Frozen Planet too hard to watch

[BooseysMom]

Apologies if there is another thread on this. I posted on a thread under film discussions but no traffic.

i watched the 2nd Frozen Planet and in places it was too hard to watch as the first was. The running theme that we are all to blame for the melting of the ice and climate change as a furry white seal pup gets swept away from its mother on a block of ice. The narrative that very few pups survive as they're not strong enough to swim in the fierce ocean. The look of terror in its huge eyes. Awful. The end showed the boat and divers swimming with the pup and made me wonder if we are to blame, why can't we do something to help the poor thing instead of just watching it drift away

They travel and stay there for months on end trying to get the perfect shots so that millions of people around the world can see the world. I don’t think you can call them
hypocrites

I'm puzzled by the attitudes of so many : it's too upsetting so we don't watch it anymore. How does that help? You can't deal with the harsh reality of our actions. I find that hard to accept.

I disagree with UseofWeapons entirely:

"All the nature programmes, and a few of the travelogues like Simon Reeve seem to have an ecological drum to bang, and it’s constant. More positive programming showing the wonders of our planet would be far more helpful. Negativity feeds hopelessness, not change."

I don't agree. You don't want reality programmes? Because it feeds hopelessness. You don't like it that these people tell you the truth. Sticks fingers in ears; no, no, it's not happening, I don't want to hear about it.

Talk about burying your head in the sand.

I agree with those that say these programmes become too miserable to watch. I switch them off now mostly and I can’t get over the hypocrisy sometimes of doing research in these pristine places then complaining about the human impact on them. Don’t go there then! Don’t let anyone go there! Leave it all alone!
I know that isn’t possible in the world we live in and better a U.K. team there trying their best to minimise their impact than other countries teams or private teams that might step into the void for commercial reasons etc and it becomes like Everest on a good day.

I don't think it's fair to ask the programme makers to lie. That doesn't help either.

It's time to accept the truth that we are all complicit but that we can do something to limit warming. We do need to change our behaviour as people in communities to meet net zero.

That's - eating more plants,
walking, cycling and using public transport,
having experiences rather than buying stuff,
re-using stuff,
choosing renewable energy providers if you can,
retrofitting your house if you are able to.

Obviously some of this saves money (cycling, not buying stuff) but also some of it really costs (insulation etc.) which some people might not be able to manage in the current cost of living crisis.

DS 11 made me turn it off ten minutes in to the first episode when the whales pushed the seal into the water. It's a shame as I would love him to watch it but he hates nature programmes as they always show the animals killing each other.

I find it quite upsetting but do still watch. I do remember the crew interfering when a large colony of penguins were trapped but I think there has to be a line. They dug stairs into the snow and ice and the penguins eventually realised they could use them to get out.

That baby seal could become food for another starving animal. I'm a big softy and hate seeing it but then I remember another clip where there was an emaciated polar bear roaming around desperately looking for food.

But this is what happens. Back when they tried to adopt increasingly grim advertising campaigns to get people to wear seatbelts/ reduce drink driving/ quit smoking - they found that people switched off and simply ignored it.

And yet everybody wears a seatbelt nowadays, and rates of drink driving and smoking have dropped, so....

They don't lecture us. They are quite rightly highlighting the issues. And I for one am grateful for the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of the filmmakers. Before Blue Planet, many people weren't aware of the amount of plastic in the ocean, for example.

It's the 'our actions' I have a problem with and the reason I've had an increasing problem with Attenborough documentaries in general. The script is always about what 'we' need to do like it is everyone on the planets fault - I'm willing to accept my part in making the world more sustainable and I actively do what I can.

But we know that it is mostly rich celebs jetting around and useless incompetent governance that is holding us back from making real change. Being told it is up to 'us' only goes so far and doesn't go far enough - it's very sanitised BBC style.

I used to watch for escapism, now I emotionally prepare myself. I don't think that's right or wrong, but it is a hard watch.

How does that fit with @User84 ?

Well actually the person I’m referring to was one of those who got the penguins out referred to by a pp.

im not sure where the line is drawn. Obviously nature doing its thing eg baby animals being eaten by other animals they don’t intervene.

Yeah so let's all just bury our heads in the sand! That's the problem with the world.

Dont be ridiculous!! Its the big burly industries and corporations that impact climate change. He is raising much needed awareness and pressure for change!

@MissMaple82 jog on you highly unpleasant person - people like you are the problem with the world

But Miss Marple is right.

We as the general public could eliminate all of our waste that causes climate change and it wouldn’t do a thing.

Big corporations are responsible for 80% of the worlds pollution. Until they do something, nothing is going to change

I agree it's hard to watch when you really start thinking about the big issues. There's lots we can do about eg climate change and plastic pollution as individuals though- eat less meat and dairy, drive less, reduce our use of single use plastics, less air travel, less consumerism, buy second hand, recycle, have less children, less pets, less cars, eat locally sourced food, take part in or organise beach cleans, volunteer to help remove invasive species, campaign against sewage pollution, campaign for supermarkets to use more sustainable packaging, local products, ethical farming practices etc. I try to focus on what I can do and what my family's impact on the world will be. There are positive changes everyone can make, we're all part of nature.

Agree

I agree it is a hard watch and does leave you feeling hopeless and overwhelmed at the mess but it is a necessary watch and a conversation starter. My teens as most are so scared by climate change and watching programmes like this starts a dialogue on what they can do however small to help things. I would like to see though a bit of balance. There are very innovative people implementing projects worldwide to counteract the impact of climate change. I think we need to hear more about these projects what they are doing, what changes they are making and how we can support them. I agree if we feel hopeless and overwhelmed by the magnitude of what needs to be done it may prevent us from doing anything so hearing about the good things being done brings hope and with hope it will bring action

Surely big corporations provide us with food, clothing, petrol, air flights — it’s us using their stuff that is the problem. And their shares provide a safe home for our pensions.

I've this minute watched the last programme and can only just see to write this through the tears. Attenborough at the end saying over and over "we can do it" is what really killed me. The man with the penguins too but the end was the killer. It was like he was in the room with me! I remember my DM worshipped him..what would she be saying now if she could see this, the peril the planet faces?

I know I am doing what I can to help..we don't fly, we have a small energy efficient house, one car, one child. I don't need more, I never have. I just want there to be a future for us, for our children. That's all I want.

I stopped watching some of these types of programs as I can't stand to see animals fighting for their lives.

DH was in tears over the penguins and seal.
Feel utterly helpless and our small contribution is doing absolutely fuck all....near me the town of Horsham now joins up with Crawley which now joins up with Copthorne which now joins up with Smallfield and Horley...10,000s of houses built and still building....1000s acres of woodland and natural habitat gone.....to supply our EVER increasing population...

@peachescariad Absolutely. It's the same everywhere..all the empty promises that greenbelt will be protected.

@cushioncovers I haven't cried so much in ages as I did after the last prog. I said in my post I just want a future for us all, for our children, but I actually feel selfish on behalf of humanity as what about all the
poor creatures that are dying thanks to our actions? That baby seal on an ice block, crying while drifting away from
its mother, will stay with me forever

There are positive changes everyone can make, we're all part of nature.

Well said. How we vote and what we expect of our governments is going to be hugely important too. As well as doing the eco friendly things listed above and thinking about the impact of how we choose to spend our private money. It’s going to be essential to also think about what our governments should spend public money on, and what laws they bring in to tackle climate change and promote our energy security.

If everyone who had watched this series wrote to their MP to demand more urgent climate change reduction action, that would be a really great start. There’s lots of reasons for hope, but we have to act fast.