Chickens picketing and Ants marching 🐜🐜🐜 Plus, can dogs break the law?
Remember when we asked you to imagine there was no longer curbside garbage collection?
Well, the strike in Paris is giving us a glimpse of reality for this thought experiment right now.
At this moment, more than 400 protests are going on around the world. And whether it's rubbish collectors walking out of work or protestors throwing soup at a painting, protest has always had the chops to get tails and chins wagging.
And let's face it, some humans still need to wake up to the mess the planet's in. So…what if us animals went on strike?
And I'm not just talking about in homes and farms. Although, yes, if chickens went on strike, there'd be no egg for your toast soldiers. And if the family dog or cat walked out, human stress levels would go through the roof.
But it's the unsung heroes of the natural world who are disappearing fast (yes, because of humans), whose work we all appreciate the least and whose impact we'd feel the most if they decided to down tools.
What if the worms went AWOL? Who would prepare the soil that grows your morning tea or coffee?
And if the ants staged a walkout? Without aeration of the land, there'd be no tucker for lunch.
And if plankton decided 'enough is enough'? That would spell the end of breathing.
So before the plankton opens a tub of paint and aims for the nearest masterpiece, let's show some appreciation for the little creatures doing big things in our daily lives, like keeping us alive.
And before the ants march the streets and cause traffic jams, let's pay attention to the ecosystems humans are destroying while grumbling about the annoyance of protests.
The planet collapsing would be rather annoying, wouldn't it?
DID YOU KNOW...
Have you ever called someone a Luddite? We use it to describe someone who's old-fashioned and a bit ignorant.
But actually, the Luddites were a group of 1800s artisans who, in the face of industrialisation, protested their loss of livelihood and fair working conditions. I can't help but think they had a point…
Look at a story like the Luddites and it can feel like protest is futile. The powers that be never listen. Nothing ever changes. But don't get your tail in a twist; it's not always the case.
But think about seeing men line up to vote and women standing aside just watching, not having the same privilege to participate. It was the Suffragette movement that changed this and won women the right to vote, the Salt March in India which paved the way for independence, and the tree-sitting protests which ended native forest logging in New Zealand.
Change doesn't just jump into our laps like a lapdog. It is created by people like you and needs to be chased like a dog with a ball.
So, play ball and fight for what you believe in. Or cheer for those that are.
THE DIRT WORTH ROLLING IN...
- Say it with Garbage {link}
- Rebelling one lego block at a time {link}
- The backbone-free beasts who are the backbone of life on Earth {link}
ANDRE HUNTS DOWN THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
'Andre, my dog Jet is a naughty little fluffball. He's always getting us in trouble when we're out and about. My question is: can dogs break the law?'
Whether it’s messing on an expensive rug or turning a new shoe into a tug toy, we dogs aren’t always angels. But don’t go hiring a lawyer just yet. Last I checked, chewing chair legs isn’t a punishable offence.
Unless of course, you lived in medieval times. Back then, animals and even insects were put on trial for breaking the law. There was the rooster who was charged with the unnatural act of laying an egg, the rats tried for trespassing, and the French dolphins…though there’s no record of what they actually did wrong.
But by far the most felonious beast in the medieval world were pigs. According to records, they had a strangely violent nature and met equally violent ends as punishment.
These days, legal responsibility for doggy behaviour lies with their human. Although I wonder who’s responsible for trespassing rats…
HUMANS WHO PLAY NICE WITH THE PLANET®
Cosmo Sheldrake is a musician, composer, producer and acoustic ecologist. He makes music from the sounds of the natural world, which he collects with a field recorder and sampler.
It might be a beat made from recordings of an endangered fish species or a melody crafted from the call of a raven, but it’s all about celebrating life and bringing attention to the harmony needed between humans and nature.
What could Cosmo do with a cacophony of barks?
That's all for this month. I'm off to chase that ball!
See you in April.
Howling out,
Andre
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