After spending decades observing chimpanzee behavior, Jane Goodall became an authority on the combative nature of leading males. In a freshly unveiled interview recorded shortly before her passing, the famous primatologist shared her unconventional solution for handling certain individuals she viewed as displaying similar qualities: transporting them on a non-return journey into the cosmos.
Legacy Interview Unveils Frank Opinions
This extraordinary viewpoint into Goodall's mindset emerges from the Netflix production "Famous Last Words", which was filmed in March and preserved private until after her recently announced passing at nine decades of life.
"I know individuals I dislike, and I want to send them on one of Musk's spaceships and launch them to the celestial body he's sure he's going to discover," stated Goodall during her conversation with the interviewer.
Specific Individuals Targeted
When questioned whether the tech billionaire, known for his controversial gestures and political alliances, would be part of this group, Goodall answered positively.
"Oh, absolutely. He could serve as the leader. Envision who I'd put on that spacecraft. In addition to Musk would be Donald Trump and several of Trump's loyal adherents," she announced.
"And then I would include Russia's leader in there, and I would place China's President Xi. I would definitely include the Israeli leader on that journey and his political allies. Put them all on that spacecraft and launch them."
Previous Criticism
This was not the first time that Goodall, an advocate of conservation efforts, had expressed criticism about the former president especially.
In a earlier conversation, she had noted that he exhibited "similar type of conduct as a male chimpanzee will show when vying for dominance with an opponent. They posture, they strut, they project themselves as much larger and combative than they really are in order to frighten their rivals."
Leadership Styles
During her posthumous documentary, Goodall elaborated on her understanding of alpha personalities.
"We see, remarkably, two kinds of leader. One does it solely through combat, and since they're powerful and they battle, they don't endure indefinitely. Others do it by using their brains, like a younger individual will just confront a higher ranking one if his companion, typically a relative, is supporting him. And research shows, they remain much, much longer," she clarified.
Group Dynamics
The renowned scientist also analyzed the "political aspect" of behavior, and what her comprehensive research had shown her about combative conduct shown by human communities and apes when encountering something they perceived as threatening, even if no threat truly existed.
"Chimps see a stranger from a nearby tribe, and they grow all excited, and their fur bristles, and they reach out and touch another, and they show expressions of rage and terror, and it catches, and the others adopt that emotion that one member has had, and they all become combative," she detailed.
"It's contagious," she noted. "Certain displays that turn aggressive, it sweeps through them. They all want to participate and engage and grow hostile. They're guarding their territory or battling for supremacy."
Comparable Human Reactions
When asked if she thought similar patterns were present in humans, Goodall responded: "Likely, on occasion. But I strongly feel that most people are ethical."
"My main objective is raising this new generation of empathetic people, beginnings and development. But is there sufficient time? It's unclear. These are difficult times."
Historical Perspective
Goodall, originally from London prior to the beginning of the Second World War, equated the fight against the challenges of present day politics to Britain standing up German forces, and the "determined resistance" displayed by Winston Churchill.
"However, this isn't to say you won't experience periods of sadness, but subsequently you recover and say, 'Well, I refuse to let them win'," she commented.
"It's similar to the Prime Minister throughout the battle, his renowned address, we shall combat them on the beaches, we will resist them through the avenues and metropolitan centers, then he turned aside to a friend and allegedly commented, 'and we shall combat them using the fragments of broken bottles as that's the only thing we actually possess'."
Closing Thoughts
In her concluding remarks, Goodall provided motivational statements for those combating political oppression and the climate emergency.
"In current times, when the planet is dark, there remains optimism. Preserve faith. Should optimism fade, you become apathetic and remain inactive," she recommended.
"Whenever you wish to save what is still beautiful on our planet – if you want to save the planet for coming generations, future family, their offspring – then contemplate the actions you take daily. As, replicated countless, innumerable instances, even small actions will make for great change."
