What Planet Is It?

“There is no planet B.” I agree. You agree. Scientists agree. Anyone in their sane mind would agree. Even optimistic astronomers working at national observatories would agree that there is no planet B (that we know of). It’s common knowledge to know that aside from Earth, there is not a single habitable place in the entire universe. The elegance of this bumper sticker reminds us of the hard truth that we are actually a very special speck of dust in the cosmos– the only place suitable for life. 

In one short sentence, the bumper sticker presents a true description about the state of the universe. In an appeal to logos, it calls us to take better care of Earth, our planet A, by reminding us of the reality of the lack of a planet B. The rhetorical situation of this bumper sticker is driven by, and drives, the ideology that our society must protect the environment because it we don’t, we won’t have an alternative. The audience of this sticker, after reading it while stuck at a red light, would naturally infer that since there is no planet B they must conserve and protect planet A. 

To convey its purpose, the poster invokes a couple commonplaces and ideas that we all know. First, that we are responsible for protecting our planet. It is universally agreed upon that protecting the environment is a “good” thing, despite the execution of this principle not having as much support. In a clever play on words, the poster alludes to the idea of a “plan B” with the words “planet B”. To all those understanding English, “plan B” is synonymous with “back up plan”. In order for this bumper sticker to be effective, it relies on the assumption that its audience will know the term “plan B”. 

I’d assume the commonplaces the bumper sticker references are known by at least 90% of the US population. Logically, the bumper sticker makes a lot of sense since it is built on a universal fact and alludes to common principles that we all understand. For that reason, I think the bumper sticker is effective in advocating its environmentally positive stance. The sticker is clear enough that anyone glancing by it would understand the message of its argument. Would it invoke action and change, that is tough to say… However, it does help create a greener world, by reinforcing the ideology that we must protect our environment. By normalizing messages like that, change will come.