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QLD police slammed over Hitler image used in training graphic

A silhouette looking like Adolf Hitler has been used in a Queensland Police domestic violence module. The Hitler-looking silhouette was used as part of a coercive control online training program, with the figure asking questions of a domestic abuse victim. Queensland Police said the image was accidentally used on two of the pages in the training program which may have been viewed by 8,641 officers. “One of the images in the online training package inadvertently included an inappropriate background image,” they said in a statement. “A silhouette image depicting a male officer in a peak cap was unintentionally used after searching ‘police officer silhouette’ on design program, Canva.” Queensland Police confirmed the image is being removed. The domestic violence module was designed to show officers the impact of coercive control on victims. It helps train officers to identify perpetrators and how to take the right action within their legal limits. Real life experiences are used as case and investigative studies. Deputy Police Commissioner Tracy Linford was thoroughly grilled over the mishap by 4BC radio host Neil Breen in an interview on Wednesday over how such an “embarrassing mistake” could be made. “If that sort of mistake is getting through into the coercive control online training module, what else is going wrong?” Breen said. “I think the Queensland Police Service is broken on this issue and you’re (Ms Linford) at the helm of it. Image: 7News

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Clive Palmer in more hot water over Hitler Mercedes furore

Clive Palmer has come under fire and could face the full weight of the law after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/clive-palmer-buys-adolf-hitlers-mercedes-from-russian-billionaire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allegedly</a> importing a Mercedes-Benz once owned and used by Adolf Hitler. The controversial billionaire and politician reportedly purchased the 1939 770 Grosser Offener Tourenwagen (“large open touring car”) from an unnamed Russian billionaire. Though the identity of the seller and the time-frame of the sale is unclear, the Courier Mail reported that negotiations took place over two years. However, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews has called on Mr Palmer to explain his actions and said he will face hefty consequences if it is found he breached import, customs and sanctions rules by buying and importing the vehicle. “If an individual contravenes our sanctions regime there will be serious consequences under Australian law. The bottom line is: No one gets a special deal and the rules apply to all,” she <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/motoring-news/clive-palmer-warned-after-reportedly-buying-adolf-hitlers-mercedes/news-story/11cbac51b128fc3baaeab26056bd4aec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Should this not be “Australian Nazi-sympathising oligarch breaks trade sanctions on Russia during global humanitarian crisis” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RussiaUkraine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RussiaUkraine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClivePalmer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClivePalmer</a> <a href="https://t.co/K6b5JDaDRn">https://t.co/K6b5JDaDRn</a> — jo dodds 🔥🔥🔥 (@JoDodds6) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoDodds6/status/1499151893825687552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote> News of the purchase came shortly after sanctions were announced against Russian financial institutions, as well as individuals of “strategic and economic significance to Russia”. If reports of the sale are true, Mr Palmer will also have to ensure the car doesn’t contain any asbestos, which is often found in the brake and clutch components of classic cars. <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-02/clive-palmer-reportedly-buys-hitlers-car/100874720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Failing to do so</a> before he imports the vehicle could see him slapped with a $180,000 fine - which is three times the value of the car - or a $900,000 fine if one of his companies purchased and imported it. There is no suggestion that the avid car collector supports or sympathises with the Nazi movement, and Ms Andrews has outright condemned any glorification of the movement on behalf of the government. “The government absolutely condemns any glorification of Nazi history and neo-Nazi extremist activity in Australia,” she said. “I understand why people may find this purchase by Clive Palmer offensive.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> On Monday I asked the government to stop Clive Palmer importing Hitler’s car using the Customs Act. Today the Government has acted on my request. There is no reason for the importation of these obscene objects into Australia, billionaire or not. Read my full letter below. <a href="https://t.co/KyvTEbV2bq">pic.twitter.com/KyvTEbV2bq</a> — Patrick Gorman MP (@PatrickGormanMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickGormanMP/status/1498835957407436800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote> West Australian MP Patrick Gorman also shared his disapproval, writing to Ms Andrews on Monday to ask that the federal government urgently investigate the alleged purchase. “Many of my constituents are concerned with this purchase and the message it sends. I believe that it is inappropriate for Mr Palmer to personally own such an item,” he wrote. “I seek an assurance from you as minister that Mr Palmer has not breached Australia’s customs and sanctions requirements.” Image: Getty Images

Legal

Clive Palmer buys Adolf Hitler's Mercedes from Russian billionaire

Mining magnate Clive Palmer has made headlines for the second time in just a week, after two years of negotiations resulted in him <a href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/politics/clive-palmer/clive-palmer-purchases-adolf-hitlers-mercedes-benz-for-gold-coast-museum--c-5859570" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchasing</a> Adolf Hitler’s bulletproof Mercedes Benz from an unnamed Russian billionaire. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/nazi-car1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Clive Palmer has purchased a vehicle belonging to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Image: Getty Images Palmer bought the Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser Offener Tourenwagen - which features bulletproof glass and armoured panelling - for a museum of vintage cars he hopes to build in Queensland. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Clive Palmer is really that Texan billionaire from The Simpsons <a href="https://t.co/CrylLGLKZ6">https://t.co/CrylLGLKZ6</a> <a href="https://t.co/n8hnWtSrNy">pic.twitter.com/n8hnWtSrNy</a> — Evan Smith (@evanishistory) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanishistory/status/1498145874030915586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></blockquote> The car was seized by US forces in France at the end of WWII, and has had several owners before Palmer claimed ownership. It was previously listed for auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2018 and was <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/19072/hitlers-parade-car-bought-by-anonymous-buyer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> sold to an unknown buyer outside of the United States. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/nazi-car2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> The car was last sold in 2018 at an auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, to an unknown buyer. Image: Getty Images He also purchased a 1929 Rolls-Royce owned by King Edward VIII which is also expected to end up in his car museum. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Australian oligarch buys dictator & mass murderer's car from Russian oligarch amid worldwide sanctions against Russia- telling us exactly who he is & what he really cares about. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/moralwasteland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#moralwasteland</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/j13JSpiMpj">https://t.co/j13JSpiMpj</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/newscomauHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@newscomauHQ</a> — Diana (@ElephantFlowers) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElephantFlowers/status/1498082458969178112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote> The vehicle - which many online have dubbed “Nazi memorabilia” - was secretly shipped from London to Queensland and is now being kept at a high-security location. Though the final purchase price hasn’t been confirmed, it is believed to have cost Mr Palmer more than $200,000. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I cannot believe I have posted twice in one day about my 2022 bingo card but here we are. Clive Palmer buying Adolf Hitlers mercedes from a Russian billionaire was *definitely* not on my bingo card and I feel that whoever is writing this season of our lives has jumped the shark. — Dr Kate Miller (@DrKate_Miller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrKate_Miller/status/1498098388919013377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></blockquote> The purchase comes after the unvaccinated United Australia Party member <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/clive-palmer-rushed-to-hospital" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made headlines</a> last week when he and his wife were rushed to hospital with Covid-like symptoms. Three ambulances reportedly arrived at their Paradise Point home in Queensland on Thursday morning, taking the 67-year-old and his wife Annastacia to Pindara Private Hospital. Image: Getty Images

News

Hibbert’s flowers and Hitler’s beetle – what do we do when species are named after history’s monsters?

“What’s in a name?”, <a href="https://www.bartleby.com/70/3822.html">asked Juliet of Romeo</a>. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But, as with the Montagues and Capulets, names mean a lot, and can cause a great deal of heartache. My colleagues and I are <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-the-science-of-tax-and-five-other-things-you-should-know-about-taxonomy-78926">taxonomists</a>, which means we name living things. While we’ve never named a rose, we do discover and name new Australian species of plants and animals – and there are a lot of them! For each new species we discover, we create and publish a Latin scientific name, following a set of international rules and conventions. The name has two parts: the first part is the genus name (such as Eucalyptus), which describes the group of species to which the new species belongs, and the second part is a species name (such as globulus, thereby making the name Eucalyptus globulus) particular to the new species itself. New species are either added to an existing genus, or occasionally, if they’re sufficiently novel, are given their own new genus. Some scientific names are widely known – arguably none more so than our own, Homo sapiens. And gardeners or nature enthusiasts will be familiar with genus names such as Acacia, Callistemon or Banksia. This all sounds pretty uncontroversial. But as with Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, history and tradition sometimes present problems. <h2>What’s in a name?</h2> Take the genus <a href="http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Hibbertia">Hibbertia</a>, the Australian guineaflowers. This is one of the largest genera of plants in Australia, and the one we study. There are many new and yet-unnamed species of Hibbertia, which means new species names are regularly added to this genus. Many scientific names are derived from a feature of the species or genus being named, such as Eucalyptus, from the Greek for “well-covered” (a reference to the operculum or bud-cap that covers unopened eucalypt flowers). Others <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-funny-to-name-species-after-celebrities-but-theres-a-serious-side-too-95513">honour significant people</a>, either living or dead. Hibbertia is named after a wealthy 19th-century English patron of botany, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hibbert">George Hibbert</a>. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437440/original/file-20211214-15-1u4xyy3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="George Hibbert by Thomas Lawrence" /> George Hibbert: big fan of flowers and slavery. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Hibbert_by_Thomas_Lawrence,_1811.JPG" class="source">Thomas Lawrence/Stephen C. Dickson/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-SA</a> And here’s where things stop being straightforward, because Hibbert’s wealth came almost entirely from the transatlantic slave trade. He profited from taking slaves from Africa to the New World, selling some and using others on his family’s extensive plantations, then transporting slave-produced sugar and cotton back to England. Hibbert was also a prominent member of the British parliament and a <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/16791">staunch opponent of abolition</a>. He and his ilk argued that slavery was economically necessary for England, and even that slaves were better off on the plantations than in their homelands. Even at the time, his views were considered abhorrent by many critics. But despite this, he was handsomely recompensed for his “losses” when Britain finally abolished slavery in 1807. So, should Hibbert be honoured with the name of a genus of plants, to which new species are still being added today – effectively meaning he is honoured afresh with each new publication? We don’t believe so. Just like statues, buildings, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/was-first-governor-james-stirling-had-links-to-slavery-as-well-as-directing-a-massacre-should-he-be-honoured-162078">street or suburb names</a>, we think a reckoning is due for scientific species names that honour people who held views or acted in ways that are deeply dishonourable, highly problematic or truly egregious by modern standards. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437442/original/file-20211214-13-1yaho8u.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Anophthalmus hitleri" /> This beetle doesn’t deserve to be named after the most reviled figure of the 20th century. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anophthalmus_hitleri_HabitusDors.jpg" class="source">Michael Munich/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-SA</a> Just as Western Australia’s King Leopold Range <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-03/wa-king-leopold-ranges-renamed-wunaamin-miliwundi-ranges/12416254">was recently renamed</a> to remove the link to the atrocious <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II_of_Belgium">Leopold II of Belgium</a>, we would like Hibbertia to bear a more appropriate and less troubling name. The same goes for the Great Barrier Reef coral <a href="http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/elegance-coral/">Catalaphyllia jardinei</a>, named after Frank Jardine, a brutal dispossessor of Aboriginal people in North Queensland. And, perhaps most astoundingly, the rare Slovenian cave beetle <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/773804">Anophthalmus hitleri</a>, which was named in 1933 in honour of Adolf Hitler. This name is unfortunate for several reasons: despite being a small, somewhat nondescript, blind beetle, in recent years it has been reportedly <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fans-exterminate-hitler-beetle-6232054.html">pushed to the brink of extinction</a> by Nazi memorabilia enthusiasts. Specimens are even being stolen from museum collections for sale into this lucrative market. <h2>Aye, there’s the rub</h2> Unfortunately, the official rules don’t allow us to rename Hibbertia or any other species that has a troubling or inappropriate name. To solve this, we propose a change to the international rules for naming species. Our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12620">proposal</a>, if adopted, would establish an international expert committee to decide what do about scientific names that honour inappropriate people or are based on culturally offensive words. An example of the latter is the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12622">many names of plants</a> based on the Latin caffra, the origin of which is a word so offensive to Black Africans that its use is <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/k-word-south-africa-and-proposed-new-penalties-against-hate-speech">banned in South Africa</a>. Some may argue the scholarly naming of species should remain aloof from social change, and that Hibbert’s views on slavery are irrelevant to the classification of Australian flowers. We counter that, just like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Edward_Colston">toppling statues in Bristol Harbour</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/18/goodbye-cecil-rhodes-house-renamed-to-lose-link-to-british-empire-builder-in-africa">removing Cecil Rhodes’ name from public buildings</a>, renaming things is important and necessary if we are to right history’s wrongs. We believe that science, including taxonomy, must be socially responsible and responsive. Science is embedded in culture rather than housed in ivory towers, and scientists should work for the common good rather than blindly follow tradition. Deeply problematic names pervade science just as they pervade our streets, cities and landscapes. Hibbertia may be just a name, but we believe a different name for this lovely genus of Australian flowers would smell much sweeter. This article was co-authored by Tim Hammer, a postdoctoral research fellow at the State Herbarium of South Australia.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172602/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-thiele-136882">Kevin Thiele</a>, Adjunct Assoc. Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hibberts-flowers-and-hitlers-beetle-what-do-we-do-when-species-are-named-after-historys-monsters-172602">original article</a>. Image: John Tann/Wikimedia Commons

Domestic Travel

Hibbert’s flowers and Hitler’s beetle – what do we do when species are named after history’s monsters?

“What’s in a name?”, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bartleby.com/70/3822.html" target="_blank">asked Juliet of Romeo</a>. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But, as with the Montagues and Capulets, names mean a lot, and can cause a great deal of heartache. My colleagues and I are <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-the-science-of-tax-and-five-other-things-you-should-know-about-taxonomy-78926" target="_blank">taxonomists</a>, which means we name living things. While we’ve never named a rose, we do discover and name new Australian species of plants and animals – and there are a lot of them! For each new species we discover, we create and publish a Latin scientific name, following a set of international rules and conventions. The name has two parts: the first part is the genus name (such as Eucalyptus), which describes the group of species to which the new species belongs, and the second part is a species name (such as globulus, thereby making the name Eucalyptus globulus) particular to the new species itself. New species are either added to an existing genus, or occasionally, if they’re sufficiently novel, are given their own new genus. Some scientific names are widely known – arguably none more so than our own, Homo sapiens. And gardeners or nature enthusiasts will be familiar with genus names such as Acacia, Callistemon or Banksia. This all sounds pretty uncontroversial. But as with Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, history and tradition sometimes present problems. What’s in a name? Take the genus <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Hibbertia" target="_blank">Hibbertia</a>, the Australian guineaflowers. This is one of the largest genera of plants in Australia, and the one we study. There are many new and yet-unnamed species of Hibbertia, which means new species names are regularly added to this genus. Many scientific names are derived from a feature of the species or genus being named, such as Eucalyptus, from the Greek for “well-covered” (a reference to the operculum or bud-cap that covers unopened eucalypt flowers). Others <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/its-funny-to-name-species-after-celebrities-but-theres-a-serious-side-too-95513" target="_blank">honour significant people</a>, either living or dead. Hibbertia is named after a wealthy 19th-century English patron of botany, <a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hibbert" target="_blank">George Hibbert</a>. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437440/original/file-20211214-15-1u4xyy3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="George Hibbert by Thomas Lawrence" /> George Hibbert: big fan of flowers and slavery. <a rel="noopener" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Hibbert_by_Thomas_Lawrence,_1811.JPG" target="_blank" class="source">Thomas Lawrence/Stephen C. Dickson/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" class="license">CC BY-SA</a> And here’s where things stop being straightforward, because Hibbert’s wealth came almost entirely from the transatlantic slave trade. He profited from taking slaves from Africa to the New World, selling some and using others on his family’s extensive plantations, then transporting slave-produced sugar and cotton back to England. Hibbert was also a prominent member of the British parliament and a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/16791" target="_blank">staunch opponent of abolition</a>. He and his ilk argued that slavery was economically necessary for England, and even that slaves were better off on the plantations than in their homelands. Even at the time, his views were considered abhorrent by many critics. But despite this, he was handsomely recompensed for his “losses” when Britain finally abolished slavery in 1807. So, should Hibbert be honoured with the name of a genus of plants, to which new species are still being added today – effectively meaning he is honoured afresh with each new publication? We don’t believe so. Just like statues, buildings, and <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/was-first-governor-james-stirling-had-links-to-slavery-as-well-as-directing-a-massacre-should-he-be-honoured-162078" target="_blank">street or suburb names</a>, we think a reckoning is due for scientific species names that honour people who held views or acted in ways that are deeply dishonourable, highly problematic or truly egregious by modern standards. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437442/original/file-20211214-13-1yaho8u.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Anophthalmus hitleri" /> This beetle doesn’t deserve to be named after the most reviled figure of the 20th century. <a rel="noopener" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anophthalmus_hitleri_HabitusDors.jpg" target="_blank" class="source">Michael Munich/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" class="license">CC BY-SA</a> Just as Western Australia’s King Leopold Range <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-03/wa-king-leopold-ranges-renamed-wunaamin-miliwundi-ranges/12416254" target="_blank">was recently renamed</a> to remove the link to the atrocious <a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II_of_Belgium" target="_blank">Leopold II of Belgium</a>, we would like Hibbertia to bear a more appropriate and less troubling name. The same goes for the Great Barrier Reef coral <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/elegance-coral/" target="_blank">Catalaphyllia jardinei</a>, named after Frank Jardine, a brutal dispossessor of Aboriginal people in North Queensland. And, perhaps most astoundingly, the rare Slovenian cave beetle <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/773804" target="_blank">Anophthalmus hitleri</a>, which was named in 1933 in honour of Adolf Hitler. This name is unfortunate for several reasons: despite being a small, somewhat nondescript, blind beetle, in recent years it has been reportedly <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fans-exterminate-hitler-beetle-6232054.html" target="_blank">pushed to the brink of extinction</a> by Nazi memorabilia enthusiasts. Specimens are even being stolen from museum collections for sale into this lucrative market. Aye, there’s the rub Unfortunately, the official rules don’t allow us to rename Hibbertia or any other species that has a troubling or inappropriate name. To solve this, we propose a change to the international rules for naming species. Our <a rel="noopener" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12620" target="_blank">proposal</a>, if adopted, would establish an international expert committee to decide what do about scientific names that honour inappropriate people or are based on culturally offensive words. An example of the latter is the <a rel="noopener" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12622" target="_blank">many names of plants</a> based on the Latin caffra, the origin of which is a word so offensive to Black Africans that its use is <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/k-word-south-africa-and-proposed-new-penalties-against-hate-speech" target="_blank">banned in South Africa</a>. Some may argue the scholarly naming of species should remain aloof from social change, and that Hibbert’s views on slavery are irrelevant to the classification of Australian flowers. We counter that, just like <a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Edward_Colston" target="_blank">toppling statues in Bristol Harbour</a> or <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/18/goodbye-cecil-rhodes-house-renamed-to-lose-link-to-british-empire-builder-in-africa" target="_blank">removing Cecil Rhodes’ name from public buildings</a>, renaming things is important and necessary if we are to right history’s wrongs. We believe that science, including taxonomy, must be socially responsible and responsive. Science is embedded in culture rather than housed in ivory towers, and scientists should work for the common good rather than blindly follow tradition. Deeply problematic names pervade science just as they pervade our streets, cities and landscapes. Hibbertia may be just a name, but we believe a different name for this lovely genus of Australian flowers would smell much sweeter. This article was co-authored by Tim Hammer, a postdoctoral research fellow at the State Herbarium of South Australia.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172602/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-thiele-136882" target="_blank">Kevin Thiele</a>, Adjunct Assoc. Professor, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067" target="_blank">The University of Western Australia</a> This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/hibberts-flowers-and-hitlers-beetle-what-do-we-do-when-species-are-named-after-historys-monsters-172602" target="_blank">original article</a>. Image: <a rel="noopener" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hibbertia_procumbens_(6691568261).jpg" target="_blank" class="source">John Tann/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" class="license">CC BY-SA</a>

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Colin Firth takes on Hitler in new spy movie

After appearing as the fictional spy Galahd in the Kingsman trilogy, Colin Firth <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/colin-firth-plots-to-trick-hitler-operation-mincemeat-trailer/" target="_blank">is portraying</a> a real-life spy in the new trailer for Operation Mincemeat. Despite the grisly name, the movie is named after the real operation run by British intelligence officers during World War 2, where they attempted to thwart the Nazis by planting a dead body in enemy waters with a briefcase full of fake documents. See the trailer here: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YQ7ZXOXHZ20" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Firth is set to play Ewen Montagu, the British naval intelligence officer who came up with the idea for Operation Mincemeat along with Matthew Macfadyen’s Charles Cholmondeley. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844679/mincemeat1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2c9d93e8b1b5492c9927d09c869a96d5" /> British musician Johnny Flynn portrays author and intelligence officer Ian Fleming. Alongside the scheming duo, the cast includes Penelope Wilton as Hester Leggest, Johnny Flynn as James Bond author and intelligence officer Ian Fleming, and Kelly Macdonald’s Jean Leslie. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844680/mincemeat2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/54cdfbaa95fb4ef7a57d71c0714e4eea" /> Kelly Macdonald as Jean Leslie, the MI5 clerk whose image was used in the operation. Jason Isaac is set to play skeptical John Godfrey, while Winston Churchill will be portrayed by Simon Russell Beale. John Madden - the director behind Shakespeare in Love and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - is directing the all-star cast. Operation Mincemeat is <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.flicks.co.nz/movie/operation-mincemeat/" target="_blank">due to be released</a> in cinemas in early April of next year. Images: @netflixfilm / Instagram

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Jojo Rabbit: Hitler humour and a child's eye view of war make for dark satire

Jojo Rabbit is not Disney Studios’ first foray into Hitler parody. In 1943, it produced <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L90smU0SOcQ">der Fuehrer’s Face</a> – an anti-Nazi film inside Donald Duck’s nightmares. Now, Disney is the Australian distributor of Jojo Rabbit, a story of a young boy whose imaginary friend (and buffoonish life coach) is Adolf Hitler. In this dark satire, from the Polynesian-Jewish-New Zealand director Taika Waititi who brought us <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4698684/">Hunt for the Wilderpeople</a>, Nazi Germany is in its waning days. The Germans have all but lost the second world war but 10-year-old Johannes “Jojo” Betzel (Roman Griffin Davis) believes he, and he alone, will be the Aryan hero to turn the tide. The boy’s imaginary friend, a hilariously incompetent Hitler (played by Waititi in blue contact lenses and the trademark moustache), cheers him on. When asked to kill a rabbit to get into the Hitler Youth, Jojo baulks, though he does almost manage to kill himself in a grenade stunt. “You’re still the bestest, most loyal little Nazi I’ve ever met,” the fantasy Fuhrer enthuses. Through children’s eyes Themes and images of children have often been central in films exploring WWII. Steven Spielberg famously used <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUJ187mkMq8">“the girl in red coat”</a> to create a powerfully moving symbol of innocence in <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2017/03/31/schindlers-list-one-most-visually-powerful-war-films-ever-made">Schindler’s List</a> (1993). Immediately after the war, a stream of films, including Roberto Rosselini’s <a href="https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1358-germany-year-zero-the-humanity-of-the-defeated%22%22">Germany Year Zero</a> (1948), Gerhard Lamprecht’s <a href="https://ecommerce.umass.edu/defa/film/6025">Somewhere in Berlin</a> (1946), and Fred Zinnemann’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu8h7OyX8-Y">The Search</a> (1948) looked at wartime trauma through injuries acquired by children. Like Jojo’s grenade mishap, their wounds were permanent. In war films, children’s perspectives don’t diminish the ghastliness of war. Quite the contrary. When war and its pervasive horror spills over from the battlefield and intrudes on their youth, viewers are appalled at its spread. Containing that disease of war, curing it even, is where Waititi’s takedown of fascist group-think truly begins. How will Jojo escape the brainwash army of Reichswehr propaganda parrots like Rebel Wilson’s Fräulein? There are several steps. The first one for Jojo is finding out his mother has been hiding a Jewish girl in the attic. Scarlett Johansson gives an enchanting performance as a single mum who tries to keep the embers of humanity and love in Jojo’s heart alive as he gets lost in Nazi doctrines of vile anti-Semitism. Jojo starts falling for Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie), the hideaway in his attic, as her humanity – and his pre-pubescent hormones – triumph over fascist indoctrination. Through Jojo’s eyes, we see Elsa turn from monster into human as he comes back from the brink of fanatic hatred. Waititi hides that innocent, simple love story under slapstick and a ton of special effects. The latter don’t always work. And some of the jokes fall flat. But what works is the message that Jojo is both manipulated and self-manipulating. His Nazi hate is a cage of his own making, and Elsa is the key to unlocking it. She teaches him that empathy for those who we think are different from us is powerful. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTqd4yNFuSw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Irreverent or irresponsible? Hitler comedies have a long history. In 1940, Charlie Chaplin released <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVLQ8lNd1Pk">The Great Dictator</a>. Mel Brooks created <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brkp2VhzdDI">The Producers</a> in 1968. German filmmakers Dani Levy (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780568/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">My Führer – The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler</a>, 2007) and David Wnendt (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylstybS6rqw&list=PL-2fuUy0f-jOu3bV_Bj1Uh-SbTO8OCK1A&index=2&t=0s">Look Who’s Back</a>, 2015) strived to find the right balance between comedy and drama. Like Waititi, those filmmakers experienced how mining sombre Holocaust themes and hateful iconography for the ridiculous splits public reactions along extreme lines. The critics bemoaned that Levy committed only halfheartedly to a funny Hitler, making the film the worst thing a comedy can be: too harmless. Wnendt faced another issue. He intercut his film with hidden camera footage of Germans reacting to the lead actor dressed as Hitler. People thought this was too much realism. Waititi <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-09/jojo-rabbit-review-and-taika-waititi-on-making-comic-hitler/11721074">says</a> he didn’t look at these forerunners and didn’t do any research on Hitler. He looked to literature instead. Jojo Rabbit uses the masterful dramatic novel <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25641300-caging-skies?from_search=true&qid=ev2DKS7scE&rank=1">Caging Skies</a> by New Zealand-Belgian author Christine Leuens as source material. The book doesn’t have the same generous scoops of comedy and tragedy found in Ladislav Fuks’ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/725311.Mr_Theodore_Mundstock">Mr. Theodore Mundstock</a>, or in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18582851-the-nazi-and-the-barber">The Nazi and the Barber</a> by Edgar Hilsenrath. It’s all the more reason to recognise what Waititi has tried to accomplish. He had to negotiate between a book adaptation, Holocaust memory, and Hollywood. Commenting on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJSwD_17qjY">his motivation</a> for making the film, Watiti, whose mother is Jewish, said: “I just want people to be more tolerant and spread more love and less hate”. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/benjamin-nickl-594248">Benjamin Nickl</a>, Lecturer in International Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jojo-rabbit-hitler-humour-and-a-childs-eye-view-of-war-make-for-dark-satire-128622">original article</a>.

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