The Rhetorical Situation and Kairos of the Modern Environmental Movement

The environmental movement first gained popularity in the 1960's, a time when society was radically changing. The movement was created to inform those about the changing climate of the planet and inspire others do act upon it. In today's generation, the environmental movement is just one of the major movements happening. In the 1960's, the environmental movement was centered around pollution and the human actions that caused this pollution. Within this movement, artists such as Marvin Gaye, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles used music to reach the public. As years have gone by, the environmental movement has evolved, taking on an action approach. The movement is now about taking action, creating and planning conservation strategies and new green efforts. Like the 1960's, music continues to have a deep impact on its audience, addressing many radical and controversial topics in society. Death Cab for Cutie, a punk rock band, has used the rhetorical situation or kairos of today to inspire the audience to act on pollution and climate change in their song "Why You'd Want to Live Here". Death Cab for Cutie uses the rhetorical situation of today's environmental movement to empower the audience and move them into action.

"Why You'd Want to Live Here" Rhetorical Arguement/Stasis Theory

“Why You’d Want to Live Here” by the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie is the fifth track off of The Photo Album released on October 9, 2001.  The song details a modern LA plagued by the environmental issues of today.  Ben Gibbard, the lead singer, wrote, “I’m in Los Angeles today/ Asked a gas station employee if he ever had trouble breathing/ And he said ‘It varies from season to season, kid’”.  Air pollution, like in the ‘60s, is still a major environmental health risk.  According to WHO, the air quality in most cities worldwide does not comply with WHO air quality guidelines.  Air pollution can be linked to heart disease, stroke, respiratory illnesses, and cancers.  In China, there is so much smog that the country’s agricultural production is being negatively affected because smog prevents photosynthesis in plants.  Unlike The Beach Boys, Death Cab for Cutie leaves the listeners with no hope in a very cynical and bleak ending line, “You can’t swim in a town this shallow/ You will most assuredly drown tomorrow”.  The main purpose of this song is to promote awareness of the deterioration of the environment caused by humans, especially in large cities. 

The Rhetorical Situation and Kairos of the 1960's Environmental Movement

The 1960's were a time of birth for many movements that affected and changed the ways and mindsets of society. Among those movements was the environmental movement. This movement became increasingly popular in the 1960's when people became more and more ecologically minded. During the 1960's there was major concern for air and water pollution that gave rise to this movement. In many cases, the music scene provided all of the different perspectives on issues. Music played a very crucial role in the expansion of ideas and thoughts; it addressed many controversial topics and some songs provided solutions to the issues at hand. This is the case for the Beach Boys' song "Don't Go Near the Water". The Beach Boys, like many other artists of the time such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles, were attuned to the rhetorical situation of the 1960's and used Kairos to make their music effective. In Greek, Kairos refers to the "right time" or "opportunity." It is measured by sensing the "opportune time" and attentiveness to the total context of a situation and correlates to the rhetorical situation.  Putting Kairos into perspective, the 1960's was the "opportune time" for artists to publicize their views through their media because it was a time when social and economic movements were on the rise. The Beach Boys used their music to address the environmental movement by explaining their environmental opinion to their audience through their lyrics and ballads.

"Don't Go Near the Water" Rhetorical Arguement/ Stasis Theory

     The song "Don't Go Near the Water" by the Beach Boys was recorded in 1971 in support of the continuing environmental movement from the late 1960s. Anthropogenic ecological destruction obviously exists and can be defined as a broad term referring to all negative environmental impacts caused by humans. Humans have been greatly over-exploiting natural resources, over consuming, and under-appreciating the environment ever since the Industrial Revolution. The major consequence of ecological devastation was clearly mentioned in the lyrics, when the Beach Boys wrote, "Oceans, rivers, lakes and streams/ Have all been touched by man/ The poison floating out to sea/ Now threatens life on land". When we pollute our waters, the "poisons", or pollutants, have a huge impact on terrestrial and aquatic habitats alike. Eutrophication will occur in water polluted with nutrients (i.e. fertilizers), causing algal blooms and the death of aquatic ecosystems, contributing to a loss of biodiversity. On land, polluted water ends up in our and other species' drinking water causing illness and death. The money and time saved on poor waste water/sewage treatment, storm water drainage systems, and waste disposal techniques such as ocean dumping, is not worth these detrimental consequences. In their song, the Beach Boys suggested that the solution was to first recognize the harmful effect humans have on waters and then to take action, as they explained with their final lyrics, "Let's all help the water/ Right away/ Do what we can and ought to/ Let's start today". The song's main purpose is to try to motivate everyone to help save the health of our waters. Even though the song may not have been specific, it is safe to assume that some of the actions the Beach Boys were urging people to take included picking up litter and spreading awareness.