Fear, disgust, and flies How harmless inhabitants of houses came to be feared
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Abstract
In the nineteenth century, you could still find stories or poems with sensitivity and empathy towards houseflies. However, along the twentieth century and with ramifications in the twenty-first, these insects have stirred negative emotions such as disgust or fear as encouraged by films or stories. To a large extent, this change responds to a ruthless anti-fly campaign originated in the United States around the turn of the century that then spread globally. Through posters, pamphlets, books, tales, exhibitions, lectures, competitions or movies, flies went from being perceived as harmless but somewhat annoying inhabitants of homes to being portrayed as killers of families and communities. This article outlines the main episodes of this sought-after transformation of affects towards flies, also exploring their gender dimension, and underscores the need to renew the appreciation towards these and other insects and their role in ecosystems, now that their overall populations are threatened.
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FLIES, FEAR, DISGUST, EMOTIONS, ANTI-FLY CAMPAIGNS
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