Tone and Perception(pgs 132-173)

The images of Marlon Brando in The Godfather, Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver and Al Pacino in Serpico help us remember that the world has distinct and powerful voices in the form of strong individuals. Though these figures are caricatures of real human personalities, I think Squarzoni included them to show that human beings can have voices and outlooks on life that are strong and unmoving. Hence the two quotes at the beginning of the section: “I believe in America” and “America has made my fortune.”  This self-entitled tone has a strong connection to the discussion of the standard of living of Americans and their unabated consumption at the cost of massive CO2 emissions. It’s a question of whether we can maintain a high standard of living while prioritizing the environment. It is a matter of having a complete perception of the effects our actions have, rather than willfully holding onto a false perception. This is the case with the image of the Earth, as Squarzoni’s girlfriend points out. The one we have in our minds is the perfectly round illuminated picture taken from space when it actually is something quite different. With the age of climate change, our perception of Earth may change to something more akin to the image of the a dried and decaying planet on page 167. When she says “We’re stuck in a loop of one vision of the world,” she is saying that our perception is unchanging. In our minds the Earth is the Earth in the picture, and lest we open our eyes that picture will remain our false reality.