As a child there were commercials showing birds and other animals tangled up in the plastic 6-pack rings. I still cut those up as a result of those commercials 40 years ago. Everyone I know from that era does the same… even people who generally laugh at the idea of environmentalism and throw recyclable cans with a deposit it the trash, because they can’t be bothered.
I always think of Punky Brewster and get a little anxious any time I see someone get in a refrigerator. Even though I know modern refrigerators don’t have the issues of Punky’s, it still feels incredibly risky to get into a fridge thanks to that one episode of a TV show I saw one time 30+ years ago.
You never really know what people will latch onto that will change behavior decades later.
I watched Captain Planet as well. While I don’t know if it was directly responsible or not, I have a hard time throwing stuff away that still seems good. I always try to sell or donate it. I don’t want to be the one that adds massive amounts of stuff to the landfill. If I have more than one bag to throw away for the week, I feel a little embarrassed. I avoid retail therapy, in part, for a similar reason. Was it Captain Planet, was it the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle commercials? Maybe a little of both.
IMO the main difference is that identity is more or less immutable. If it could be easily changed in childhood, nobody would be gay. We spent, like, the last 200 years trying our absolute hardest to make sure nobody is gay. We practically beat them over the head with it. We told people it's the worst thing ever and they deserve to die if they're gay.
I always think of Punky Brewster and get a little anxious any time I see someone get in a refrigerator. Even though I know modern refrigerators don’t have the issues of Punky’s, it still feels incredibly risky to get into a fridge thanks to that one episode of a TV show I saw one time 30+ years ago.
You never really know what people will latch onto that will change behavior decades later.
I watched Captain Planet as well. While I don’t know if it was directly responsible or not, I have a hard time throwing stuff away that still seems good. I always try to sell or donate it. I don’t want to be the one that adds massive amounts of stuff to the landfill. If I have more than one bag to throw away for the week, I feel a little embarrassed. I avoid retail therapy, in part, for a similar reason. Was it Captain Planet, was it the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle commercials? Maybe a little of both.