[Tweeters] Fwd: Rebuttal Petition to the AOS

[Steve Loitz]

Well stated, Carmelo.

Several decades ago, I taught school on an Anishinaabe (aka Ojibwe or
Chippewa) reservation. During a walk with one of the tribal elders, I saw a
COHA and said, "there's a Cooper's Hawk." The elder asked me to spell
"Cooper's," which I did. He responded that his people would never use a
possessive modifier to describe a natural being or thing, and that the
apostrophe was a manifestation of human chauvinism, a claim of ownership by
one individual of one species over another species. He then spoke of the
Judeo-Christian myth system, which is based on the premise that humans were
created in the image of a deity, that humans are somehow apart from nature
and thus have the right to exercise dominion over nature.

That walk with the Anishinaabe elder sparked a change in my world view.
Years later, I read Frederick Turner's *Beyond Geography: The Western
Spirit Against the Wilderness* and other writings which led to refining my
world view, which, in turn, allowed me to more greatly appreciate nature,
wild things and wild places, eventually leading me to live a life of
exploring wilderness, i.e., those rare places which escaped alteration by
human civilization, and where modern humans are mere visitors. I came to
believe that naming wild things and wild places for humans is an exercise
in human hubris. The notion that an individual human "discovers" a bird
species is no less absurd than the claim that Columbus discovered the
Americas.

I once hoped that humans might get over themselves, but this debate
confirms my belief that can never happen. Changing eponym bird names will
be a royal PITA for we old-timer birds, but maybe it's a small step forward
towards a new enlightenment of our place in nature.

Steve Loitz
Ellensburg

On Wed, Nov 29, 2023 at 10:02 AM Carmelo Quetell <melocq22 at msn.com> wrote:


> For the sake of time, let's get straight to the elephant in the room:

>

> Dennis, while your contributions (and the contributions of countless

> others past and present) are greatly respected and appreciated in the

> worlds of birding, academia, and science (I personally love your field

> guide *Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide)*, you did not

> "discover" anything. The people who were memorialized with these eponymous

> bird names did not "discover" anything.

>

> You can't "discover" an autonomous, sentient being that people have been

> naming and forming connections with all over the continent and around the

> world since time immemorial. The very belief and sentiment that you or

> anyone "discovered" a species, consciously or subconsciously, attempts to

> take away the sovereignty of that being. It also perpetuates the ideology

> and harm that the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny have been

> afflicting upon the least of these for the last 600 years.

>

> Granted, it's just birding and bird names. It's the not the mass genocide

> committed against Native Americans across North/Central/South America and

> the Carribean. It's the not the Atlantic Slave Trade. It's not the

> atrocities committed against Asiatic peoples in the United States. It's not

> the colonization of Hawaii, Guam, or the Philippines by the US. It's also

> not equivalent to the Holocaust or the plight of the Irish.

>

> HOWEVER, while this whole topic is incredibly benign compared to any of

> these major world events, the circumstances by which these people

> "discovered" these birds and the backlash that this commitment by the AOS

> is starting to unveil is ROOTED in the aforementioned ideologies. It is the

> very reason why people talk about decolonizing this or that. I believe it's

> exactly why the AOS wants to make the bird names about the birds.

>

> And no, the Latin names are not going to be affected by these

> commitements. Yes, the public will be included and engaged in the process.

> No, landmarks/states/highways/counties/cities/etc. are not going to be

> renamed as a result of the AOS commitments because that was never within

> the purview of the ad-hoc committee. If renaming the Ring-necked Duck does

> not even fall under the scope of these commitments, why do people even try

> to bring that up in the first place? It's wild. Nobody is coming for your

> town, or your syrup, or your football team. They will all continue to

> exist.

>

> If people would just read the proposal that Steve Hampton so graciously

> shared on multiple occasions, and actually sat with it and whatever came up

> for them somatically/emotionally for a little while, they would possibly

> realize that all their fear, anger, and resentment is not necessary and

> definitely not worth blowing through everyone else in the birding

> community, especially the visibly melanated birders.

>

> There's so much talk from those who oppose these commitments about how

> they support equity and justice in the birding community yet look at all

> their talking points. How many of you would actually support including

> Mexico and Puerto Rico in the ABA Area? How many of you are citing other

> birding organizations who are currently digging their heels in or being too

> cowardly to speak up as justification for your opposition?

>

> How many of you are playing the victim despite the advantages you have

> over others in the birding community who have just as much if not more

> talent, drive, and ability as you? How many of you are projecting your

> fears of not belonging in an era where people get "cancelled" online? How

> many people, because of their identity, have been cancelled long before

> social media even existed?

>

> People ask, "What's the difference between Equity and Justice?" The salmon

> are easily our teachers when it comes to answering this question. Equity is

> building them a fish ladder. Justice is tearing down the dam. These

> commitments by the AOS are merely some of the initial cracks in that damn.

> Let the river flow freely.

> ------------------------------

> *From:* Tweeters <tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf

> of Zora Monster <zoramon at mac.com>

> *Sent:* Wednesday, November 29, 2023 11:42 AM

> *To:* Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net>

> *Cc:* TWEETERS tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> *Subject:* Re: [Tweeters] Fwd: Rebuttal Petition to the AOS

>

> I read the petition, and disagree with the notion that changing bird names

> is discriminatory-no groups rights are bring trampled by changing the

> common names of birds. And history is not being erased, especially in this

> day and age where so much is recorded digitally, including the arguments

> surrounding the changing of these names.

>

> I welcome the challenge of learning new names-my 61 year old brain needs

> the challenge. And if it makes others feel more comfortable in this space,

> as the removal of confederate monuments has made public spaces more

> welcoming to others, then I’m ok with it.

>

> Zora Dermer

> Seattle

> Sent from my iPhone

>

> On Nov 29, 2023, at 7:54 AM, Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net>

> wrote:

>

> 

> I am posting this because I think everyone interested in this issue should

> read it, and if you agree with the petition, please sign it.

>

> Dennis Paulson

> Seattle

>

> Begin forwarded message:

>

>

> *From: *Rachel Kolokoff Hopper <hopko at comcast.net>

> *Subject: **Rebuttal Petition to the AOS*

> *Date: *November 29, 2023 at 6:15:57 AM PST

> *To: *Rachel Hopper <r-hopper at comcast.net>

>

> I have posted a rebuttal petition to AOS Leadership regarding their

> decision to change all eponymous bird names on change.org.

>

> While I feel there are many reasons to disagree with the removal of *all*

> eponyms, I think this short petition hits the main reasons why I (and

> others) oppose this move. I would appreciate a core set of members of the

> birding community to sign on to this letter and then once we have a good

> number of initial signees we will make it widely public for anyone to sign.

>

> I believe that this petition will gather a substantially greater number

> than the roughly 2500 who signed the initial petition that got this whole

> thing rolling. I believe that our voices deserve to be heard.

>

> A few notes before signing.

>

> After you sign the petition change.org takes you to a screen asking for a

> donation. Change.org <http://change.org/> is free and this donation is

> not for our cause. We are not fundraising.

>

> Instead, click on “No, I’ll Share Instead” which will take you to a page

> that gives you multiple ways to share the petition but most importantly

> also provides a comment box on the right side of the page. If you want to

> include a membership or organizational affiliation this is the place to put

> that information along with any other comments you may want to share.

>

> Thanks for signing.

>

> The link to the petition is here: https://chng.it/VHyjZp5snr

>

> ------------------------------

> Rachel Kolokoff Hopper

> Follow me on iNaturalist

> rkhphotography.net

> hopko at comcast.net

> Ft. Collins, CO

>

>

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-- 
Steve Loitz
Ellensburg, WA
steveloitz at gmail.com
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