Do What I Say, Not What I Do.
Summary
The cartoon “Do What I Say, Not What I Do” by Patrick Chappatte, published in The New York Times on December 8, 2005, critically investigates environmental pollution and the reluctance of industrial countries to make a change. Based on the scenery, a stout American with a drinking bottle saying “Oil” suggests to an Asian businessman that: “To save the planet, you should give up my way of life.” In the background, there are factories and smoking chimneys, which pollute the air.
The cartoon can be used as a starting point for a classroom discussion or a project week on environmental awareness, global warming and the carbon footprint. A variety of other cartoons concerning climate change, Brexit, COVID-19 and migration can be found on Chappatte’s homepage.
Critical edition
Chappatte, Patrick. "Do what I say, not what I do." The New York Times, December 8, 2015. Website