Summary
A satirical campaign commercial ridiculing ‘climate change deniers’ and advocating support for an Australian carbon tax, this skit compares ‘climate change deniers’ with a range of historical characters and events that are humorously presented as passing fads.
In a depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, two Roman soldiers discuss Jesus’ importance with one of them saying, ‘Nah, mark my words, that’s the last we’ll hear of him.” In another scene, Galileo’s theory that the world is round is rejected by a colleague, followed by a scene of an Aboriginal man and a European man gazing out to sea as the first fleet arrives. The Aboriginal man says, “White fellas coming, not a good sign”, to which the white person says, “Relax mate, sure they’re just passing through.” The final scene is of a couple watching television, when Tony Abbott denies the existence of climate change, after which the commercial concludes with the text, ‘There’s no denying it, we need a price on carbon.”
Special Notes/Achievements
Manic Studios was established for the trade union movement with the goal of producing satirical films and videos for union campaigns. Charles Firth, an Australian comedian and member of the famed The Chaser satirical comedy show, was the company’s creative director.
Author: J Bird, 2023