Book · 2022 · History
Pests
How Humans Create Animal Villains
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That is Bethany Brookshire we heard from her in part one of the series she's the author of a book called pests how humans create animal villains.
Stephen Dubner · Freakonomics Radio · Feb 2025 Listen at 16:55 Why people recommend it
Pests by Bethany Brookshire is a fascinating examination of how human societies culturally construct and categorize certain animals as unwelcome villains while embracing others. The book investigates the complex relationships between people and creatures like rats, snakes, elephants, and coyotes, exploring the arbitrary and often shifting boundaries that transform living organisms into hated pests. The author and her work were featured extensively across multiple episodes of Freakonomics Radio hosted by Stephen Dubner in early 2025. Dubner initially introduced Brookshire in mid-February during an episode dedicated to the universal hatred directed at rats, noting that her newly published book brilliantly illustrates how humans actively create animal villains through societal attitudes and fears. In a subsequent episode released at the end of February, Dubner brought up the book again while speaking directly with Brookshire, highlighting her extensive research into a wide array of other animals that are frequently branded as pests in specific circumstances, even when they may not fundamentally deserve that negative reputation. The podcast series used Brookshire's insights to challenge listener assumptions about wildlife, demonstrating that the designation of a pest tells us far more about human psychology, agriculture, and urban development than it does about the actual nature of the animals themselves.
Every mention
Stephen Dubner that is Bethany Brookshire we heard from her in part one of the series she's the author of a book called pe… 3
“that is Bethany Brookshire we heard from her in part one of the series she's the author of a book called pests how humans create animal villains”
“she recently published a book called pests how humans create animal villains so you can see where her Allegiance lies”
“in her book Bethany Brookshire writes about many other animals who are considered pests in some circumstances even if they don't deserve to be like snakes and elephants and coyotes”
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I'm the author of The 2022 book pests how humans create animal villains talk about just the title itself”