Here's a very well written article about Lucy, the role of Shell and our reliance on oil. Yes that has been in the news before The Greenpeace Seven stormed the Noble Discoverer and scaled up the derrick on Friday 24 February. What this has made this occupation more media focused is because of one Warrior Princess on board and that is gold. Gold for the issues because it makes people who didn't know anything about the situation pay attention because this well known celebrity is part of the occupation of the Noble Discoverer.
Samantha Lee from Voxy wrote a great article on it. Have a read.
Lucy Lawless v. Shell: David v. Goliath
by Samantha Lee
I am a fan of strong female characters on TV. I fully subscribe to the adage "you can't be what you can't see." A huge part of that is having highly visible, positive role models on our screens.
It's also no secret I'm a fan of David v. Goliath - backing David for the win. Those in power seem almost inevitably to misuse their authority in some way, and those that fight against this in a non-violent but proactive capacity will always have my vote.
Two of my favourite things have combined this week as Lucy Lawless, (of Spartacus and Xena Warrior Princess fame), along with six other activists working with Greenpeace, has scaled a 53 metre tower on a ship called the Noble Discoverer at the Port of Taranaki. It's leased from the Noble Corporation by Shell, and is bound for the Arctic to start "exploratory shallow water drilling." The Greenpeace team argue that a spill like the one in the Gulf of Mexico could conceivably happen again, which would have far-reaching consequences world-wide. They want Shell to cease all planned operations in the Arctic.They are currently, two days later, still ensconced on the ship's tower, attracting worldwide media attention. (TMZ undoubtedly has the best interview so far - there's a Xena war cry in it for you.)
To be completely honest, I started researching this purely because of the guts it took to do this. Think about that conversation for a moment:
"First of all, Lucy, you have consciously decided to break the law. Look, cheers for that. Now, what we want you to do is scale a 53 metre tower, with no safety instructors or stunt doubles present, on a rust bucket loosely called a ship that is just about to leave for the Arctic, which we hear is quite cold.The plan is to survive for two days and nights and counting. No, we don't know exactly how long. Just go with it. We want you to champion the cause on a tiny little platform with no creature comforts. Maybe a laptop. Don't play too much Words with Friends. There'll be no showers or toilets, sorry. Also, you're going to get very little sleep because helicopters and loudspeakers will be going almost non-stop. There'll be very strong wind, and being this is Taranaki, probably rain. Oh, and you'll have to pull it together quick smart and keep it together, because you're now the star of this enterprise and media from all over the world are going to be expecting you to coherently explain just what the hell it is you think you're doing. Thanks for your service to Greenpeace, please accept this commemorative pin."
Unless you're Vanessa Redgrave, celebrities just don't do this stuff. So one can only come to the conclusion that Lucy Lawless is crazier than the Lost polar bear plotline, or she and the rest of her team believe so passionately in their cause and have such hope of making a difference - against a giant as indifferent and unyielding as Shell- that they've risked their own safety, legal charges and career damage as a result.
I'll say it. I admire Lucy Lawless along with the other people on board the "Ignoble Destroyer" for putting her money where her mouth is. You don't see many people genuinely doing that, let alone people who have a very high profile career and surely enough money to buy an island somewhere should the world go to hell. I figure, if she's going to spend some time voluntarily standing on a very tiny, windy platform in the middle of the Port of Taranaki promoting a cause, as a fan of the little guys versus the big guys and a Kiwi who loves being part of a nation with a tendency to stand up for what they believe in, I'll look into it.
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