Women are DIRT!

It is my understanding that metaphors and dualism are evident in every part of our lives. Many of these we don’t see because they are subconsciously woven into the fabric of our society. Nonetheless, they are there and our perceptions and opinions of the world are constantly shifted and influenced by these norms and paradigms. In “DIRT! The Movie” one can clearly see just how much this is true. The documentary dives into the issues of dirt conservation and how something that seems so simple plays such a vital role in the lives of every human being all over the world.

As the documentary states, “we depend on dirt to purify and heal the systems that sustain us.” It is a sad reality something most don’t find importance to, much less think about, is the same thing that is a leader in the survival of humans and nature. This is a prime example of backgrounding. As discussed in class, dirt is just one example of how humans won’t notice or abuse its powers up until the very point when we need it the most. In my opinion, we treat most, if not all, environmental and political issues this way. I feel as though there are many reasons as to why our society (at least Western society) has subconsciously fell into this trap, and we need to start re-patterning our ways of thinking to be more proactive- not just reactive. Though we have begun to do this, I feel we have a long way to go.

What I find interesting is how much feminism and dirt have in common. Besides the obvious dualisms involved in this comparison, (i.e. woman=negative=natural=backgrounding) it seems as though a certain metaphor and a certain juxtaposition have emerged between the idea of this documentary and the issues surrounding feminism in the world.

“Man named himself by an act of separation from

and power over nature, animals and women, ensuring

his pre-eminence through ownership of all. The house

(domus) and its holdings (familia) are now his to

protect and defend. He is lord (dominus), he dominates,

he domesticates. This means that nature is no longer

treated as a complex of self-regulated organisms under

a ‘law’ of communal kinship but is brought under the

law of one king, the single ruler of monarchy and

monotheism.” (Collard 26)

Just as Collard states, it seems as though the issues presented in “DIRT! The Movie” run parallel to the issues seen in “Rape of the Wild”. There seems to be an uncanny resemblance in what underlies both issues. Because of that, all the dualisms in our society seem magnified and, in a way, interconnected.

To see reviews, screenings, learn about the movie, or find out how to get involved visit Dirt! The Movie