i'm still working on explaining this the best I can, but I have a theory that environmental destruction under capitalism is a relatively common fetish--not as in I think actual environmental destruction is caused by it, but I think in media, there are people who are attracted to the power dynamic involved, combination of patriarchy and capitalism (see: phenomenon of "petromasculinity").
anyway I wrote this because I saw a fan edit of the anti-environment villain of some new kids movie and it had me thinking of a study I read recently on anti-environment politics as affirmation of masculinity lmao
I mean this makes perfect sense. In a lot of cultures nature/the environment is associated with femininity, which is why a lot of the early green movements struggled to get any foothold with men and men who participated were often seen as emasculated.
But also see: Tumblr and Onceler.
Shit, im convinced if tumblr had been around during Captain Planet days there wouldβve been fandomites horny for Looten Plunder:
The conquering of the natural world is associated with power, which a lot of people find attractive π€·π½π«
this phenomenon comes from the Bible
God blessed them and said to them, βBe fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.β - genesis
from White, Lynn. 1974. "The historical roots of our ecologic crisis" Ecology and religion in history, (New York :Harper and Row, 1974) >>
Man named all the animals, thus establishing his dominance over them. God planned all of this explicitly for man's benefit and rule: no item in the physical creation had any purpose save to serve man's purposes. And, although man's body is made of clay, he is not simply part of nature: he is made in God's image. Especially in its Western form, Christianity is the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen. As early as the 2nd century both Tertullian and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons were insisting that when God shaped Adam he was foreshadowing the image of the incarnate Christ, the Second Adam. Man shares, in great measure, God's transcendence of nature. Christianity, in absolute contrast to ancient paganism and Asia's religions (except, perhaps, Zorastrianism), not only established a dualism of man and nature but also insisted that it is God's will that man exploit nature for his proper ends. At the level of the common people this worked out in an interesting way.
In Antiquity every tree, every spring, every stream, every hill had its own genius loci, its guardian spirit. These spirits were accessible to men, but were very unlike men; centaurs, fauns, and mermaids show their ambivalence. Before one cut a tree, mined a mountain, or dammed a brook, it was important to placate the spirit in charge of that particular situation,and to keep it placated. By destroying pagan animism, Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects.
so, yeah, youre correct - the fetishistic way mankind dominates the earth is very real, and, has a very specific cultural origin.
