peak oil needs a mascot!

phaster · Heavy Crude Joined: Jul 15, 2007 Posts: 152

Ever notice that successful social movements have their own icons or mascots to sell people on an idea and to take up some kinda action...

By that I mean disney has a mickey mouse as a mascot, apple of course has an iconic apple, terrorism as defined by george bush and infotainment windbags such as Rush Limbach on conservative media outlets like fox "news" use an image of bin laden to scare the crap out of american voters, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace -- and good wishes from China -- to children all over the world

http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068254.shtml

the world wildlife fund has a panda

http://images.google.com/images?q=world+wildlife+fund&btnG=Search+Images

and if ya go back in american history in the 1950's, ike and JFK invoked sputnik to push the american public into looking at NASA and science and engineering as a patriotic endeavors. Al Gore and his movie "an inconvient truth", got more people in the american public to start considering environmental.

So after re-listening to an econ talk pod cast on "Worst-case Scenarios"

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2007/11/sunstein_on_wor_1.html

I figure one way to get the general public a bit more aware of peak oil is to personalize the issue. So what icon, person or mascot do you think could help sell the general public around the world that peak oil is a problem they should consider more important news, than say the lastest BS antics of some skank "celeberty" like britney spears or paris hilton.
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Ludi · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 7:59 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

I suggest this "zombie dog" the late Sam, ugliest dog in the world while he lived:

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DomusAlbion · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 8:05 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

The hungry wolf at the door. Staring at you, ready to devour you.
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Homesteader · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 8:44 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

A big ugly camel. Ship of the desert and all that.

phaster · Heavy Crude Joined: Jul 15, 2007 Posts: 152

Aimrehtopyh · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 9:13 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

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Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3112 Location: Maine

Make my vote for the wolf at the door. The UK site has a great symbol, of a wolf in a drop of oil:

http://www.wolfatthedoor.org.uk/

Here's a cool youtube video of Wolf at the Door by Radiohead:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvBPCm25z4I
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Deep in the mud and slime of things, even there, something sings.

mos6507 · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

anagami · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 10:32 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

// this post is released under the Public Domain

actually the Apple logo is an icon not a mascot. Linux, Firefox, and Open Source in general have better mascots.

Well, I was thinking that the bell-shaped curve is quite iconic... specially if you make a similar one but of "peak other"; like peak population (which growth rate matches the oil curve shape). So, we must start with a bell.

...I was thinking of a bell-shaped smilie... and looking at the Finder.app icon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finder_(software) Which is a rectangle with 2 mixed happy faces, one up front and the other as seen by the side.

So... now imagine an ochre or dark yellowish (a bell usual color, or few oil seen under light) colored smile, divided in 2 like the Finder.app icon. BUT, that can clearly be seen as happy in the left side and sad in the right side.

Smile

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Mechman · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

The wolf in a drop of Oil at "Wolf at the Door" UK really is a very visually striking mascot symbol with cultural reference but it already as been grabbed. In the story of the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" the false alarms lulled everyone to inattention but in the end the wolf showed up and fed. So much like the problem with peak oil, people have been lulled into inattention by false alarms and wishful thinking and now the big bad peak oil wolf is going to bite most or all of us in the butt. CYA with peak oil preps and the wolf's bite will not hurt as much.

For doomer porn, how about a great white shark with mouth open to bite in a drop of oil? Frighten all the kiddies!

Or a good picture of Mother Nature giving the whole earth in a dirty oil diaper a big slap?

We do have our very own HawkMan mascot promoted by Aaron for Peak Oil. Skriiieee!!

Mark
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Mark

Been getting out of the "Beast" for 3 years and counting. Get a helmet as quick as you can.

phaster · Heavy Crude Joined: Jul 15, 2007 Posts: 152

steam_cannon · Expert Joined: Dec 28, 2006 Posts: 2425 Location: MA

I don't know about mascots, but in thinking about it I found this...

It's a darned good comic.
Page 1: http://www.transmission-x.com/luz/2007/10/26/hello-world/

About the doomer/artist "Claudia Davila" Very Happy

http://www.franpages.blogspot.com/

steam_cannon · Expert Joined: Dec 28, 2006 Posts: 2425 Location: MA

phaster edit your post, no nudity.

ohanian · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Oct 17, 2004 Posts: 1065

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLMVNyYb1SE

Aimrehtopyh · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil needs a mascot!

The Petroleum Fairy needs no weapons. He just waves his Wand of Supply Chain Disruption and millions die.

I like zensuis idea about using the bell curve to describe a smile. Except Hubberts curve is without a doubt ALL FROWN.

Maybe someone with photoshop could morph the curve with something famously sad. Like...