After devoting her life observing chimpanzee behavior, Jane Goodall became an expert on the combative nature of leading males. In a freshly unveiled interview documented shortly before her passing, the famous primatologist revealed her unconventional solution for dealing with specific people she viewed as exhibiting similar traits: sending them on a permanent journey into space.
This notable insight into Goodall's mindset emerges from the Netflix film "Famous Last Words", which was filmed in March and kept confidential until after her latest passing at 91 years old.
"I know individuals I dislike, and I would like to place them on one of Musk's spaceships and send them all off to the world he's certain he'll find," commented Goodall during her interview with her interlocutor.
When questioned whether Elon Musk, famous for his disputed actions and connections, would be included, Goodall responded with certainty.
"Oh, absolutely. He'd be the leader. Picture whom I would include on that vessel. In addition to Musk would be Trump and several of Trump's real supporters," she announced.
"And then I would include Russia's leader in there, and I would put Xi Jinping. I would definitely include the Israeli leader in there and his far-right government. Place them all on that spacecraft and send them off."
This wasn't the earlier occasion that Goodall, an advocate of conservation efforts, had expressed criticism about the political figure specifically.
In a earlier conversation, she had noted that he exhibited "similar type of conduct as an alpha chimp exhibits when he's competing for dominance with an opponent. They posture, they parade, they present themselves as significantly bigger and aggressive than they really are in order to frighten their competitors."
During her final interview, Goodall further explained her comprehension of dominant individuals.
"We observe, remarkably, two categories of leader. One does it all by aggression, and due to their strength and they combat, they don't last indefinitely. The second type succeeds by utilizing strategy, like a younger individual will just confront a superior one if his companion, frequently a sibling, is supporting him. And research shows, they remain significantly longer," she explained.
The celebrated primatologist also studied the "social dimension" of conduct, and what her extensive studies had shown her about aggressive behaviors displayed by groups of humans and chimpanzees when encountering something they considered hostile, although no danger actually existed.
"Chimps see an unfamiliar individual from a neighboring community, and they become highly agitated, and their fur bristles, and they stretch and make physical contact, and they display visages of hostility and apprehension, and it transmits, and the others adopt that emotion that this one male has had, and they all become hostile," she detailed.
"It spreads rapidly," she added. "Various exhibitions that become hostile, it spreads among them. Each member wishes to become and join in and grow hostile. They're guarding their area or fighting for dominance."
When asked if she believed the same dynamics were present in human beings, Goodall answered: "Probably, on occasion. But I strongly feel that most people are decent."
"My biggest hope is raising this new generation of caring individuals, beginnings and development. But do we have time? I'm uncertain. We face challenging circumstances."
Goodall, originally from London shortly before the start of the Second World War, compared the fight against the difficulties of contemporary politics to Britain standing up Nazi Germany, and the "determined resistance" exhibited by Winston Churchill.
"This doesn't imply you won't experience times of despair, but subsequently you recover and declare, 'Alright, I won't allow to permit their victory'," she stated.
"It's similar to Churchill in the war, his iconic words, we shall combat them on the beaches, we will resist them in the streets and urban areas, then he turned aside to an associate and was heard to say, 'and we shall combat them using the fragments of shattered glass since that's everything we truly have'."
In her last message, Goodall offered motivational statements for those fighting against authoritarian control and the environmental crisis.
"Even today, when the planet is difficult, there still is possibility. Maintain optimism. Should optimism fade, you grow indifferent and remain inactive," she recommended.
"And if you wish to protect the remaining beauty on our planet – if you want to save the planet for coming generations, future family, their offspring – then consider the decisions you implement each day. As, expanded countless, innumerable instances, modest choices will generate substantial improvement."
Tech enthusiast and digital strategist with a passion for emerging technologies and their impact on society.