THANK YOU FOR NOT BREEDING
A Documentary About Overpopulation
1. SYNOPSIS: Biologists estimate 20,000 to 40,000 species
go extinct every year, many times higher than the "background extinction
rate" built into the evolutionary process. The cause? Human
environmental impact, the product of consumption times population. Many
environmentalists focus on our excessive consumption, but discussing the
latter factor in the equation - population - has fallen out of vogue.
Most scientists agree that the Earth cannot sustain even the 6 billion
humans already here, but pro-growth ideology, cultural elevation of
childbearing, and social and political marginalization of non-parents
conspire to make stating the obvious taboo. To speak out about
population's cause - making babies - is to lose political credibility
across the board. Thus, non-procreation's most outspoken advocates
throw political viability to the wind, turning instead to humor,
performance art, and and a willingness to not be taken seriously.
Welcome to environmentalism's radical fringe: the Voluntary Human
Extinction Movement and the Church of Euthanasia. Armed with slogans
like "Thank You For Not Breeding" and "Live Long and Die Out," their
ideas are usually greeted with laughter or hostility. But beneath the
silliness, do they have a point? Through humorous animation and
live-action interviews with academics, economists, and activists across
the political spectrum, "Thank You For Not Breeding" takes a new look at
our species, our environment, and our future.
The mix of humor and seriousness is established early on with the
animated segment, "The Stork." Grieg's Morning (Pier Gynt) plays over a
classically animated stork carrying a bundle in its bill. It sails over
a peaceful natural setting of trees, rivers, and wildlife. Gradually,
another stork appears, then another and another. The formation of
storks drops a bundle on the unsuspecting landscape: it explodes like a
bomb, leaving not a crater, but a tract home and SUV. More storks
gather, resembling warplane formations, and more bundles drop, turning
forests into cookie-cutter housing developments. We pull out to a
growing flock of storks from above, over a satellite image of a
sprawling city. From outer space we see the Earth turning redder and
hotter, until a final explosion reduces the planet to a cute smiling
baby head.
The problems of overpopulation - mass species extinctions, pollution
and environmental degradation, more competition for fewer resources -
are summarized by Dr. Warren Hern's "Humans as a Cancer on the Earth"
hypothesis. As Dr. Hern explains each of the criteria for his
diagnosis, we cut to visual examples: "secreting toxins" is illustrated
by belching smokestacks and oil slicks, "uncontrolled growth" by
animated maps of urban sprawl, "de-differentiation" by chain stores and
housing developments. Hern stresses: "This is a diagnosis, not a
metaphor. No one ever died from a metaphor." Hern's interview fades to
the animated segment, "Cancer", which features a microscopic night club
full of chattering cartoon cancer cells. One worries, "we're using
resources other cells need," while another announces, "when this host is
consumed, we'll find another one -- or its economic equivalent." Later,
we zoom out of the tumor to the host patient, and the camera rests on
her ID bracelet, which bears the name "Gaia." From this grim scenario,
we cut to upbeat "cornucopian" David Theroux of the Independent
Institute, who invokes the late economist Julian Simon and insists more
people = more prosperity. Sound bytes from Theroux and other optimists
are sprinkled throughout the program, to leaven the tone and provide
contrast and context.
The bulk of "Thank You For Not Breeding" examines non-procreation as
a response to human-caused crises. The Voluntary Human Extinction
Movement (VHEMT) advocates the voluntary phasing out of Homo Sapiens
through non-reproduction. Although by its own admission it only has 2
chances of success - "slim and none" - VHEMT founder Les U. Knight
feels compelled to spread the message of "hopeful hopelessness" to the
masses. Knight says the concept of humans going extinct helps people
connect to the extinction of so many other species: "They're gone
forever, and it took them billions of years to get here. Just like it
did for us." Knight's interview fades to the animated segment, "Requiem
for the Animals": to the sorrowful strains of Albinoni's Adagio, names
and illustrations of extinct animals fade in and out of a stark black
background. The mood is somber and respectful, the sheer volume of
names conveying a message similar to Maya Lin's Vietnam War Memorial.
The Church of Euthanasia introduces the philosophy of
"anti-humanism," expressed with startling directness by Rev. Chris
Korda. The CofE evolved from the surrealist art group "International
Global Dada," and continues to employ street theater and media stunts
to, in Korda's words, "surprise people." Some of these surprises are
documented on video: a protest in front of a sperm bank, a raft bearing
a "Save The Planet, Kill Yourself" banner in the Boston Harbor on Earth
Day, and a subversive 1997 appearance on the Jerry Springer Show. These
are intercut with a mesmerizing interview of Korda decrying humans' long
history of animal abuse, the tremendous ecological degradation he's
witnessed in his own lifetime, and the mass denial of our environmental
predicament.
"Thank You For Not Breeding" also highlights the "Childfree", or CF,
movement, whose members don't want, have never had, and never will have
children. Their reasons for eschewing fertility vary; some are
environmentalists, but many are not. Regardless of intention, all CF's
put into practice what VHEMT and the CofE preach. And unlike the
aforementioned fringe organizations, the Childfree movement is gaining
mainstream popularity.
Finally, we return to Korda and Knight, to look at "the future"
through the eyes of those who are so disenchanted with our species. In
spite of their gloomy predictions, they find a reason to get out of bed
every day. In fact, they seem to enjoy an unusual zest for life. This
paradox - living as an "anti-humanist" human, seeing the human species
as "hopeless" yet hoping it will voluntarily go extinct - is funny,
thought-provoking, and inspiring. The final segment conjures the
fantasy of Voluntary Human Extinction, re-incorporating earlier scenes
of environmental devastation - in reverse. To the strains of
inspirational music, smoke is sucked into smokestacks, bulldozers return
soil to the ground, cities shrink, and bundles of joy rise into the
bills of storks, who fly backwards toward eternity.
STYLE: A combination of animation and live-action, "Thank
You For Not Breeding" aims to entertain. The often satirical animated
segments employ different styles (traditional cel-style, dimensional
clay on glass, cut-out animation) and keep viewer interest through
aesthetic variation. The "talking head" segments contextualize the more
poetic and intense animated segments, and also offer the eye relief.
Too much animation can be overwhelming and fatiguing, so the slower pace
of live action has a grounding effect. TYFNB varies its pace for
maximum impact, yielding a Fun, if not particularly light, program.
THEME: At the core of TYFNB lies the question of whether
Homo sapiens is capable of living in balance with the rest of the
biosphere. Most humans consider our species the pinnacle of evolution,
our big brains rendering us capable of solving any problem. Yet we are
destroying the very ecosystems that sustain our lives, not to mention
the lives of every other species. Are we the "Ultimate Resource," as
Julian Simon once wrote, or merely "a bunch of stupid monkeys," as Rev.
Chris Korda believes?
VOICE & POINT-OF-VIEW: TYFNB is a personal expression, and
although highly informative, it does not attempt to provide a neutral
view. Although it will avoid direct narration, its content and style
reflect my views. I present the main "oddball" voices with more
sympathy than they are usually afforded.
I have been involved in population awareness since I published my
first "Nina's Adventures" comic strips on the subject in 1991. Since
then, I have become well acquainted with VHEMT and the CofE, and am a
part of the online "Childfree" community. Issues of overpopulation and
overconsumption have captivated me for years, and it is with great joy
that I finally express my feelings through animation on this theme.
Existing programming on this subject tends to be extremely dry and
often downright boring. Yet, this is an issue that I and many people
feel passionate about. Frequently these issues get watered down to
flavorless exposition when presented by groups with political agendas.
As an independent producer with no political aspirations, I am free to
present passionate, unusual and creative voices that are seldom heard.
FORMAT: Most of the animated segments are created
digitally (with the traditional look of cel, cut-out, and other 2-D
animation styles); some, like the clay-on-glass segment, are shot on
35mm film. All the live interviews are shot on DVCAM or mini-DV. I am
editing digitally, with Final Cut Pro.
3. AUDIENCE With its animation and humor, "Thank You For
Not Breeding" should appeal to a broad audience: even those who disagree
with the content can laugh with the presentation. However, it will be
of particular interest to the Childfree Community.
The US census estimates 19% of adults remain childless today. That
percentage has doubled since 1981 (see
http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/fertility/tabH1.txt ). While
some adults remain childless due to infertility, a growing number
consider themselves "childfree": they intentionally choose not to have
children. Childfree adults, as well as young people who don't desire an
adulthood as parents, now can communicate through the internet and
growing social organizations like No Kidding!. Many cite overpopulation
as a factor in their choice not to reproduce.
The Childfree community is severely under-represented by the media.
In drama, most adults have children, and those without children are
shown as wanting them. Commercials use images of babies to sell
products, relying on positive associations with children that are not
universal. Nonfiction programs seldom reflect the existence of
Childfree adults. This media bias reinforces the majority opinion that
only abnormal, unhealthy people don't have children. The word for this
bias is "pro-natalism," and its pressure is felt by the childfree in
their families, governments, and workplaces. "Thank You For Not
Breeding" is an early step in acknowledging the growing childfree
community.
4. WHY THIS IS APPROPRIATE FOR PUBLIC TELEVISION "Thank
You For Not Breeding" fits all the criteria in ITVS's mission: it takes
creative risks (combining unusual and varied styles of animation with
live action interviews, using humor to present a serious subject), it
advances issues (environmental degradation, mass extinctions,
overpopulation) and represent points of view not usually seen on
television (childfree).
5. CURRENT STATUS OF PROJECT I have completed over 10
minutes of animation, with more in production. With the addition of
titles and credits, most of these segments work as festival-ready shorts
(3 are already scheduled to appear in the Siskiyou Environmental Film
Festival in Ashland, OR). I have shot over 25 hours of interviews and
"B-roll" on DVCAM and mini-DV. Interviews obtained (all with signed
release forms) include: Les U. Knight (Founder, Voluntary Human
Extinction Movement), Rev. Chris Korda (Church of Euthanasia), Dr.
Warren Hern ("Humans As Cancer"), Dr. Paul Ehrlich (author, "The
Population Bomb"), Dr. Virginia Abernethy (author, "Population
Politics"), Kelpie Wilson (activist, Siskiyou Project), Prof. Al
Bartlett (Physicist; lecturer on exponential growth), David Theroux
(Independent Institute), Dr. Michael Br n (Economist) and Ariel Gore
("HipMama" magazine). The Church of Euthanasia has donated 2 hours of
documentary footage of their own actions.
For more information contact Nina
Paley.
Back to the Church of Euthanasia
|