The Video Rhizome: Taking Technology Seriously in<i>The Meatrix</i>

Wolfe, Dylan

doi:10.1080/17524030903229787

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This analysis contributes to the emerging scholarly literature at the intersection of environmental communication and film (e.g., Rosteck and Frentz, 2009;Schutten, 2008;Wolfe, 2009;DeLaure, 2011;Schneider and Miller, 2011). We note with interest Adrian Ivakhiv's (2008, p.13) recommendation that environmental communication might benefit from more sustained interaction with film studies that open "up the question of cinema's visceral effects, that is, those which may elude consciousness but which carry an emotional and affective charge capable of engendering deep responses".…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Environmental melodrama, coal, and the politics of sustainable energy in The Last Mountain

Schwarze¹,

Peeples²,

Schneider³

et al. 2014

IJSD

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Last Mountain is a 2011 Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) film. It examines an aggressive form of strip mining in West Virginia known as mountaintop removal (MTR). The Last Mountain was the first of more than 40 MTR films to be distributed nationally and, as such, marks the entry of the issue onto the political scene in the USA. This essay analyses the film's use of environmental melodrama to define the problems related to MTR and create identification between victims of MTR and viewers. However, the latter portion of the film attempts to scale up from the melodramatic depiction of MTR to advocacy on broader issues regarding renewable energy and global climate change. In doing so, the film breaks with melodramatic form, draining its emotional power, foreclosing systemic political action, and limiting its overall effectiveness as a sustainability narrative.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Environmental melodrama, coal, and the politics of sustainable energy in The Last Mountain

Schwarze¹,

Peeples²,

Schneider³

et al. 2014

IJSD

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An uphill struggle perhaps, but a burgeoning body of research critically engages with the complexities of communicating animal suffering and violence, challenging meat-eating practices, and the promotion of alternatives. Relevant studies have tended to focus on animal rights organizations and the framing of animal rights in rhetorical attempts to persuade people to eat less meat (Freeman, 2010); but other sites explored include online "viral video" animations (Wolfe, 2009); "Meatless Monday" social media campaigns (Singer, 2017); animal advocacy documentaries (Freeman, 2012); and the narratives and networks of animal advocacy philanthropists (Broad, 2018).…”

Section: Communicating and Challenging Meat Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Communicating Vegan Utopias: The Counterfactual Construction of Human-animal Futures

Adams

2021

Environmental Communication

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Industrialized animal agriculture reveals human-animal relations defined by routinized, institutionalized violence on a staggering scale. Despite greater public recognition of these issues, consumption of meat and other products from industrially processed animals continues to rise globally. This article responds to an ongoing need to consider unexplored sites in research addressing challenges to "meat culture" and the promotion of alternatives. To this end, it examines the film Carnage, about a future vegan utopia, as a distinctive artistic intervention. It is analyzed as a unique example of the construction of counterfactual futuresthe practice of imagining the potential impact of hypothetical events on future scenarios. It is claimed that Carnage reflects potential advances in effective animal advocacy, and further innovation in artistic, cultural and methodological interventions that can enliven campaigning repertoires of rhetorical strategies, discursive and narrative frames.

show abstract

“…Another example is "The Meatrix" (2003), a short computer animation inspired by the movie "The Matrix", criticizing industrial agricultural practices. By 2008, over 20 million people had watched the online video (Wolfe, 2009). These campaigns, using well-known brands as message boards, resemble culture jamming (Stolle & Micheletti, 2013).…”

Section: The Components Of the Vegan Mobilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Veganism and Plant-Based Eating

Jallinoja

Vinnari

Niva

2018

The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, there has been an increased mobilization around veganism and plant-based diets. This chapter analyzes this mobilization, the evolution of the images and practices of vegan eating, and associated kinds of political consumerism. The chapter demonstrates how vegan eating takes place as an assemblage of several actors and platforms, such as consciousness-raising campaigns, vegan bloggers, pledges and festivals, and new vegan foods marketed as “cool” and suitable for everyone. The concepts of boycott and buycott are too narrow to adequately describe veganism as political consumerism. Instead, discursive and lifestyle political consumerism and their interplay characterize the current building of new images and communities. The internet and social media have a central role in shaping the cultural contents of the “veggie trend.” Moreover, vegan eating is not always inspired by other-oriented motives but also by self-regarding motives, such as health, pleasure, and distinction.

show abstract

The Video Rhizome: Taking Technology Seriously inThe Meatrix

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Environmental melodrama, coal, and the politics of sustainable energy in The Last Mountain

Environmental melodrama, coal, and the politics of sustainable energy in The Last Mountain

Communicating Vegan Utopias: The Counterfactual Construction of Human-animal Futures

Veganism and Plant-Based Eating

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About