Ted Turner is responsible for the creation of a piece of animated propaganda called “Captain Planet”. The story centers on five teenagers called the “Planeteers.” Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, gives each “Planeteer” a magic ring. The five heroes then embark on missions to stop the evil villains from destroying the Earth by polluting it. These “Eco-Villains”, as they are called, are generally out to make a profit by harvesting large amounts of natural resources. A brief segment called the “Planeteer Alert” follows each episode. This segment gives the viewer advice on how to help save the planet. “Captain Planet” makes an appearance to teach children about environmental issues.
“Captain Planet” is liberal propaganda because it goes beyond teaching children to think; it teaches them what to think. According to the National Democratic Platform, “Democrats know that for all of us there is no more solemn responsibility than of stewards of God’s Creation [Earth]” (Democratic National Committee). The episode “Rain of Terror” shows this idea. The Planeteers become trapped in a room polluted with leaking toxic materials. They refuse to use their magic rings to escape because the use of any of their powers runs a risk of releasing the toxins in to the ground, atmosphere, or underground water. They would rather die from the leaking chemicals than risk polluting the Earth. Another Democratic idea is the reduction of the military forces. This attitude is reflected in the episode “A Mission to Save Earth”. It states that, “countries spend billions of dollars on armies and weapons to defend themselves from one another. But the Earth faces a more serious and common enemy. The enemy is pollution. Let’s use our money, people, and time to help stop this threat to our survival.” This is also the moral to the particular episode. “Captain Planet” teaches children what to think, and is, thus, propaganda.
“Captain Planet” uses many propaganda techniques. One such technique is Selection through stereotyping. The villains in “Captain Planet” are generally stereotypes of greedy large business capitalists. One example of this is the villain Looten Plunder. Looten Plunder is a businessman dressed in a suit and tie. As his name implies, he plunders the environment to strip it of all its natural resources. Another example of a villain stereotype is Hoggish Greedly. He, too, is a devout businessman. The villains go beyond just harvesting the Earth’s resources; they destroy them pointlessly. Greedly states that “drift-netting the ocean is even more fun that burning down a rainforest” (“Dead Seas”). This over-exaggeration is both the Selection Device of false emphasis and the Misleading Association Device. The cartoon puts false emphasis on the fact that businesses harvest resources, and falsely associates that because businesses sometimes harm the environment, they enjoy destroying it. “Captain Planet” makes use of several propaganda devices.
