A Hyrdofracking Fairytale
Once upon a time, a small community thirty miles northeast of Ithaca lay nestled amongst crystal clear waters and beautiful foliage. The town had bountiful amounts of fresh produce at their local farmer’s markets, healthy residents and an abundance of animal life. The quiet, peaceful and serene town worked for the common good of society, thinking about how their actions affect the world around them.
On foggy, crisp morning, a faint, “Bang! Crash! Boom!” could be heard from a nearby fracking site. No longer did their perfect community have peace. They began to realize that hydraulic fracturing was turning their water, residents and animals in victims of environmental crimes and pollution. The evil villain natural gas companies had infiltrated their lands, breaking into underground shale and extracting the bountiful resources. All they left behind were remnants of cement filling and poisonous fracking liquid.
But wait! Look! Can it be? ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TO THE RESCUE! Finally, as groups began to point out the terrors of hydraulic fracturing, they began initiatives to stop the madness and return New York State to a hydraulic fracturing free state.
If only it could be that easy, right? George Lakoff, the author of “Metaphor and War” wrote about metaphors in the media. Lakoff’s Fairytale metaphor model can be used to highlight many views of hydrofracking in New York State. There is a clear hero and villain, always in opposition of one another and never seeming to find an end to the issues.
Take a look at this petition video against hydrofracking: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/fracking-action-center/governor-cuomo-ban-fracking/
Do you think moral balance for our environment can be restored just through protesting and speaking against natural gas drilling? There is a definite cost-benefit scenario occurring with drilling because the cost of drilling effects people and the environment but benefits our consumer, technological, and manufacturing world. Though employment positions would be terminated if drilling stopped, wouldn’t it be more of a benefit for our world to continue to prosper, rather than deteriorate with poisonous gas-filled water?
What are your views on the issue? Let’s get the conversation rolling!