Earth to Humans

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In 2018, Virginia Tech Political Science Professor Cara Daggett wrote a paper entitled ‘Petro- masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire’ which analyzed how society’s constructs of masculinity had become prevalent in attitudes towards fossil fuel use and energy. Cara’s research focuses on feminist political ecology, in particular the politics of energy in an era of planetary disruption. While we spoke, found her definition and analysis of energy completely mind-blowing and it’s shattered my previous understanding of the word and energy as a concept. I’ll never use the word in the same way again!

In the article mentioned above, Cara addresses the new authoritarian movements in the West that embrace a toxic combination of climate denial, racism and misogyny as the planet warms. Rather than considering these issues separately, the article interrogates their relationship through the concept of ‘petro-masculinity’, which highlights the historic role of fossil fuel systems in buttressing white patriarchal rule. Petro-masculinity is helpful in understanding how the anxieties aroused by the Anthropocene era can increase desires for power.

The concept of petro-masculinity suggests that fossil fuels mean more than profit; fossil fuels actually contribute to making identities. Moreover, fossil fuel use can even function as a violent compensatory practice in reaction to gender and climate trouble.

I found this article fascinating. I’d never considered the impact that western societal pressures on masculinity could have on environmentalism. Sure, I’ve spent my career as a Wildlife Biologist constantly surrounded by female-identifying people, which is something I’ve definitely noticed, and all of the most environmentally friendly people I know are also female. But, after reading this article so many things started jumping out at me that I hadn’t noticed before, including the way that many environmentally unfriendly products are directly targeted at men, even using anti-feminine and homophobic slurs as a means of increasing sales. Gender is an intersection of environmentalism that I hadn’t noticed quite so much before. The way that Cara discusses masculine domination over the feminine, with the feminine being the Earth, sent chills down my spine and is again, something I’ve consistently noticed since speaking to her.

Why is it that destructive practices towards nature are seen as being manly, whereas being nurturing and kind to the environment are girly and practicing these things supposedly makes you less of a man? It’s a minefield.

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As the world of brand names and politicians offer their bandwagon platitudes for the summer of 2020 we’ve been thinking a lot about what that means for us. On the surface of it, conversations about wildlife, nature, conservation, climate change, mass extinction, and more – don’t often feel like there is a direct connection with racism, LGBTQ rights, gender equality, rampant runaway nationalism, classism, wealth inequality... And yet, the two worlds of our cultural values and the physical space and beings which inhabit it are completely intertwined. They are intersectional. They are undetachable.

That is why we have made the decision to rebrand our podcast. We feel the name “Eyes on Conservation” no longer serves the purpose it once did. We feel that it doesn’t address those issues enough, and instead of simply throwing a #BLM stamp on our Instagram, patting ourselves on the back, and calling it a day, we’ve decided to make social equality and natural conservation - the natural allies that they are - central to our journey forward.

And we want you to take the journey with us. We would like to hear from you what you think about this. What ideas you have for a new name, what concerns or questions you have. Please give us your feedback either through email at [email protected] or by calling our voicemail at 208-917-3786. We will listen and read everything you send us and would love to share your answers on an upcoming episode.

Wild Lens Collective member Sarinah Simons is a freelance filmmaker, activist and intersectional environmentalist currently based in northern California. She works in wildlife management for the state. Sarinah is passionate about telling stories about wildlife and marginalized communities. Her upcoming projects include the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band’s traditional fire practices in California, and A Change in the Clouds, the story of Panama’s indigenous Guna Yala people, jaguar conservation, and the crossroads of climate change.

Website: http://www.sarinahsimons.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/_sea_legs/

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/change-in-the-clouds-film

Wild Lens Collective member Ben-Alex Dupris, aka @Bendigenous, is an enrolled member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, where he grew up. Over the years he has worked in commercial entertainment, tribal language preservation, youth media training and most recently, documenting front-line environmental activism.

He is a Concordia Studios Artist-In-Residence Alumni headed by Academy-Award winner Davis Guggenheim, Firelight Impact Producer's Fellow, and a Sundance Institute "Rauschenberg" Producer's Fellow.

His directorial debut, Sweetheart Dancers, was a Grand Jury Winner for best short film at OUTFEST LA, and his upcoming PBS American Masters features Pawnee painter Bunky Echo-Hawk as a part of a series curated by Firelight Media.

@Bendigenous also teaches “Indigenous Mythology in Film” at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies, with upcoming class dates coming up in the 2020-2021 year.

The work we’re doing is made possible because of people like our patrons on Patreon. Thank you so much to all of you. Please consider becoming a supporter for as little as a buck a show at www.patreon.com/wildlenscollective.

A Message From the Native Filmmakers Fighting the Dakota Pipeline at Standing Rock – Speech by John Trudell “We Are Power”, video short produce by Ben Alex and Heather Rae https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phre0bArD0M

Sweetheart Dancers – Directed and Produced by Ben Alex Dupris

https://www.pbs.org/filmfestival/films/sweetheart-dancers

Extended Interview: Burning a Forest to Revive a People – Valentin Lopez for PBS explaining the significance of fire practices for the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

https://www.pbs.org/video/valentin-lopez-burns-forest-revive-people-hotbmr/

A Change in the Clouds – Directed and Produced by Sarinah Simons

https://www.gofundme.com/f/change-in-the-clouds-film

Sea of Shadows – Co-director, Matthew Podolsky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiFjJCUd9ro

Music in today’s show by Blue Dot Sessions via ...

“[Dolphins] have been on the face of the Earth a lot longer than humans have been. They've figured out a number of solutions for making a living in an environment that would be very hostile to us, and yet that joins the areas where we live. So we talk about these animals living in our backyard, but in reality, we kind of live in their backyard.”

When Dr. Randall Wells was still in high school, he joined a U.S. naval research project involving dolphins as an assistant in Sarasota Bay Florida. The same year, in 1970, he and a colleague began tagging wild dolphins and that data-informed project would become the “world’s longest-running study of a dolphin population.”

When he began the work, Dr. Wells’ initial project was to determine if dolphins remain in one area over their lifetime or if they migrated and moved, a question unanswered by science at the time.

“We had no idea whether the dolphins that we saw one day would be there a week later or a month later, or whether they range freely around the Gulf of Mexico.”

Since then, Dr. Wells, now the Director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and employed by the Chicago Zoological Society, and his team of conservation scientists have contributed much more to our understanding of one the most intelligent animals on earth.

From the concept of the “ecological cul-de-sac” to “dolphinalities,” and from innovative citizen science initiatives to data that has informed high profile environmental lawsuits, in this episode Dr. Wells discusses his life’s work and the dolphins at the heart of it all, some of whom he’s been watching his entire 50-year career.

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is part of the Chicago Zoological Society. Learn more about the lab’s ongoing research here: https://www.sarasotadolphin.org

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Documentary producer Nate Ford invites two big cat experts to weigh in on the record breaking documentary series, “Tiger King.” Did you watch the show and fall in love with tigers? Find out ways to get involved in big cat conservation and learn how to impact legislation (like, right now) by supporting the Big Cat Safety Act. Are you tired of hearing your neighbor talk about getting a pet tiger? Tune in to find out the legitimate reasons why that is a TERRIBLE idea. Then, go tell your neighbor. And then, consider moving.

Kimberly Craighead is the co-founder of the Kaminando Habitat Connectivity Initiative, where her team collects data on wild jaguars in Panama through the use of camera traps. One of her main goals is to empower local Panamanians as well as conservationists around the world to participate in preserving suitable natural environments for the jaguar. Tune in to hear about her treks in the jungle and the touching story about a tapir that was captured in a village in Panama, and how the villagers responded. To learn more about Kimberly's work, visit Kaminando.org.

Amy Gotliffe is the Director of Conservation for the Oakland Zoo, which has provided “forever homes” to rescued big cats for years. They continue to push the limit of what a zoo can be by sparking ideas and fostering a global response to animal conservation. Amy gives pointers on how to get involved in the stewardship of a species you love and expands on the myriad of ways in which we can maximize small personal decisions for a global impact. Grab your favorite stuffed animal and sequined jacket…EOC takes on the Tiger King!

Music by David Bashford (via Bloc Films)

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