Bambi effect

"The Bambi effect" is a term used anecdotally or in editorial media that refers to objections against the killing of charismatic megafauna (animals that are perceived as "cute" or "adorable", such as deer or dolphins), while there may be little or no objection to the suffering of organisms that are perceived as somehow repulsive or less than desirable, such as spiders or an endangered fungus and other woodland creatures.

Referring to a form of purported anthropomorphism, the term is inspired by Walt Disney's animated film Bambi, where an emotional high point is the death of the lead character's mother at the hands of the film's villain, a hunter known only as "Man".

Effects

Some commentators have credited this purported effect with increasing public awareness of the dangers of pollution, for instance in the case of the fate of sea otters after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and in the public interest in scaring birds off airfields in non-lethal ways. In the case of invasive species, perceived cuteness may help thwart efforts to eradicate non-native intruders, such as the white fallow deer in Point Reyes, California. The effect is also cited as the anthropomorphic quality of modern cinema: most people in modern Western civilization are not familiar with wildlife, other than "through TV or cinema, where fuzzy little critters discuss romance, self-determination and loyalty like pals over a cup of coffee", which has led to influences on public policy and the image of businesses cast in movies as polluting or otherwise harming the environment.

Bambi effect (slang)

The "Bambi effect" in LGBT slang denotes a young gay man's foray into heterosexuality: "the turning of a young (otherwise homosexual) man's fancy to (heterosexual) love" by reference to "the 'twitter-pated' Bambi" leaving Thumper in the 1942 movie Bambi. In The Gay Report it was described as the effect "where the young males in spring all suddenly turn their attention away from each other towards females with puffy cheeks, red lips, batting eyelashes, etc.—where even Bambi and Thumper don't need each other any more".

References