Following the murder of 20 people by a racist terrorist in El Paso, Texas, the liberal media cherry-picked portions of his alleged manifesto to connect him to the right. But some ignored portions that cited The Lorax as an inspiration for his views — a book and movie the liberal media used to love to promote because of its environmental agenda.
The alleged manifesto was headlined “The Inconvenient Truth,” similar to Davis Guggenheim’s 2006 documentary on Al Gore, and included eco-extremist rantings about destroying the environment, The Lorax, plastic waste and more.
CNN and some other media conveniently ignored other portions of the four-page manifesto (believed to have been written by shooting suspect Patrick Crusius) that would reflect badly on the left — like the shooter’s environmental sentiments.
On page two it read, “Our lifestyle is destroying the environment of our country. The decimation of the environment is creating a massive burden for future generations. Corporations are heading the destruction of our environment by shamelessly overharvesting resources.” [emphasis added]
It cited the Dr. Seuss’ fable writing, “This phenomenon is brilliantly portrayed in the decades-old classic ‘The Lorax.’ Watersheds around the country, especially in agricultural areas, are being depleted. Fresh water is being polluted from farming and oil-drilling operations.” He attacked “consumer culture” for plastic and e-waste, complained about urban sprawl, the use of paper towels and the unwillingness of people to change their lifestyles.”
Many of those environmental attitudes are promoted by the liberal media. In 2012, it fawned over the updated Lorax when a movie adaptation was released. NBC’s Today, CBS New York, Huffington Post and others celebrated its environmental messaging.
NBC Today co-host Matt Lauer was stunned that Fox News host Lou Dobbs had criticized the movie for trying to indoctrinate children with an environmentalist agenda. He told Lorax actor Ed Helms “believe it or not, Dr. Seuss has sparked controversy with this movie.”
CBS New York reported on April 9, 2012, that “Seuss personifies industry as a whole with the Once-ler, to draw interest and attention to unchecked corporate greed as a threat to nature.”
“The Lorax sounds the warning siren, but is ignored, as environmental groups often are, until it’s too late. But industry isn’t the sole culprit in this cautionary tale. Industry will only produce what it thinks consumers will buy. So on a certain level, we’re all responsible for the fate of the environment,” it continued.
ThinkProgress quipped on March 9, 2012, that it was “safe to say that anyone shocked that the movie has a strong environmental message has never read the book. The Lorax speaks for the trees.” That left-wing site perceived the moral of the story to be “it’s up to us to stop unsustainable industries: ‘UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.’’
The Huffington Post lectured parents, telling them to talk with their children about the film’s messages and “act on them,” on March 8, 2012. CNN even noted on March 13, 2012, that The Lorax movie adaptation was criticized for allowing commercial tie-ins with IHOP and Mazda to taint the Lorax’s “green message.” As recently as 2018, NPR reported that a federal court judge quoted the Lorax in a decision cancelling a gas pipeline permit.
