Sex Sells Coal « It’s Getting Hot In Here

Sex Sells Coal

Published by Sparki, December 17th, 2007 global warming

2005 recipe to sell “clean coal” from General Electric’s “Eco-magination.”

1. Dress some super-models up like coal miners

2. Oil their bodies up and set them loose in an underground mine

3. Co-opt a traditional anti-corporate anti-mining folksong, Sixteen Tons.

4. Throw in some lines like: “Now, thanks to emissions-reducing technologies from GE Energy, harnessing the power of coal is looking more beautiful, every day.”

And viola, you get this General Electric “clean coal” video

Eco-magination, my ass!

6 Responses to “Sex Sells Coal”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address

1 The French Canadian Delegation Dec 17th, 2007 at 7:31 pm

Hah, that is hilarious!

I saw at least fifty young woman more beautiful and interesting than those cheap coal sell-outs at powershift, we need to get them to dress up all sexy and frolic in the wind and in compost–this is advertizing warfare, sometimes we need to fight fire with fire.

Kristian
2 wildeyes Dec 17th, 2007 at 9:35 pm

exploit women. exploit the earth. these things always go hand in hand. i’m not even surprised by this shit anymore.
3 JP Dec 18th, 2007 at 12:22 am

Wow. Wow. I feel sick
4 Richard Graves Dec 18th, 2007 at 3:59 am

I do have to say that I think this coal advertising, while disgusting, is actually counterproductive to their cause. The majority of the United States public think that we no longer use coal for power and when they find out, usually want to stop. While we work with the people who must live and breathe the consequences of coal use, most Americans have no idea. These ads (btw, the song in the background resists appropriation better than we think, too) may actually hurt their cause and strengthen our hands.

Just a thought.
5 Shadia Wood Dec 18th, 2007 at 6:49 pm

Wow that’s repulsive. I’m not so sure I agree with you Richard, I was starting to think Coal was pretty sexy by the end until I remembered how gross and deadly it is. That reminds me that Nia Robinson, from EJCC wrote an amazing speech about that commercial; maybe I can persuade her to post.

1 Dwindling Excuses for False Solutions « It’s Getting Hot In Here Trackback on Dec 19th, 2007 at 5:28 pm

About

Scott Parkin is a grassroots campaigner with Rainforest Action Network, Rising Tide and Bay Rising affinity group. Originally from Texas, Scott now lives in San Francisco where he city treks, hikes, bikes, camps, listens to live music, plays fetch with his cat Barlow, spends time with his friends and works on different direct democracy and direct action campaigns.