5/20/2023 0 Comments Cute beholder![]() There has been some progress in this regard. How then, do we protect species that we find ugly, scary, gross, or otherwise unappealing? Others, like the Alameda whipsnake or the valley elderberry longhorn beetle, lack many of these characteristics. ![]() Galleymore points out that some endangered species (sometimes called charismatic megafauna), such as the panda bear, have characteristics that humans readily find cute. One potential problem with attempting to encourage environmental protection by depicting endangered species as cute is that not all species lend themselves to cutification. Perhaps we might promote environmental protection then, by encouraging people to view more plants and animals, or even the globe as a whole (think “ blue marble”), as cute? Perhaps we might provoke a caring response by generating a sense of closeness and affection? The Dark Side of Cuteness ![]() Now, contrast this attitude toward Nature with the familiar way we think of our pets: how we invite them into our spaces and attribute human characteristics to them. These poets depict Nature as grand, sublime, pristine, frighteningly powerful, and supremely beautiful. “There’s this kind of reverent quality that comes up often in writing about the environment,” says Galleymore. ![]() So how might our projections of cuteness affect our perception of and interactions with the natural world? Galleymore suggests that cuteness breaks down the boundaries between nature as “out there” or “outdoors” versus culture as “in here” or “indoors.” It disrupts the conceptual separation created by traditional representations of (capital N) Nature as something “other” that inspires awe, as in the writings of Romantic poets such as Wordsworth, Keats, and Blake. ![]()
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