Climate Change Monologue Project
This is the monologue Project of Harry Freed and Xavier Carrol. We worked together on five monologues that were meant to show the effects of climate change through five different pairs of eyes. We decided that most people would be thinking of their monologues from the point of view of the direct victims, but we decided to try and avoid what we assumed would become cliche. Our monologues seek to explore global warming from more abstract viewpoints, to get into the heads of the outliers in this situation.
Monologue 1:
Polar Bear Photographer:
Dear Alva,
It’s been two days, and there’s no land, not even an ice cap. I can tell its legs hurt, his paws move almost lifelessly. For the first time I feel dread. The assignment was easy, a four day shoot following the events of a dying polar bear. I’m making a lot of money too, 200 dollar for every picture they use. But it’s getting harder. Just watching things change.
There use to be lots of ice. Ten years ago you could walk from one end to another without worrying about falling through. That was then, but the ice is melting now. I've been shooting for three days, and I haven't touched the ice once. It’s a liability issue. This whole thing is messed up. “we want sympathy” they said. “We're the direction that this company is moving People want a happy ending; they want something to remember.” they said.
We're dying. As a planet, we're falling into decay. I don't think our children will survive if the world keeps changing. Remember when Billy learned about extinction? I think the idea of it is scares him. He comes home reciting facts as if he’s searching for some sense of security. When he heard I was taking pictures of polar bears he recited everything he knew about them. There are 20,000 polar bears he said, not quite aware of just how small the five digit number really is, when compared to the magnitude of human population. I think he might be asthmatic.
I know she had children. Two if memory serves. The first one starved, and the second drowned. I'm still pissed at John, I could've made bank. $500 for every picture, what I could do with that money. I hate the fact that their lives are worth money. Man, if I could change something, anything. But besides that I wish I could see you, I wish I could have been there for Walpurgis day.
Your wife, Agnes
Monologue 2:
Protect Our Factory Owners:
Alright, looks like everyone’s logged in. And I’m sorry I couldn't be there in person; it’s just that I spend too much on gas as is, ho ho ho. Driving from this far up North to a press conference would be silly, so I’ve got you all on video-chat. Anyway, before I get to answering all of your questions, I'd like to ask a question of my own: ho-ho-how did the picketers manage to get here? And furthermore, what do they care? I provide a service! I provide an important service! It takes a lot to run, sure, but isn't it worth it? When your children play with their toys, isn’t their smile worth it?
I’ll admit, I definitely use a lot of resources in my factory. I’ve seen the data, yes. I know-ho-ho that my factory emits a lot of greenhouse gasses. We certainly drain the world of its fossil fuels. I know you want me to fix my factory, to make it greener. But let me defend that: changing a factory for the greener is expensive. Maybe someone who doesn't own a factory wouldn’t be able to understand, maybe that’s it, but I produce a pretty incomprehensibly huge amount. The amount of money it would take to clear that all to be environmentally clean? Ridiculous. Second, I work primarily in the winter. I benefit from a warmer Earth, so why are we trying to stop that?
The resolve of those picketers is incredible, but I'm not going to shut down my factory over something I don’t seem to have stake in. Ever seen the face of a little child of Christmas? We can't be cutting that away, now can we?
Santa Claus; signing off.
Monologue 3:
Joe's:
I’m not OK with the business practices of Joe’s Toy Emporium. I will not stand for this. The recent expose on the Northern factory has opened my eyes to the evil strategies of Joe’s, and I won't sit idly by. Oh, haha, I won't stand for it or sit by it, haha. No! I digress! No healthy human can let this happen; no one could let your evil business keep at it!
Who could just sit or stand or even squat while our environment is destroyed? Inaction is terrible. Bad actions are worse. I can’t work for a company that spills so much waste into our world. The worst part of it all is that so many people in the corporate chain had the ability to break the chain, to just refuse, and they ALL leave the evil in place! People with more power than me are ignoring their duty as a human in favor of their duty as a drone.
So, I'm making the biggest, most final statement of my life: say goodbye to this toy store, because if I didn’t make a statement, no one would. I’m a prophet of the earth, and none of you listened. So you brought this extremist resignation upon yourself, I suppose.
They'll jail me for acting.
To our lovely CEO: as your store burns, I hope you fat cats know that it’s your fault. You're too rich to feel the consequences! You don’t care!
To the consumers: filling their wallets will do you no good.
To the cops and the firemen: get ready.
Monologue 4:
No Joe's:
That damn flower-child; that dog! Everything, everything is gone; and for what, environmental justice, I recycled. What about real justice? Doesn't he know what I’ve been through? My wife, we, we just had a miscarriage. I don't need this right now, she…. we’re, I'm a mess. *coughs violently*
This smoke is disgusting. I can barely breath; it’s so thick. It’s like the whole of China’s in here.
You know what the problem with these little hippy-dippy tree-huggers is? They think the entire world is ending. I understand the fact that things are changing, but then they go and overreact like this. These idiots don’t understand that the problem is higher than me!
I can't believe... I can’t believe that they burnt my store. My wife, what are we gonna do, I can't tell her more bad news, she’s already so hurt. I can’t watch her cry again.
Y’know what? Whatever they said about climate change, whatever they said, must be wrong. It has to be wrong, because burning livelihood can't be right. So the climates getting warmer? I’m gonna buy myself a God damn parasol, and some SPF 80. I’m not gonna let that joke of an idealist rule me! He thinks that he burns down one store, he burns all of the blokes higher up? Well that’s not how it works! Damn hippy, probably never worked a day in his life. I'm the victim! I’m the one who can't come back from this! He doesn’t save the world by hurting bystanders. He can't see that.
He can't see that he’s why his movement has a bad reputation. He acts like it’s all this, and then he goes and gives himself this reputation!
I will make sure that no one agrees with him.
Monologue 5:
(walks into office)
( only speaker is in view for the entire monologue )
I hate you.
(looks over at man in the sitting across from him)
You’re not much better than me you know that.
What, no.
I’M TELLING YOU I DON’T HAVE ANGER ISSUES!
(coughs awkwardly)
Like I said I don’t have anger issues.
Just because I told that passive aggressive boss of mine, that the toys, that I designed, was unessesarily wasting plastic, he sends me to this b.s asylum for the whack o, s.o.b’s with daddy issues!
where do you get of saying that I have anger issues
I’ll tell you why I’m angry.
All these fat cats are wasting this planet for what, money, pride, it’s not worth it!
What about my children, what the hell are they gonna do when the worlds just floating ball of carbon? These fat cats sure as hell don’t give one, and thats why I’m here. The big man in the factory, that son of a gun couldn’t tell his cookies from his elbow.
Hey, what are you writing
Anyway
Can’t stand liars.
Mr.Nick does the same,
He swears to the world that he’s reducing CO2, hell he even visited that cancer patient in china, but does he really give two cares.
(pauses and faces the therapist)
What is the point of this again
I know that it’s not just his fault, and if I really cared I could do something on my own.
I guess we can all do things to make a change, really and it shouldn’t be all on other people.
I guess we need to learn to take responsibility.
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