Goodbye Mrs. Ant
As part of the documentary series Pandora’s Box Goodbye Mrs Ant examines the influence of chemicals discoveries on everyday life. The documentary focuses on the development of the insecticide DDT, its effects on the environment and men’s changing attitude towards the environment. The documentary consists of archival footage accompanied by narration and interviews. Filmmaker Adam Curtis discusses the development of DDT with those who were involved in the respective administrations as well as involved civilians.
‘When chemists were heroes’
The opening prologue describing the work of American chemist Thomas Midgley is characteristic for the documentary’s further argumentation. Midgley was responsible for both the addition of lead to petrol as the development of CFCs as a refrigerant. While lauded at the time of his discoveries, after their negative impact on the environment became apparent his legacy was considered with much more mixed sentiment. This led one historian to comment that Midgley “had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth’s history.”
Historical background
The documentary outlines how the radical implications of chemical discoveries in the 1930s and 1940s were initial lauded for their perceived beneficial ability to control disease and pests. However, public sentiment changes in the early 1960s towards a more critical position as the negative environmental effects of these innovations became apparent. While focusing on the shifting public sentiment towards chemistry, the documentary also covers how the sciences entomology and ecology were transformed by social, political and economic pressures.
Social interest
The serious side effects of some insecticides on the environment were known by many entomologists as early as the 1940s. Yet, the benefits were considered so great that nothing changed until shifting public sentiment and civil pressure aided in the ban of chemicals such as DDT. Hereby the documentary argues how civilian activism aided in the preservation of the environment where scientific, economic and political interests had obviously failed.
Argumentation
Although the documentary highlights the obvious benefits of the ban of DDT, it claims that present ideas about ecology and environment are not any more scientific our rational than previous notions of nature. In both cases the representatives assumed to advocate the undisputed truth by equating their claims to scientific reality. However, scientific theories never have a single meaning, thus the transferred ideals always originate from a very particular social-political affiliation and not one objective view on reality.
Pandora’s Box
Pandora’s Box is a six part BBC television documentary series written and produced by British television producer and documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis. Each part of the series focuses on social, political or scientific aspects of reality and examines the increasing influence and danger of political and technological rationalism.
About the filmmaker
Adam Curtis is a renowned British television producer and documentary filmmaker noted for making programmes which often make far reaching claims on grand subjects. The scale of his subject matter and his claims to the undisputable truth of his opinion often give rise to controversy. However, his documentaries always expound clear views on the subject which are structurally well argued. Curtis is known for his extensive use of archival footage and the narration his own documentaries.
Awards
Pandora’s Box won the BAFTA Award for Best Factual Series.
Scenes
- Prologue
- The prologue on the work of American chemist Thomas Midgley is exemplary for the argument of the documentary. While lauded at the time of his discoveries, after their negative impact on the environment became apparent Midgley’s legacy was considered with mixed sentiment. Midgley’s discoveries led environmental historian John McNiell to comment that Midgley “had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth’s history.”
- Early applications of DDT
- Archival footage of early applications of the insecticide DDT demonstrates its uses for pest control in the Filipino capital Manila and the eradication of typhus-carrying lice in Naples, 1942-43. Now that the adverse side-effects of DDT are known, the footage of old people and children being drenched in the insecticide seems shocking. Yet, it also demonstrates the overwhelming confidence of people during the 1940s and 50s that science could eradicate diseases and pests without irreversible damage to the environment or public health.
- DDT and agriculture
- When DDT became commercially available in 1945, American farmers were eager to use it as an agricultural insecticide. The interviews featured in this clip illustrate how American farmers in the Midwest have a distinctive attitude towards pests and insecticides. A harsh climate and the presence of insects that can destroy an entire harvest has determined their disposition to promptly accept scientific solutions that can eradicate them, despite any adverse side-effects.
- DDT and entomology
- Due to the growing importance of entomology the focus of the science began to shift. In the words of pioneering entomologist Robert Metcalf, “we forgot about good basic entomology and became (…) handmaiden of the (…) chemical industry.” The early warning in the 1940s/ 1950s of the adverse side-effects of DDT would be of significant importance in later debates on environmentalism.
- A necessary war(?)
- In order to advance their interests, chemical companies often presented the use of insecticides not only as beneficial but as part of a necessary struggle for survival. Their promotional films and commercials often preyed upon Americans’ natural fear of insect pests (note: DDT and agriculture). This natural fear was also reflected in many 1950s science-fiction/ horror films, such as Tarantula (1955), The Fly (1958) and Earth vs. the Spider (1958, fragments of which are featured throughout the documentary).
- Silent Spring (1962)
- Silent Spring was widely read, especially after its selection by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the New York Times best-seller list. The grassroots environmental movement the book inspired led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and inspired widespread public concerns about pesticides and pollution of the environment. Rachel Carson’s part in inspiring the early US environmental movement is also covered in the documentary feature film Earth Days (2009).
- Suburbs and DDT
- Although the adverse side-effects of DDT had been well documented since the late-1940s and early-50s, the advantages seemed to outweigh the disadvantages (note: DDT and entomology). However, public pressure for a ban on DDT mounted when suburban residents were confronted with environmental damages due to DDT sprayings.
- DDT lawsuit 1/2
- This clip expounds how pioneering environmental attorney Victor Yannacone build his case to ban the use of DDT in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. Yannacone was also one of the founding members of the Environmental Defense Fund. This non-profit environmental advocacy group has aided in the creation of important environmental legislation, including among others: the US nationwide ban on DDT (1972), the Safe Drinking Water Act (1974), and the Clean Air Act (1990).
- DDT lawsuit 2/2
- The central argument of Yannacone’s case was that the extensive use of DDT disrupted the ecological balance and would ultimately have significant adverse side-effects on public health. Yannacone thus used ecology as a scientific basis to challenge the argument of the defense, who claimed that the use of DDT was necessary to protect humans against the evolutionary advantage of insects.
- US ban on DDT
- The US nationwide ban on DDT (1972) took place amid a growing public mistrust of industry, due to among others: the Surgeon General report on smoking (1964), the Cuyahoga River catching fire (1969), and the well-publicized decline in the bald eagle population. However, as this clip illustrates, the leadership of the Environmental Defense Fund split after disagreeing on whether DDT caused cancer.
- DDT and ecology
- This clip includes the iconic 1971 ad campaign by Keep America Beautiful, featuring Iron Eyes Cody (otherwise known as the “Crying Indian”). Professor Paul Ehrlich was among the best known ecologists of his time. In his 1968 book The Population Bomb he predicted that “In the 1970s and 1980s (…) hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now.”
- Greenwashing
- The staged publicity stunt featured in this clip is an obvious example of ‘greenwashing’. Greenwashing is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly. Ornithologist David Berger criticizes the event for fostering the myth of the sensitivity of nature.
- Ecology and New Age
- Note that Joan Fairfax featured in this clip is actually named Joan Halifax, a Zen Buddhist roshi and civil rights activist. In this clip, she talks about ecology as a moral lesson that gave rise to not utopia, but ecotopia. Science historian Langdon Winner theorizes whether the ideas of ecology today may in 30 or 40 years seem similarly ill-conceived.
- Closing Darwin quote
- The Charles Darwin quote featured in this clip comes from a correspondence of Darwin with American botanist Asa Gray. The whole letter is available online.
