On October 1st, amid much fanfare, 10:10 launched their mini-film 'No Pressure'. A few hours later they were forced to remove it from their website by a passive-aggressive mob that had taken offence.
For those unfamiliar with the campaign, 10:10 was set up in 2009 to engage people with climate change. They are calling on all of us - citizens, companies and coalition governments alike - to cut our carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. With "four years to stabilise carbon emisssions" this mini-film was to mark an increase in the campaign's urgency.
'No Pressure' was written by comic kingpin Richard Curtis - the man who brought us Blackadder. Franny Armstrong - director of The Age of Stupid - volunteered to shoot it. Such a stellar duo surely ensures success, right? Best let them get on with it, eh? Which is probably what the BBC thought when Messrs Ross and Brand started taunting an old man about his grand-daughter's sex life.
'No Pressure' shows various groups discussing carbon-cutting initiatives. "Who's in?" they ask. The majority, natch. "And, just out of interest, who's out?" A couple of mangy douchebags raise their hands. "Fair enough" patters the group leader. Then they press a red button and blow up the refuseniks.
Just as the BBC should never have allowed comic celebs to override their editorial judgment, someone at 10:10 should have vetoed this starbanging folly. Just because a celebrity writer donates a sketch, then a celebrity director offers to shoot it, that doesn't necessarily mean their film is a good idea.
Have a look for yourself:
A columnist at The Telegraph - serial sneerer James Delingpole - predicted the video would be an "epic fail". Well even a broken clock is right twice a day. A tidal wave of protest swept over the film and within hours 10:10 had taken it down from their website. By evening it was time to Facebook the music. 10:10 posted the following apology:
"Oops! Today we got it wrong. We tried to create a topical, funny movie but clearly fell a little short. Sorry for any offence."
Yet the problem was not really one of "offence". We all knew 'No Pressure' was a crude (and not very funny) joke. Nonetheless, taking offence has become a popular past-time and, inevitably, a good many complaints popped up:
"The film says that children who don't participate in 10:10 deserve to be blown up. Why is that funny? How could anyone think that is funny?" warbled one Linda S, who took a deep breath before going on.
"... the actual image and the expressions on the faces of the other children, who look shocked and distressed, is distressing!"
Linda obviously didn't read the comments of one such 'detonated' child - "I was very happy to get blown up to save the world", shrugged young actor Jamie Glover to The Guardian, 10:10's media partner.
For 10:10's many supporters, the problem wasn't even that their 'funny' video "fell short". 10:10 didn't just miss the target here; they scored an own goal. The mini-disaster is this: 10:10 have made it easy for sceptics to dismiss their supporters as lunatic fascists. That was the major theme on Friday's Facebook debate:
'Johnny Compost' made the point in sensible terms:
“I am very upset by this and I feel it detracts from our positive approach. It might even encourage some of the angriest Greens in amongst us to take violent action against individuals, and this is unacceptable.”
'Compost' then asserted his jurisdiction on all matters comic:
"I just don't see the humour whatsoever... and it's not because I haven't got one; I'm a children's entertainer."
When it comes to comedy I will defer to anyone who can make a balloon look like a sausage dog. One man who definitely lacks a sense of humour is Kenneth I, who spent most of the night posting apocalyptic predictions on 10:10's Facebook page:
"First they came for the Jews.. This time is it the climate sceptics..."
10:10's many supporters, though condemning the video, tried to restore a sense of perspective:
"I just don't get it. It's clearly not serious. Why the outrage?" asked one.
"What would you do if someone who watched that video killed a climate sceptic?" retorted Kenneth.
Jacqueline K, who manned 10:10's barricades all night, gave the logical answer:
"I would reason that they were mentally ill, and could just as easily have killed someone after watching Eastenders, CSI or Scooby bloody Doo."
A certain Bruce E divided his evening between posting insane comments, buying tinned food and sandbagging his two-bed semi:
“Well they've dropped their masks and it can no longer be denied. If you disagree with these freaks they want you DEAD. And don't think for a second that if they ever get their hands on real power that they'll hesitate to kill people who dare to contest their vision for YOUR life.”
Again, in vain, Jacqueline tried to talk sense. Bruce, just back from booby-trapping his porch, was having none of it:
"I almost can't wait until self righteous frauds like you are forced to live under Sharia law."
Crumbs.
It was as if 10:10's Facebook page had fallen beneath a gloomy bridge in some Norse folk story - there were trolls everywhere. It is perhaps significant that the British campaigners' most vitriolic critics were largely from America or Australasia.
Amongst the Americans especially, there was a tendency to take 10:10's 'call to arms' at face value. They would do well to read George Orwell's words on Britain and fascism in the 1930s. When Germans and Italians were marching through their capitals, Britain's sharpest writer saw little chance of his compatriots following suit. If a group of grown men started goose-stepping down Oxford Street, he argued, they would just get laughed at.
Does that still hold true? One hopes so. Only one climate change 'skeptic' was in laughing mood. Meet Theomas B, logging in from rural Florida:
"Did I just pray for these eco-fascist eugenicists to suffer infinite and eternal torment unless they repent? Oopsy. Teehee."
There are some comments that make you want to check a man's Facebook profile. Or his medical records. The latter are, of course, unavailable to the public. Not so Theomas' Facebook bio:
Activities: Abstinence, National security, Defending the Constitution, Religion, Defending the Church, Sobriety, Chastity.
Interests: Conservative Transhumanism, Biological immortality, Physical Immortality, Life extension,
TV: Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura
Music: I Hate Music, Boycott Music, I Used to Like Music, Music Sucks, I boycott music, Music Is of the Devil, I Hate Rap, I Don't Like Rap, I Do Not Like Rap, Rap Is Crap.
Theomas' bio sparked a sudden satori. The great debates are not always won by the most attractive side. They are more often lost by the ugliest. 10:10 lost sight of this fact when they tried to be too funny. They should focus their satire on the pantomime buffoonery of Christopher Monckton, Sarah Palin et al.
It doesn't matter if Stephen King and Martin Scorsese offer to make 10:10's next film; their best bet would be handing the camera to Bruce and Theomas.
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