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https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/memes-about-animal-resistance-are-everywhere-heres-why-you-shouldnt-laugh>
"Memes galore centered on the “orca revolution” have inundated the online
realm. They gleefully depict orcas launching attacks on boats in the Strait of
Gibraltar and off the Shetland coast.
One particularly ingenious image showcases an orca posed as a sickle crossed
with a hammer. The cheeky caption reads, “Eat the rich,” a nod to the orcas’
penchant for sinking lavish yachts.
A surfboard-snatching sea otter in Santa Cruz, California has also claimed the
media spotlight. Headlines dub her an “adorable outlaw” “at large.”
Memes conjure her in a beret like the one donned by socialist revolutionary Ché
Guevara. In one caption, she proclaims, “Accept our existence or expect
resistance … an otter world is possible.”
My scholarship centers on animal-human relations through the prism of social
justice. As I see it, public glee about wrecked surfboards and yachts hints at
a certain flavor of schadenfreude. At a time marked by drastic socioeconomic
disparities, white supremacy and environmental degradation, casting these
marine mammals as revolutionaries seems like a projection of desires for social
justice and habitable ecosystems.
A glimpse into the work of some political scientists, philosophers and animal
behavior researchers injects weightiness into this jocular public dialogue. The
field of critical animal studies analyzes structures of oppression and power
and considers pathways to dismantling them. These scholars’ insights challenge
the prevailing view of nonhuman animals as passive victims. They also oppose
the widespread assumption that nonhuman animals can’t be political actors.
So while meme lovers project emotions and perspectives onto these particular
wild animals, scholars of critical animal studies suggest that nonhuman animals
do in fact engage in resistance."
Via Bonobo and Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
