fault of American Can Glass Dixie Trashmaker Co.)
Keep America Beautiful even had a commercial featuring a child who said, “Daddy, you forgot… every litter bit hurts!”
Kids saving the world again. One adult at a time.
The Road of Trials
Did Keep America Beautiful inspire a generation to stop littering? Maybe!
Is that a good thing? Sure.
Is that good enough while Americans still use an estimated 175 million straws every day? Nope.
That’s SO many straws for YOU to pick up.
Maybe we can make the children do it… they are our future after all…
But if you ask most people working at Keep America Beautiful, I bet they would all say the same thing: “We’re trying to save the world!”
Maybe it’s not as nefarious as it looks on (crumpled up) paper (blowing in the wind).
Maybe the Big Bad Plastic Company was trying to balance the scales of its misdeeds. It could happen, right?
Tests, Allies & Enemies
Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
(Even though Mahatma Gandhi was racist and abusive.)
But what if we, like Gandhi, aren’t heroes?
What if we’re all too human?
Solving problems by making new ones.
Trying to fix Thing A only to break Thing B.
For example: We needed refrigerators and taller hair, so we made some chemicals in the 1930s. They were awesome!
But it turns out, they also made a “hole” in the ozone layer.
Uncool.
So in 1987, The Montreal Protocol phased out the production of these chemicals.
(Don’t worry, it’ll probably be fixed by 2040.)
Scientists and LAWS stopping companies from profiting.
No amount of “spray less” would have solved that problem in time.
(Did our solution cause some future crisis? Maybe! Don’t threaten humanity with a good time or we’ll solve that one, too.)
Have you heard the call to “drive less” or “carpool” or “buy a greener car”?
All subtly shaming you for having the wrong car in unwalkable cities.
Cities designed so you HAVE to buy a car. When public transportation pollutes less. Every time.
But it sells fewer cars.
It’s not that carpooling is wrong — it’s the bigger picture.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
And our streets don’t even have sidewalks.
So I’m auditioning alternative answers.
Instead of “SAVE THE WORLD, INDIVIDUAL HERO!” I need something that can’t be manipulated by marketing. (Impossible challenge?)
Bloodletting Wisdom
It took wise-women and physicians ages of cutting up bodies to come to this conclusion: Do no harm.
Strange, right? You might think doctors want to “heal” or “save.”
But they’ve settled on: Do no harm.
(Please ignore the patriarchal parts.)
The idea of it: simple and quiet.
Instead of being a hero, busting through doors, slaying dragons, creating ozone-killing chemicals…
Of Atheists & Satan
A similar theme over at The Satanic Temple: “… Undue suffering is bad, and that which reduces suffering is good.”
Not Tested on Animals
There are many different ways to (not) slice it, but veganism’s core belief? Harm reduction.
From a Bestseller
The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12.
Updated to the Platinum Rule: Do unto others as they would have done unto them.
Emphasizing understanding. Respecting the other and what they actually want out of the deal.
Personally, I want to remain unharmed more than I want to be “saved.”
The Neverland Doctrine
Last but not least: If the whole audience claps, Tinkerbell comes back to life.
Our Greatest Fear: The InMost Cave Ordeal
While we’re at it, what if every improv show you laugh at creates another galaxy?
Absurd? Maybe… but so is humanity.
Wobbling blobs of electricity and bone.
Trying to be a hero, saving the world from… something.™
Litter. Bigotry.
But really, ourselves.
If “the world is a reflection of the mind” then…
It’s us!
The something™ we’re fighting.
It’s us solving and creating problems as a group. Clapping together for all the wrong Tinkerbells.
Somehow angry about imaginary lines on a map. Or where someone was born.
Creating team sports and wins and losses. And crypto.
But truly afraid of being unloved. On the losing side.
Alone.
An Answer
This next idea terrifies and comforts me: What if everyone you meet is just YOU in disguise?
On one hand, my bubble is full of empathetic, kind people.
On the other, a lot of people need to find Jesus… or Satan or get a medical degree… or grow the tiniest shred of empathy for their fellow audience members.
I don’t think they would like to meet themselves.
So I need them to lock in and sit still: Stop harming.
Stop “saving” or “enforcing” or “cleansing.”
They’re making plastic cups, destroying sidewalks, and waiting for applause.
They’re hurting all of us… and themselves.
Reward & Return: Knowledge from Survivors
Forget being a hero.
Be a little less bad today. Do a little less harm whenever you can.
Treat those other yous out there with more compassion than they deserve.
But pay attention to the real bad guy.
It’s not your neighbor.
Don’t believe for one single second when they say, “It’s all YOUR fault. You should have gone greener… recycled more… obeyed orders.”
That’s a trick.
Your side of this unwalkable street is clean.
It’s their turn now.
Words About Stuff by Amy the Copywriter | Art by RAD Studio