But do YOU like Green Porno?
To answer the question of whether scientists like Green Porno, I performed this experiment for Science at the Toronto Film Festival. You can see video interviews with scientists and director Isabella Rossellini in my previous Green Porno post.
[Note: We're talking about the Green Porno short films on the Sundance Channel, not the environmentally friendly sex toys.]
The results suggested that scientists do like Green Porno, a lot. But the sample size was small. We need more data. We need YOU.
Rossellini claims that Green Porno can help biological conservation by inspiring “a sense of wonder” for nature. But do you think it can have a real impact?
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Charlotte says:
I lost my appetite!
September 30, 2009 @ 3:56 pmGonzo Scientist says:
It should be noted that some see Green Porno as a global threat. At least Stephen Colbert does!
September 30, 2009 @ 4:09 pmhttp://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/168291/may-12-2008/threatdown—cute-bears
Cat says:
I’d argue that Isabella’s presumption (that bearing witness to other species’ uniqueness automatically generates sympathy / urge for preservation) is a little soft… For example, “save the whales” has always been more popular than “save the hairy-but-incredibly-unique arachnid species.”
This idea of “cuteness,” though, has long-standing potential. Isn’t it her personification of these species that endears us, not simply the witness of them?
September 30, 2009 @ 4:49 pmJaymie Matthews says:
I was one of the scientists in John’s original experiment. I haven’t entered any ratings in this control experiment, so as not to skew the results, but I thought I’d share some of the other comments I made to John when we were being polled about Green Porno.
I think I’d pass a Green Porno Final Exam. The information is presented in a compelling way which makes me want to share it with others. Not just the information, but the whole scenario, which houses the information for me. Each webisode of Green Porno is a story-based mnemonic for a life science fact.
Can a “sense of wonder” can actually translate to environmental protection or conservation? It’s a necessary (but not sufficient) element. If you aren’t amazed by the world of nature, and struck by its complexity, its entertaining complexity, like the plot of a great novel or film, then it’s hard to develop the passion to protect that world. Awareness is important; awareness that there are things out there that would be tragic to lose. Not just, say, whales. But the courting rituals of whales that would have given Shakespeare good material for a play. (”All’s Whale That Ends Whale”? “Troilus and Cetacea”?) That makes them all the more precious in one’s own life.
Admittedly, I’m a big fan of Green Porno. As an educator – hell, as a human being, I appreciate simple but unconventional ways to connect with people, and to help those people connect to ideas. Green Porno contains some of the best scientific “pick-up lines” I’ve ever heard or seen. “Voulez-vous penser avec moi, ce soir?”
October 1, 2009 @ 7:59 pmChris Brann says:
indeed; sex sells, but 8 foot long whale penises sell markedly better than pedipalps.
October 3, 2009 @ 9:15 pm