In District 9 and iCarly, Social Consciousness Resonates

One of the higher purposes of creative mediums, whether they be audio-visual, text-based or both, is to encourage deeper thinking about important social issues. This is being done notably on two fronts in the form of the motion picture, District 9, and the cable television series iCarly.

District 9 tells the tale of how a huge population of extraterrestrials ends up stranded on earth and the enormous socio-cultural implications this generates. Rather than a “First Encounters of Third Kind” approach, the storyline addresses themes of bigotry and xenophobia, more reminiscent of the science fiction movie “Alien Nation”. Where it departs from the standard science fiction genre, though, is the powerfully symbolic setting of the story itself: Johannesburg, South Africa, the central location of decades of world attention due to its apartheid laws that created legal separation between Blacks and Whites. In the movie, similar draconian laws are passed to address the alien “problem” in District 9, a bureaucratic designation given the location where these stranded extraterrestrials are forced to live in squalid conditions very akin to Nazi concentration camps. The personal transformation that both the aliens and some of the human beings who are close to the situation undergo makes for a visceral connection; particularly to the larger concerns of today about a re-emergence of deep seated racial intolerance coming forth in many developed countries due to economic conditions, immigration issues, and America having elected its first African American president.

The second standout in my acknowledging contributions of higher order thinking and learning via the creative medium is the teens-targeted Nickelodeon show, iCarly. A 21st century version of “Wayne’s World", the shows’ stars host a web-based television show for their peers. Though essentially a comedy, iCarly manages to serve up some potent lessons about the environment, entrepreneurship, and basic family values in most episodes I have seen. Most recently an episode about constructing a science project contest that had at least one lesson dealing with environmental stewardship was built around the theme “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Though, predictably, none of the iCarly cast won the contest, their hijinks in trying to develop an acceptable project made for some poignant teachable moments. One of note was the character Fred learning that his otherwise very well designed mobile composting device would actually increase the carbon footprint because some of the materials needed would have to be shipped in by aircraft. Another was lead character Carly’s electric bicycle that not only burned more energy than expected but travelled at a ridiculously slow speed.

To be sure, there is a chasm of difference between the content and themes of District 9 and iCarly, but what both have in common is that social consciousness did not end up on the cutting room floor; a further testament to the potential power of learning by thoughtful use of the audio-visual medium.