by Reena Kapoor
A telling review of M. Night Shyamalan's new horror film "The Happening" in the Wall Street Journal (A Planet without people) suggests that this movie might be the dream movie for environmentalists. I've not cared much for Mr. Shyamalan's movies -- and full dislcosure: I have not seen this one -- but it appears that this one has the added charm of a pro-death, anti-human message! Here are the last few lines from the review.
Not surprisingly, more than a few of the recent handbooks for "green living" recommend thinking seriously about children. The Sierra Club says that the ideal number is two. Messrs. Weisman and McKibben say it's one. Mr. Shyamalan seems to think it's zero. It can't be long before we're being offered another helpful "tip": Kill yourself.
Chilling! Now that Malthusian fears of overpopulation are back, having children has become the new sin. But why stop there? After all simply by existing we encroach upon the earth and leave our sinful foot-print. So why not end your life?
But there is a silver lining here. Whenever I meet anyone who's a vegetarian for "moral" reasons, I ask them if they also eschew leather shoes, bags and clothing, etc. You'll be surprised how often they fail that test. And if they pass that I ask them if they ever use anti-biotics....and on it goes. Along similar lines, I think this movie also offers ammunition against greens who are too rabid. Ask them this: "To be truly consistent, we should have a zero foot-print, right? So shouldn't we kill ourselves?" No matter how they answer that, they lose credibility i.e., they come across either as crazy or as inconsistent. The fundamental problem with espousing a philosophy that's inconsistent with reality and anti-life is that sooner or later the only way out is to self-destruct.
