The Sound Green

Hiskies has repeatedly used the word drill in his articles and I can see how Hall’s idea of constructionist representation is applied here.  I noticed that “oil drilling” could be a positive or negative phrase depending on a person’s stand on environmental issues and political views. A republican believing in an oil-based economy will very likely react positively to the slogan “drill baby drill” while a democrats supporting clean energy will be furious to see the slogan.  In the case, the meaning of “drill” has a socially constructed meaning, and it can be changed by how oil drilling is related to other things.  In his speech, President Obama said oil drilling is essential to the country because the oil can possibly last for 10-12 years.  Perhaps this will buy us more time to develop some cheap clean energy.  However no matter how much President wants his oil drilling plan to sound justified, environmental activists are not buying it.  Is it because these activists are influenced by the negative emotion attached to “oil drilling” regardless of it’s the possibilities it may bring?  Or do these people not want to see the country become more dependent on an oil-based economy?