Founded in Vancouver in 1971, Greenpeace quickly emerged as the world's most successful fighter for the environment. From its first triumph publicizing the US Navy's Amchitka nuclear tests, to the savagely effective campaign to eliminate the Newfoundland seal hunt, Greenpeace has become a household word. This fascinating, well-researched book follows the mix of anarchy and planning behind the key Greenpeace campaigns. It also looks at the challenge of taking a green message onto the international stage. Yet, as Dale shows, the outfit has changed and made significant strides in developing true partnerships with Southern environmental groups.
Dale writes at length about the problems of simplifying one's message.
Yet ironically, the book also tends to flatten and simplify the role of television, and especially television audiences. Statements like 'TV is incapable of complexity' and 'TV is inherently ahistorical' can't simply be declared. They need to be proved. Greenpeace's successes and failures and the constant ebb and flow of its international public image make this an important book for all people trying to publicize their message and change the world, not just green it. It's a clarion call to spot the hidden persuaders and their manipulations and to free oneself 'both personally and as a political agent' by means of 'intellectual self-defence'.