Unlikely Tie Leads to Common Enemy: Fracking
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/01/14170780-hollywood-environmentalists-persian-gulf-oil-barons-have-common-foe-fracking?lite#__utma=238145375.970878798.1349229928.1349229928.1349229928.1&__utmb=238145375.3.10.1349229928&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1349229928.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=%28organic%29|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|technology%20%26%20science|science=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=269182386
A recent movie, “Promised Land”, pictures a rural town in trouble from economic decline that is offered a lot of money for drilling rights in the area. An activist in the town rallies opposition to the drillers because the drilling would have harmful effects on the environment. This movie was produced “in association with” Image Media Abu Dhabi, which is owned by Abu Dhabi Media. Abu Dhabi Media is owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE, a major oil exporter, would benefit from the expansion of fracking being inhibited in the United States. Fracking has caused an energy boom in the U.S. that is detrimental to the UAE’s profits. “Promised Land” conveys an anti-fracking message that could help to slow down fracking, which would be beneficial to the UAE.
The relationship among the film, the UAE, and the fracking industry in the United States is an example of structural balance with positive and negative relationships. The film and the UAE have a positive relationship between them and both have a negative relationship to fracking. This is a balanced triangle, the edges being +, -, -. Both the film and the UAE have the same goal, slowing down or stopping fracking. The film might actually have a negative effect on the UAE, however. The film, which was unfair to drilling, is getting negative feedback from residents of Pennsylvania near where a lot of filming took place. If the movie ends up having a detrimental effect on the UAE, the triangle would then shift to an imbalanced triangle, the edges being -, -, -. The movie would still have a negative relationship with fracking, but would now also have a negative relationship with the UAE. This triangle will naturally tend to try to become balanced because of tension among members. It will be interesting to see what the effects of this movie will be in the future as the press and angry Pennsylvania residents determine the relationship of the movie to the UAE.
-Spader