Any working actor will tell you that the job begins in the
audition. It's true. Enter the room like you have the job, and you're
much more likely to nail it. And so it was for the job of challenging
the latest deceptive ad campaign from Big Oil.
Like most auditions, it began with a call. The woman on the line from
the casting agency explained that the client was looking for "real
environmental bloggers" for a national commercial. A role that calls for
an environmental blogger?
"Sure, there aren't that many of us, sounds good!" I replied.
"It's for a Chevron commercial, which probably sounds pretty scary to an environmentalist," said the woman on the phone.
|
One of the spoofed Chevron ads created by the Yes Men, Amazon Watch, and Rainforest Action Network. View more at ChevronThinksWereStupid.org. |
She was right. My excitement quickly turned sour.
She continued, "The whole BP spill put all the oil companies in a
terrible light, and Chevron wants to explain that they're more
environmentally conscious than people realize, and not the bad guys
people view them as." It sounded like more disingenuous greenwash from
Chevron, and I told her that I was uncomfortable with the concept. In
the end, I told her that I would have to think about it.
Now, some people might not see the moral dilemma. Certainly, being in a
national commercial is often a great opportunity for a working actress.
But for an environmentalist like me — writing and consulting on
environmental issues — appearing in a Chevron ad could end my career.
I've dedicated a significant portion of my academic career studying the
impacts of Chevron's operations on the Amazon rainforest,
and I quickly realized that maintaining credibility as an
environmentalist while helping Chevron polish its green image was like
trying to mix oil and water.
Chevron (then Texaco) drilled for oil in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest for
three decades — and in the process, the company created problems,
political conflict and injustices for the Ecuadorian people. Since its
operations in the 1960s began, the amount of oil Chevron discharged in
Ecuador is far greater in quantity than the amount spilled in the BP
disaster in the Gulf of Mexico this summer. Could you imagine the BP
spill continuing unabated for 30 more years and then trying to deny that
it affected people living in the Gulf? In 2040?
According to
Amazon Watch,
an organization that supports communities in the Amazon fighting for
environmental justice and human rights, "The Ecuadorian Amazon is
suffering a public health crisis of immense proportions. The root cause
of this crisis is soil and water contamination from nearly three decades
of oil operations... The contamination of water essential for the daily
activities of thousands of people has resulted in an epidemic of
cancer, miscarriages, birth defects, and other ailments for the
indigenous and farmer communities in the area."
During its time in Ecuador's rainforest region, Chevron's predecessor
company Texaco dumped over 18 billion gallons of "produced water" -
toxin-laced wastewater that comes up with oil and natural gas during
pumping - into rainforest streams and rivers. Nearly a thousand pits
were crudely gouged out of the forest floor, filled with toxic waste and
sludge and then abandoned to leach into the environment for decades.
But that's not all. Ecuadorians have sued Chevron to demand a clean-up
of the company's mess, and compensation for the terrible violations of
their rights and devastation of their rainforest environment. But, as
Amazon Watch explains, "Chevron has used legal maneuvers and smear
tactics to delay and disrupt the Ecuadorian trial, drain the resources
of the plaintiffs, and deny justice to thousands of people in the Amazon
region of Ecuador who continue to suffer from the oil giant's toxic
legacy."
So, there I was, with an opportunity to audition for a commercial that,
if hired, would pay handsome residuals and offer a union contract on one
side... and on the other side, my ethics and conscience, and most of
all, my experience witnessing and working with the people in Ecuador who
still suffer to this day as a result of Chevron's actions.
As I saw it, I had a few options. I could audition, knock it out of the
park, ride the wave of residual checks, and enjoy a major boost to my
acting career (but sell out the people in Ecuador, not to mention my
credibility as an environmental activist). I could do the gig, and then
donate every dollar earned to a nonprofit working in Ecuador (better for
the conscience, and brownie points for the day job). I could land the
job, and then organize a Greenpeace-style protest at the shoot. Or, I
could ignore the call and try to forget all about it.
Considering the implications of each choice, I decided I had to dig
deeper into this whole Chevron campaign. What was Chevron thinking? Why
were they wanting to cast environmental bloggers? What were they trying
to say? Why would Chevron want me of all people? Trying to better
understand their motivations, I called Amazon Watch and
Rainforest Action Network,
two organizations that I knew were highly respected and active in the
ongoing situation in Ecuador. In the end, I decided to go to the
audition.
After a brief conversation with the casting agency, I was booked for an audition for the Chevron commercial. Wednesday, 11:00am.
That morning I arrived in the large casting hall. Beautiful people sat
all around me preparing to audition for some of the world's biggest
companies. I looked at the chalkboard: Loréal, Target, AT&T, and,
aha, Chevron. I wrote my name on a sign-in sheet, and waited patiently.
This time, I went in not to get the job, but to act and to learn. And
before long, I was called in to the audition. With cameras rolling, I
was asked to talk about my writing, my thoughts on the environment, and
what is important to me. The final question was, "If you could ask
Chevron one question, what would it be?" To which I responded, "Why are
you trying to hide the responsibility you have in Ecuador's Amazon
rainforest?"
After the audition, I asked the friendly casting agent, "Do you know
about Chevron's environmental history?" I handed her a packet of
information about Chevron in Ecuador. I gave her my 2-minute speech
about Chevron's toxic legacy in the Amazon, the company's recent attempt
to pay an American journalist to spy on the plaintiffs in Ecuador, and
how Chevron is working to actively cover up evidence that shows the
company is guilty of massive contamination that is hurting people every
day.
I didn't get a call back, of course, but in retrospect, the real
question I want to ask Chevron is, why aren't the indigenous peoples of
Ecuador being called to audition? Why aren't they being asked about
their views on the environment? What about the mothers of teenagers with
leukemia? Wives of men who have died after years of exposure to
Chevron's pollution?
Of course, I wouldn't want to see Chevron including them in its
new deceptive ads where the company says "We Agree" to vague do-gooder statements, like "Oil companies need to get real." But a brilliant
fake ad campaign by corporate crime-fighting media tricksters
The Yes Men, along with Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network, mocked up the very
ads that might have resulted if Chevron were to have interviewed the Ecuadorians
for the same "We Agree" ad campaign for which I was apparently
auditioning. And they managed to get those out in front of Chevron's ad
launch date.
The fake ads made by these groups — who are now inviting everyone to get in on the act at their new website,
www.ChevronThinksWereStupid.org — highlight the important truths that Chevron's PR campaign seems designed to conceal. And it seems to be going viral.
Just like acting, the job begins in the audition. And congratulations,
we got the job! It's time to start acting. We have a big job ahead of
us; the job of seeking truth, and justice, and integrity. It doesn't pay
residuals, but it's an open call, and a steady gig. And no matter what
you've played before or what you're auditioning for, this one really is
the role of a lifetime.
Follow Lauren Selman on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/ReelGreenMedia
Previewing Your Comment.
This comment has not yet been posted