How A Manatee With ‘TRUMP’ Etched Into Its Back Reveals Our Environmental Blindspots
Research shows how a polarized left-right debate in the media about critical environmental issues only hides deeper problems
In a new article in The Conversation, environmental communication scholars Tema Milstein and John Carr look into an incident involving the harassment of a manatee that happened in Florida in early January this year. As their article’s title suggests, “A manatee with ‘TRUMP’ scraped into its back was itself disturbing. But it reflects a deeper environmental problem.”
Manatees (related to dugongs in Australia) are a threatened species in Florida and are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Milstein and Carr explore how the framing of this incident in the media reflects a common pattern in how environmental debates are portrayed in the media (especially in the U.S. and Australia), narrowly focusing on “entrenched left-right views.” As they put it,
“Polarised views dominate discussion on critical issues such as climate crisis and biodiversity protection. Typically, the left calls for more environmental protections, and the right claims these protections threaten economic prosperity or individual rights”
