YSM Issue 95.1

REVIEWING THE ANTHROPOCENE
REVIEWED
BY LUCY ZHA
John Green, the author of several best-selling books such as Turtles
All the Way Down, or better known to us college students as the host
of the series CrashCourse which saved our world history grades, has
also been producing a podcast titled The Anthropocene Reviewed. In his
monthly episodes, he shares his epiphanies on the things that have kept
humanity, humanity.
In truth, I see this podcast more like a John Green TM personal journal. He does
not contrive himself as an expert in anthropology; instead, he simply reflects
on specific moments from his personal life. In the episode “Mortification and
Civilization,” John Green explores the evolution of the word “mortification.”
Green defines "mortification" literally as "to cause death." "[Nowadays, the
word means] extreme fear from public embarrassment... a low-level form of
death," Green said. He then gives us an anecdote when he was giving a talk
in 2008, and one student at the end pointed out to him that his fly was open
the entire time. Oops, what a great way to ruin the mood. By sharing his
mundane experiences—the Canadian geese in his backyard, the Dr. Pepper
he drinks every morning, and a few lyrics from his favorite band, “The
Mountain Goats”—Green gives the histories and scientific backgrounds of
commonplace objects in his life.
Green extends the conversation from not only everyday occurrences but
Talso problems Hthat impact the
E
world globally and that are deemed “newsworthy.”
Green admitted that he would give COVID-19 a one-star rating in the
episode “Plague.” “Plague is a one-star phenomenon, but our response needs
not to be,” Green said. He reassures us that the COVID-19 pandemic is by
no means unprecedented. The Black Death in the 14th century decimated at
least one-third of the European population. “Corpses were laid on the streets
of Florence… Father did not dare to visit their souls,” Green said. However,
IMAGE COURTESY OF PIXNIO
in community, there also lies strength. When another round of the pandemic
came around again in Eyam in 1665, the village came up with a plan together
that held church services outdoors, maintained social distancing, and buried a
family’s own dead themselves. Humans had prevailed.
From John Green’s meticulous uncovering of his life’s many intimate
SPOTLIGHT
moments, he has proved to us that the Anthropocene is an era where
happiness, loneliness, life, death, and many other contradicting emotions
coexist because we, humans, are on this earth, together. This podcast
itself is also Green’s way of connecting with his readers in a time where
we are forced to be isolated. It is a miraculous feeling to see the famous
and knowledgeable author, whom I look up to, talk to his listeners as a
part of the ordinary ether. And in this age of quarantining, at least I, John
Green, and other listeners of this podcast, are here together.
Indeed, I would give The Anthropocene Reviewed a rating of five out
of five stars. ■
www.yalescientific.org
March 2022 Yale Scientific Magazine 37