Mother Nature took a lot of flak last week, including some very choice words from me … my mother had months ago planned a trip to Disney World with my daughters over the holiday vacation, and their flight was canceled (on two separate days) because of the weather-related travel brouhaha right after Christmas. Yeah, kind of hard to explain to a six-year-old that her New Year’s with Mickey was secondary to a nation of people getting home from holiday visits.
And air travel was definitely a freaking mess (even without the antics of Steven Slater), with flights delayed …
… and canceled all over the place, connections missed, and a lot of people justifiably annoyed by more than changes in days and times.
Cathay Pacific said it is looking into why passengers were stuck for hours on the tarmac at JFK International Airport in New York after a major snowstorm walloped the northeastern United States.
Passengers on one flight from Vancouver did not deplane until about 12 hours after the flight had landed.“It wasn’t fun with three children sitting there,” said Vincent Butcher. “We were already delayed three or four hours getting onto the plane. And then once we arrived, to have to sit there for 12 hours wasn’t the best.”
Butcher told CNN his family was forced to wait again once they were off the plane because there was no one available to help them track down their luggage.
Because I’m not a flyer myself (yeah, I’m a chickenshit), I rarely think more of these issues that crop up than a sympathetic, “Oh, sucks to be those poor people” (maybe I’m more narcissistic than I thought). Because this one struck close to home, though, it got me thinking beyond “those poor people” and in the direction of the culprit.
Mother Freaking Nature, evidently a force to be reckoned with … and subject of her very own Wikipedia page.
Mother Nature (sometimes known as Mother Earth) is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing features of nature by embodying it in the form of the mother. Images of women representing mother earth, and mother nature, are timeless. In prehistoric times, goddesses were worshipped for their association with fertility, fecundity, and agricultural bounty. Priestesses held dominion over aspects of Incan, Algonquin, Assyrian, Babylonian, Slavonic, Germanic, Roman, Greek, Indian, and Iroquoian religions in the millennia prior to the inception of patriarchal religions.
I have no beef with the idea of the earth’s gender being female when you’re talking in terms of giving life on a variety of levels and nurturing “her” living things. However, I’ve heard a bit too often in the past couple of weeks about what a “bitch” Mother Nature is, and I’m not sure how thrilled I am about the moody, dour, seemingly revenge-seeking stereotype that seems to accompany the whole “Mother Nature” package.
Obviously I know that the concept of nature being female is based in ancient cultures. It’s not like there was some modern day decision stating, “Nature’s a fucking bitch … must be a chick.”
And yet the traditionally positive portrayal of female characteristics personified in “Mother Nature”—giving of life, fertility, sustenance for her children, and so on—has given way to a view of the once noble Ms. Nature as … well, as a temperamental beeyotch.
So after much thought on the subject, I’ve got a few “chicken and egg” issues.
What brought about the change from sustainer of life to nag? Is Mother Nature’s long-term status as a woman ultimately complimentary to the female gender? Why doesn’t Mother Nature get complimented for her general goodness instead of getting beaten up for inconveniently-timed snowstorms and Hurricane Katrina?
Thoughts?
Father winter is just a magical white fat man that gets off by sneaking into peoples houses, making out with the mother of the home, who eats all your food and then claims to be the one that gave the children the presents you worked so hard for all the while trapping dad away from home with a snow storm.
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I have a long standing tradition of blaming Santa for anything snow related, but to answer the post.
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My guess is the entire climate change and pollution campaigns of the past 50 years is causing many people to become accustom to speaking ill nature. “You mean I have to pay more for this… well nature should just shut-up.” I believe that people like to blame anything other then themselves if they get the chance and if they can’t explain the event they blame a mystical or religious force. New Orleans gets destroyed blame nature! Not the idiots that ignored the levee problems.
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Gender plays a strong role in the language used to describe mother nature negatively, but I do not think shes being used as a north star of women hate. I watch a lot of nature shows and science fiction and the praise and love for her are still alive. If anything the theme is changing to save mother nature.
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This is how I was propagandized to spread the love of nature.
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http://www.turner.com/planet/characters/gaia.html
(or the idiots who built a major city BELOW sea level IN a regular hurricane path in the first place. My god, what did you expect?? They even had a trial run the year before when a big one shifted west at the last moment, and STILL people didn’t believe and refused to leave when the disaster that had been expected since forever finally showed up.
Yeah – I have little sympathy.)
Mother Nature is a powerful force,as is womanhood. Many a powerful man has been brought to his knees by both,best to give each some respect.
There she blows takes on a new meaning.
I think the earth has always been seen as feminine because it is women who give life and give birth and feed their children, and people saw the comparison to the earth providing for animals.
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This has led to praising ‘her’ for her lifegiving food, water, shelter, etc, and appeasing her to stave off her wrath in the form of natural disasters.
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Over the years, earth or nature as a female has become the default perception, so female terms are used when either praising or cursing nature as a force.
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I think the reason we’re seeing a lot more “earth – she’s a mother.” statements and less “praise mother earth” is simply that people are inclined to complain. People tend to take good things for granted, and whine about bad things. People also tend to take credit for good happenstance (wow! I sure picked the best week for this vacation!) and seek others to blame for bad happenstance (that bitch mother nature!).
I think it’s unfortunate, but it’s just demonstrative of people’s tendencies today. the language just takes of of the chosen gender – not reflecting or defining it.
Women in general are tempermental (says the pregnant lady). It’s why most of my friends are male. I don’t like the commonly bitchy either! The ups and downs of attitudes toward Mother Nature have always been there to one degree or another, I’m sure.
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For the chicken vs. egg question, look at the excerpt used from Wikipedia:
“In prehistoric times, goddesses were worshipped for their association with fertility, fecundity, and agricultural bounty. Priestesses held dominion over aspects of Incan, Algonquin, Assyrian, Babylonian, Slavonic, Germanic, Roman, Greek, Indian, and Iroquoian religions in the millennia **prior to the inception of patriarchal religions.**” (Emphasis mine.)
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When a society changes in that manner, then you run into people wanting to be “yes men”. The reasoning could be this: I can’t say good things anymore or I’ll look bad to the new power structure so I’ll have to say something bad instead.
I have a hard time taking anyone seriously who generalizes about half the population – especially the half that they are part of, gender-wise.
Please hook up with boring.
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Your attitude is not only insulting, it may explain why women are *bitchy* to you.
To me, your response illustrates my point. I was including myself in the tempermental and bitchy categories. You didn’t see that part and immediately took offense, even though most of my comments are meant to be either sarcastic, snarky, or as self-deprication. I always read comments in my own sarcastic inner voice and apply a grain of salt as needed. I also take a step back if the comment makes me angry and try to see it from the exact opposite point of view instead of being immediately insulting to the commenter.
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For what it’s worth, maybe you should just skip over anything with my name at the top of it since whatever I write tends to make you respond with rancor. While it can be entertaining, I think it’s sad that you miss the bigger part of my point when you focus exclusively on the first sentence or two.
I read it through twice the first time, and again just now.
Nope, I’m not seeing indicators of ” sarcastic, snarky, or as self-deprication*”.
Whenever I see something like this, I try to see if someone is being funny or sarcastic, but the “It’s why most of my friends are male” statement kind of says it all.
It doesn’t matter if you include yourself in the “tempermental* or bitchy categories”, it is wrong.
You can call me a bitch, it doesn’t bother me, it just points out that a lot of people can’t handle a woman who speaks her mind.
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It just shocks me when it is a woman.
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If I were a male, I’d be “assertive”, forthright”, someone who calls them as they see them”, etc.
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I find your attitude astounding.
And I still have no clue as to what your point was in your original post.
*Copy & Paste.
“assertive”, forthright”, someone who calls them as they see them”
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“Your attitude is not only insulting, it may explain why women are *bitchy* to you.”
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Hm. I not so sure I could get away with that last part let alone be praised for it. The rest of the post up the boring joke… yeah sure.
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“just points out that a lot of people can’t handle a woman who speaks her mind.”
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I find this to be very true. Even seen a few men reduced to tears cause of a good out blurting of “why he sucks”. Just don’t aim that emotional death ray at me. :p
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In hindsight, I am having a hard time finding the legitimacy of Stephanie’s post. The past is important, but in this case when looking back within the last 50~ years at a time where mother nature has always been viewed as good. Mother nature is not really viewed as a God and no power structure to replace her has been suggested or introduced(IE:father nature). So no reason for people to feel the need to go with a (new) flow.
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My vote is still that it is connected to environmentalism back lash and good old deflective complaining.
Your brand of sarcasm must be different than mine. I’ll break my comment down a bit for you:
“Women in general are tempermental (says the pregnant lady).” This is self directed sarcasm which I tried to indicate using the (), and implying that all those pregnant sterotypes about hormones apply. The male friends comment is plain truth.
“I don’t like the commonly bitchy either!” This is snark. Bitchiness is not something fun to be around all the time/commonly. This includes me not wanting to be around those who complain about things instead of taking responsibility.
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That covers the two sentences you seem to have read and where most of the sarcasm was in my comment. The point of my original comment was this:
“When a society changes in that manner, then you run into people wanting to be “yes men”. The reasoning could be this: I can’t say good things anymore or I’ll look bad to the new power structure so I’ll have to say something bad instead.”
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I don’t blame you for not seeing it – it was at the end as my conclusion. I was simply speaking *my* mind as well. For some reason that is unknown to me, it offends you that I have an opinion, no matter what that opinion is. Just calling it as I see it.
Hm, maybe it’s because I live in Minnesota, where we get lots of blizzards and tornadoes, but we respect Mother Nature and see such weather events as her flexing the muscles of her awesome power. Just a reminder that she’s in charge :P
It might have something to do with the fact that a lot of humans are no longer as highly in-tune with nature. Not everyone has to farm or see the earth bring forth new life, etc, etc anymore. It may just be an increased distance from nature and thereby less of an intimate relationship with it.
ooh, I hadn’t thought of that part. I think that ties in as well – when people had a close relationship with the earth, they tended to see the good and the bad and the cycles. Now, from a distance, the earth becomes ‘the other’ – in which humans are always predisposed to see the bad and the different.
I don’t mean to suggest that nature is all fluffy bunnies and magic and love, but perhaps living in a city would make it seem more intimidating and therefore more “angry.”
Things one does not understand are usually more intimidating and frightening.
Um, you do realize that mother nature is trying to kill you right? And will eventually succeed, whether it is natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, drought, the lowly bacteria or just the slow and steady march of entropy all of it is geared to destroy you. If mother nature is a woman she is a matricidal b$tch. If you want to revere a personification look to father science, he gave you all the things that you depend on. Medicine, agriculture, clothing, roads, books, radio ect all can be laid at the feet of father science. Granted he is no pushover and must be respected, he does not suffer fools. Let me lay it out for you, all of human existence is a race between the matricidal mania of mother nature and the boons of father science. In order to get the boons of father science you need population, a critical mass of thinkers and builders holding back the entropy of nature and advancing the cause of human survival. This planet with or without the intervention of people will not support us forever. It started as a poisonous ball of noxious gasses and changed over time to what we see now. And it is still changing, it is only a matter of time until it changes to a point were we cannot live on it. That is if a space rock doesn’t kill us all first.
I would suggest that science, by virtue of its methods, has no logical personification.
but yay, science!
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I must call into question your use of the word ‘matricidal’, as ‘matricide’ is the killing of one’s mother. Who is the mother of mother nature that mother nature is trying to kill?
Did you perhaps mean filicidal?
Oops! Yes filicidal.
You are both a couple of pompous ass hats. Just saying, don’t hate.
Are you talking to me? Listen you filthy, pimple-scarred, subhuman piece of trash you can take your worthless little comments and shove them up your rotten $ss. Do you think anyone cares about the silly little thoughts that float thought that distorted glob of mucus you call a head? Why don’t you throw your second hand piece of junk computer in the garbage and waddle down to the docks. Maybe if you pay the drunken sailors enough they will hold off blowing chunks long enough to touch that bloated slab of stretch marks and cellulite you call a body. That way for 5 minutes maybe you can forget how useless and unworthy of love you are… Stick to harassing the ladies you unwanted turd, there is nothing for you here.
U mad?
@Beet-off, More like apathetic, which is still more than you mother cares about you.
Why do I need drunken sailors, when you lavish all this attention on little ole me.
@Beet-off, so are you good looking? And how long have you had herpes?
Neither Kai nor Boring are pompous ass hats. They’re intelligent, confident, opinionated people who give a great deal to the ZL community–I am proud to have both of them read my stuff because I almost always end up thinking in a different direction (which is not to say that I don’t disagree with them much of the time, of course).
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And I’m 100% Irish. Fire away.
oh noes. The troll called me a name.
That was the most beautiful anti-Douche attack I’ve ever read. It almost makes me like boring.
Oh Katie, nice of you to join us. I guess the old Douché gets your Irish up. BTW, that explains a lot.
Put a little more effort into it next time.
I agree with Katie,I enjoy the hell out of Douche and Boring. Their insults break me up,just the other day I called my brother in-law pickled bogtrotter,can’t wait for the chance to use prom vomit,anybody think I maybe need a life?
Dunno, I think we are all asshats some posts around here. The days have surely changed from when nature and god were conflated. Transcendentalism was once a mainstay of our nationalism. Americans were all about sticking it to Europe with their virgin land. One of the reasons why westerns (and their gorgeous views of the land) have done so well is because of the mythology we have built up around our land as a type of garden of eden. Look at the works of Cole or any of the Huson River Valley school and you will take in one of the most pervasive ideas of the collected american consciousness. But at that point the ‘god’ found in nature was masculinized pretty consistently, because it was generally the judeo-christian god who was linked up to that. You just can’t change that connection people have in their minds with god and male. Even if someone is an agnostic and they think of a watchmaker type, they still often default as Hes. Then transcendentalism died, made way for modernism. Then the country suburbanized itself, went back to conservative christian. Only really with more New Age thinking did americans begin to refer to “mother nature”.
It’s only recently that the new-agers brought it back and popularized the idea for Americans, sure. But they hardly invented it – it’s been that way for a long time.
Those associating nature with a male were more the “look at god’s creation!” type rather than “look at god!” – two very different ideas.
When nature is personified, she is always female. When god-the-maker-of-the-earth-and-nature is personified, he his more often male.
I’m slightly more concerned with our culture’s understanding of something as it has carried throughout our history. The idea isn’t so ubiquitous that it somehow stayed in our subconscious without any prompting, so I like to see exactly how and when that happened, it makes it easier to fully understand. But no, American transcendentalism was literally a merging of the ideas of ‘God’ and ‘Nature’ (as well as the ‘Holy Book’).
Also, Nature personified is hardly always female, I can name one off the top of my head: tu di gong from chinese folk religion. To them Nature was characterized as male and that has followed through from ancient times to still having millions of followers. The main reason why we are all so convinced that nature has always been personified as female is because we come from a world of greek mythology. Our religions are so so so effected by it. And in greek mythology mother earth hooked up the the sky, and their offspring were gods. Then they had a falling out and so mother earth hooked up with the sea, and life sprung forth.
I’m sorry. I did mean in our tradition, not every one out there. I have no idea what many other cultures saw in Nature, though a majority of what I have heard are female. I didn’t mean to suggest that I knew everything every culture has ever used.
There are suggestions from fertility carvings and tradition that early humans had some sort of a mother-goddess which was likely but not certainly associated with the earth.