The Black Squirrel Heads to England, Inspires Subtly Racist Science Reporting
The black squirrel has spent the last century colonizing the District of Columbia—even earning its own Adams Morgan hotspot—and it’s made its rounds around the rest of the United States, too. Now, the black squirrel has popped up in England, and according to British tabloid the Daily Mail, it’s “left the grey squirrel population in fear.”
The black squirrel has done well in the District since its 1906 import from Canada. Despite its conspicuous coat, some scientists have hypothesized that the American black squirrel has survived through its dark fur’s superior solar retention. Cute.
But the Daily Mail has another explanation for the black squirrel’s newfound prominence in the UK: It cites a scientific study that claims the black squirrel is “testosterone-charged,” showing “higher levels of the male sex hormone testosterone—making them more aggressive and more successful.”
Throughout, the Daily Mail’s often-inflammatory tone turns this fluffy tale (get it!?) into a screed against the “aggressive” and “mutant” black squirrel—and it ends up reading like strange racial satire. The piece details the grey squirrel’s history of “driving its red cousin into the remotest corners of the country,” implies anti-miscegenation fears in noting that “female greys appear to prefer them [black squirrels] as mates,” and describes the black squirrel’s survival success as a “rampage.” It doesn’t help that throughout, the black squirrels are referred to simply as “blacks.”
6 Responses to “The Black Squirrel Heads to England, Inspires Subtly Racist Science Reporting”
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April 28th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
This ia all part of the concerted hate campaign in the UK against grey squirrels of which black ones are a melanistic phase of the grey.
Red squirrels are claimed to be native in the UK by those willing to present speculation as fact.
Fact is, all squirrels are native to where they are born - just like us.
Read “Professor Acorn’s” website at http://www.grey-squirrel.org.uk and remember we in the UK spell gray as grey.
The grey squirrel over here is native by birth but condemned by origin by those who wish to exploit red squirrela for tourism.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
The Post is on this, back in Oh Five! (that’s 2005)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/18/AR2005051802251_pf.html
cheers!
April 28th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Thanks creative–I linked to the Post piece twice. They were indeed on the black squirrel beat. I just thought the Daily Mail treatment was interesting. cheers.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Did you just add those links? I’m worthless for missing it if not. i kinda got excited that someone else was interested in black squirrels and didnt think to clicky all the linkies.
i liked this comment from the adams morgan link
“Black squirrels are unnatural demons only surpassed in evil by their albino kin.’
April 29th, 2008 at 11:30 am
What black squirrel connoisseur could overlook Fahrenthold’s piece? I’ve had a soft spot for the black squirrel since I spied my first one upon moving to the district five years back…The Daily Mail, though, seems to think them daemons.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Oooh..thanks. This was hilarious. Added to Squirrels Squirrels Squirrels at: http://squirrely.wordpress.com
Gracias - Joy