“The Lorax” is an adaptation of a Dr Seuss story of the same name. The movie follows Ted as he attempts to find a real live tree in order to impress the girl he likes. He seeks out the Once-ler who is rumoured to know what happened to the trees. While hearing the Once-ler’s story, he learns to genuinely care about the trees.

But will his desire to bring the trees back be enough to revert the destruction caused to the town of Thneedville by both the Once-ler and O’Hare’s greed?

Unpopular Opinion: There Is No Difference Between The Once-ler and O’Hare

Both started off as poor working class men with big dreams. The only difference is that the film followed the Once-ler’s progression. The audience was able to see his rise from rags to riches, his increase in greed and his eventual destruction. He only learnt his lesson once he lost everything.

And while the Once-ler’s fall from grace was a result of his own incompetence, O’Hare was overthrown. We never get to see how O’Hare would’ve reacted once his unsustainable practises made it impossible for him to even just conduct his own business. For O’Hare, his fall from grace did not necessarily mean he also lost everything. He still had his wealth and would probably continue living in Thneedville. He would continue to live in a town that progressively improved in terms of the environment.

On the other hand, the Once-Ler lost his company, his family and the friends he made on his journey. He was made intimately aware of the destruction he caused. That, along with isolation, resulted in his change of opinion. Before that, he was just as terrible as O’Hare. Like O’Hare charmed Thneedville with his ads and musical numbers, the Once-ler presented himself as charitable by literally donating pennies. O’Hare didn’t lose his company because he ran out resources to make air, so why would he change?

The Once-ler is not a good person because he realised the error of his ways AFTER he caused destruction. Other than telling Ted the story of the Truffula trees and giving him a seed, he did nothing to earn his redemption. The only thing distinguishing him from O’Hare is the fact that the Once-ler understands the short lifespan of businesses that don’t take care of the environment.

How Billionaires Are Considered Charitable After Paying Literal Pennies In Comparison With Their Overall Wealth

The Once-ler creates a monopoly in the market and he clearly is a billionaire. And yet 2.09 shows him being photographed and exclaimed as charitable after donating a silver coin. This is often the case in real life.

The richest 1% pay almost no tax and cover up their greed by paying less than what a vacation would cost for them. And yet, due to just how rich they are, it seems like a great amount. They are exclaimed as charitable and thus drive up their popularity which often results in them earning even more money. It’s all clever marketing and it costs them little to nothing. If anything, it gains a profit.

And people are too busy complimenting them to even notice that they aren’t paying any taxes while the poorest people are. Not to mention that the profit earned by these billionaires often come at the exploitation of people or the environment.

The Lorax shows that no matter how charitable a billionaire is, if they’re gaining profit through the exploitation of people and the environment, they’re still bad people. The Once-ler and O’Hare are based off of real billionaires who only care about money. Their greed is so great that they lose their conscience.

Propaganda And The Exploitation Of The Most Vulnerable In Our Society

In the song “How Bad Can I Be”, there is a short clip of the Once-ler handing the Lorax a thneed, someone actively protesting the destruction caused in their making, and then the Lorax being photographed holding it. A poster is then made of this with the headline: Lorax Approved. Not only is his image being used without his consent, but he is also portrayed as endorsing the very thing he is protesting.

However, the Once-ler is a billionaire with a team of lawyers and the Lorax isn’t even human. He doesn’t have the money or resources to fight the Once-ler or even just let the world know that he doesn’t support thneeds. All he can do is attempt to reason with the Once-ler. But if the Once-ler is too blinded by greed to listen, the Lorax has no power to initiate positive change.

This is often the case in the real world. Billionaires make their money off the exploitation of the most vulnerable in our community and then those vulnerable groups are unable to fight the exploitation. All the while, these billionaires have the money and resources to spin things in a way that they’re portrayed as the good guys.

It’s all propaganda and most of us are so used to it that it doesn’t even register as that.

Final Thoughts

The Lorax may be for children but it is certainly not deficient in analytical thinking. Behind the singing and humour, there’s a real message there. The Lorax teaches kids the value of the environment and the destructive power of capitalism. It is essential that kids watch movies like this so that they can understand the importance of awareness and activism.

Our environment is currently being destroyed by greedy corporations and unless we are all aware and willing to hold these corporations accountable, no real change can be made. We need to stop being swayed by propaganda and start valuing the world we live in. The companies that are currently exploiting the environment for profit will not last but the destruction they cause will.

If you haven’t seen the Lorax yet, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s not only informative but also really fun to watch. I particularly liked the musical numbers.