# CEI Ads: "Carbon Dioxide. We call it life." **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 18, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330 "2006-05-18T22:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/1 "2006-05-18T22:59:12Z")
Scared into a fit of stupidity over the new Al Gore movie, _An Inconvenient Truth_, the Competitive Enterprise Institute [has developed some ads](http://streams.cei.org/) to counter the message of the film. Their message is summed up at the end with the tagline: “Carbon dioxide. They call it pollution. We call it life.” If I didn’t know better, I’d say that these ads were a parody from some group like The Onion. Since it’s so great for “life,” which is the message these ads would like to convey, I’d like to see the creators of these ads sit in a roomful of carbon dioxide. Stupid fuckers. If “pollution is good” is the best counter argument you’ve got, from what I hear, Al Gore’s movie is going to kick your ass. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/2 "2006-05-18T23:50:03Z")
While it’s not commonly known, CEI is actually run by intelligent plants. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/3 "2006-05-19T00:44:25Z")
The Frodis is now a corporate PR flack? Wow, the Sixties really _are_ over. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/4 "2006-05-19T00:58:07Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > While it’s not commonly known, CEI is actually run by intelligent plants. Yeah, [this kind of plant me thinks…](http://www.movievillains.com/archives/2004/04/audrey_ii.html) ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/5 "2006-05-19T02:17:56Z")
I’m trying to be outraged, but really that’s just hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/6 "2006-05-19T02:24:06Z")
{{{{ CO[sub]2[/sub] }}}} You’ve saved me from a world of backbreaking labor, and lit up my life. I love you, carbon dioxide. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/7 "2006-05-19T02:26:56Z")
I wondered what the **C** leveland **E** lectric **I** lluminating Company was doing promoting CO[sub]2[/sub]. I had not previously encountered the Competitive Enterprise Institute. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/8 "2006-05-19T02:28:30Z")
To smarter people it is funny, but I am sure there is somebody out there that “this just makes sense” to. Truthiness. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/9 "2006-05-19T02:51:34Z")
> [@flight](#): > > Truthiness. Did you know that Jesus exhaled carbon dioxide? And there’s a good chance you’ve picked a flower, or even taken a breath that held just a little bit of his holy effluence. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/10 "2006-05-19T03:33:39Z")
I honestly think that the ads are actually a guerilla marketing campaign to _promote_ Gore’s new movie. It just can’t be possible that anyone with any marketing acumen whatsoever could produce something so laughable. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/11 "2006-05-19T03:51:29Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > It just can’t be possible that anyone with any marketing acumen whatsoever could produce something so laughable. Bastard. Why do you hate carbon dioxide? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/12 "2006-05-19T05:26:14Z")
Didn’t anyone realize that the CEI is a shell corporation for the League of Dry Ice Enthusiasts? ---
**Author:** ![Tripwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tripwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripwire)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/13 "2006-05-19T06:02:36Z")
Seems like a lot of corporate trade groups have decided to go on the offensive against things they feel are hurting their industry. These ads are up all over DC, for instance: [http://www.fishscam.com/](http://www.fishscam.com/) ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/14 "2006-05-19T06:06:26Z")
The problem with these ads is that they just don’t contain enough scary misinformation. What happened to, “If CO2 is declared a pollutant, the government could fine you just for breathing, or confiscate any sources of it they find in your home. You know what’s a big CO2 producer? Your baby.” Or, how about this: (_As a theremin drones softly, the camera is “walking” in an empty room which is painted a brilliant white, with many white pillars. Voiceover_.) “They wait (_beat_) out of sight, in the extreme north and south of the planet.” (_A sudden rustle. The camera POV whirls to find – nothing_.) “They weigh millions of tons. They do not reason. They don’t feel pain, or love, or remorse.” (_Three-quarter second flash cut – Arnold Schwartzeneggar as the Terminator_) “They care not for art, for religion, for civilization --” (_Cut to montage : paintings, cathedrals, cities – upward looks at tall buildings only_) “They are glaciers, and the last time they came for us, half the American landscape was simply – erased…” (_Wipe montage – white screen_) “…leaving us literally in the Stone Age.” (_Cut to cavemen getting stomped by mastodon_) “If they come again – and scientists tell us they will – there is nothing on Earth that can stand in their way. Except for --” (_Cut to little girl blowing a string of bubbles. Hold on the flight of last bubble_) “CO2.” (_Slow sequence: wood fire, steam locomotive, steel mill, oil well, 405 freeway approaching LAX, jetliner taking off_) “Some call it air pollution, some call it smog, but CO2, the stuff of a little girl’s innocent breath, has been keeping glaciers at bay for ten thousand years. And as American industry has become more efficient at converting natural resources into CO2, we are not merely holding our own…” (_Cut to before-and-after pix of shrunken ice cap_) “…but winning!” (_Cut to shot of some guy, waiting to cross a busy street, getting a face full of bus exhaust. At first he looks irritated, then thoughtful, then smiles broadly_) “So the next time you encounter CO2, take the time to enjoy it. Breathe deep, and tell yourself, ‘I smell victory.’ Don’t savor it too long, though. Blow it out again, and if you feel like it add some CO2 of your own. We need every bit we can get to fight the glaciers.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/15 "2006-05-19T06:18:00Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > The problem with these ads is that they just don’t contain enough scary misinformation. What happened to, “If CO2 is declared a pollutant, the government could fine you just for breathing, or confiscate any sources of it they find in your home. You know what’s a big CO2 producer? Your baby.” > > Or, how about this: > > (_As a theremin drones softly, the camera is “walking” in an empty room which is painted a brilliant white, with many white pillars. Voiceover_.) > > “They wait (_beat_) out of sight, in the extreme north and south of the planet.” > > (_A sudden rustle. The camera POV whirls to find – nothing_.) > > “They weigh millions of tons. They do not reason. They don’t feel pain, or love, or remorse.” > > (_Three-quarter second flash cut – Arnold Schwartzeneggar as the Terminator_) > > “They care not for art, for religion, for civilization --” > > (_Cut to montage : paintings, cathedrals, cities – upward looks at tall buildings only_) > > “They are glaciers, and the last time they came for us, half the American landscape was simply – erased…” > > (_Wipe montage – white screen_) > > “…leaving us literally in the Stone Age.” > > (_Cut to cavemen getting stomped by mastodon_) > > “If they come again – and scientists tell us they will – there is nothing on Earth that can stand in their way. Except for --” > > (_Cut to little girl blowing a string of bubbles. Hold on the flight of last bubble_) > > “CO2.” > > (_Slow sequence: wood fire, steam locomotive, steel mill, oil well, 405 freeway approaching LAX, jetliner taking off_) > > “Some call it air pollution, some call it smog, but CO2, the stuff of a little girl’s innocent breath, has been keeping glaciers at bay for ten thousand years. And as American industry has become more efficient at converting natural resources into CO2, we are not merely holding our own…” > > (_Cut to before-and-after pix of shrunken ice cap_) > > “…but winning!” > > (_Cut to shot of some guy, waiting to cross a busy street, getting a face full of bus exhaust. At first he looks irritated, then thoughtful, then smiles broadly_) > > “So the next time you encounter CO2, take the time to enjoy it. Breathe deep, and tell yourself, ‘I smell victory.’ Don’t savor it too long, though. Blow it out again, and if you feel like it add some CO2 of your own. We need every bit we can get to fight the glaciers.” You know, you get yourself a handheld video camera, and a few yards of stock footage, and you could pitch that to _The Colbert Report_. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/16 "2006-05-19T06:38:08Z")
I don’t see what the problem is with the ads. I think that the message they are trying to get across is that we take our technology for granted. I get so frustrated when I here someone say that we are “addicted” to oil, as if it were some recreational drug that only provides superficial benefits. We are addicted to oil in as much as we are addicted to farming, they are invaluable technologies that we can not currently live with out. But that seems to be forgotten to often in debates on ecology. Yeah, CO2 is not life, but the technologies that produce it are and are currently irreplacable. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/17 "2006-05-19T07:31:21Z")
> [@Muad'Dib](#): > > I don’t see what the problem is with the ads. I think that the message they are trying to get across is that we take our technology for granted. I get so frustrated when I here someone say that we are “addicted” to oil, as if it were some recreational drug that only provides superficial benefits. > > We are addicted to oil in as much as we are addicted to farming, they are invaluable technologies that we can not currently live with out. But that seems to be forgotten to often in debates on ecology. > Yeah, CO2 is not life, but the technologies that produce it are and are currently irreplacable. Actually, it looks like their message is quite obviously, “CO2 is a wonderful part of nature, it is silly to think that making more of it is bad.” Whether you call it an addiction or a dependency doesn’t matter with respect to the ad. With their logic you wouldn’t even want to reduce CO2 emissions which keeping the same level of industry. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/18 "2006-05-19T07:32:38Z")
Argh, _while_ keeping the same… ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/19 "2006-05-19T07:38:29Z")
> [@flight](#): > > Actually, it looks like their message is quite obviously, “CO2 is a wonderful part of nature, it is silly to think that making more of it is bad.” > > Whether you call it an addiction or a dependency doesn’t matter with respect to the ad. With their logic you wouldn’t even want to reduce CO2 emissions which keeping the same level of industry. I don’t think that that is their message at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cei-ads-carbon-dioxide-we-call-it-life/357330/20 "2006-05-19T08:08:51Z")
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