---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like environmentalists, politicians…"
description: "\"Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege flora and fauna over folks.\" — Ilana Mercer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dde/ilana-mercer-6995_environmentalist_like-environmentalists-politicians-gener_2907955.jpg"
---

#  Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege…

![“Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege flora and fauna over folks.” quote by Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dde/ilana-mercer-6995_environmentalist_like-environmentalists-politicians-gener_2907955.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dde/ilana-mercer-6995_environmentalist_like-environmentalists-politicians-gener_2907955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dde/ilana-mercer-6995_environmentalist_like-environmentalists-politicians-gener_2907955.jpg)

> “Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege flora and fauna over folks.”

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Politicians often prioritize environmental concerns over human needs, reflecting a bias that can overlook people’s immediate welfare.

**In simple terms:** Politicians favor nature over people.

Key Takeaway

Balance ecological policies with human well‑being.

Themes

environment politics human welfare bias

Mood

concerned analytical

Type

policy critical

When to use this quote

- legislation
- urban planning
- public health

Key Concepts

policy analysis ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can policies serve both nature and people?
- What compromises are acceptable?

A Different Perspective

Environmental protection is essential despite trade‑offs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Environmentalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmentalist/) [Environmentalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmentalists/) [Environmentalists Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmentalists-politicians-2707083/) [Flora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flora/) [Flora and fauna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flora-and-fauna/) [Folks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folks/) [Like Environmentalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-environmentalists-2707085/) [Nantucket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nantucket/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians/) [Politicians Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians-generally-1950431/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/)

## Related quotes

> [Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege flora and fauna over folks. (NIMBYs excepted. Senator Edward Kennedy is a not-in-my-backyard environmentalist: he opposes wind farms in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-environmentalists-politicians-generally-privilege-flora-and/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [I recycle and try to be nice to the earth. But flora and fauna have always interested me, and it is because of so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-recycle-and-try-to-be-nice-to-the-earth-but-flora-and-fauna-have/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [Our difficulty is that we have become autistic. We no longer listen to what the Earth, its landscape, its atmospheric phenomena and all its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/our-difficulty-is-that-we-have-become-autistic-we-no-longer-listen-to/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [I would request that my body in death be buried not cremated, so that the energy content contained within it gets returned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-would-request-that-my-body-in-death-be-buried-not-cremated-so-that/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It is imperative for us to protect the flora and fauna around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-mahindra/it-is-imperative-for-us-to-protect-the-flora-and-fauna-around-us/)

[Anand Mahindra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-mahindra/)

> [Mice and any rodentia. Guinea pigs. Even rabbits, I can't stand. Rabbits are cousins to rats. It's a class thing. If you had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/mice-and-any-rodentia-guinea-pigs-even-rabbits-i-can-t-stand-rabbits/)

[Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/)

> [I'd rather enjoy the money, and then be buried, offering my body back to the flora and fauna of which I have dined my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-d-rather-enjoy-the-money-and-then-be-buried-offering-my-body-back/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Meditation is another dimension of natural beauty. People talk about appreciating natural beauty-climbing mountains, seeing giraffes and tigers in Africa, and all sorts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/meditation-is-another-dimension-of-natural-beauty-people-talk-about/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [For as long as I can remember, I have been passionately intrigued by 'Africa,' by the word itself, by its flora and fauna, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-have-been-passionately-intrigued-by/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [There is at the back of every artist’s mind something like a pattern and a type of architecture. The original quality in any man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-at-the-back-of-every-artist-s-mind-something-like-a-pattern/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Strolling on, it seems to me that the strangeness and wonder of existence are emphasized here, in the desert, by the comparative sparsity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/strolling-on-it-seems-to-me-that-the-strangeness-and-wonder-of/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [I do remain optimistic that one day the world will realise that carbon dioxide is more of a friend than an enemy to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-minchin/i-do-remain-optimistic-that-one-day-the-world-will-realise-that/)

[Nick Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-minchin/)

> [Patriotism at the expense of another nation is as wicked as racism at the expense of another race. . . Let us resolve to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/patriotism-at-the-expense-of-another-nation-is-as-wicked-as-racism-at/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“There can be no doubt that the existing Fauna and Flora is but the last term of a long series of equally numerous contemporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-the-existing-fauna-and-flora-is-but-the/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [Every novel worthy of the name is like another planet, whether large or small, which has its own laws just as it has its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mauriac/every-novel-worthy-of-the-name-is-like-another-planet-whether-large/)

[Francois Mauriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mauriac/)

## More by Ilana Mercer

> [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [If women with the same skills as men were getting only 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, men would have long-since priced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/if-women-with-the-same-skills-as-men-were-getting-only-78-cents-for/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [Liberals can always be trusted to see God in Mumia Abu-Jamal and the devil in the Pope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/liberals-can-always-be-trusted-to-see-god-in-mumia-abu-jamal-and-the/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [In the bureaucracy, incentives will forever be inverted. Failure results in success: in more funds, more training, more time off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/in-the-bureaucracy-incentives-will-forever-be-inverted-failure/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [Christianity in our country is a lot like what the Ducksters profess. No longer doctrinaire or demanding, the mishmash of pop-religion practiced in churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/christianity-in-our-country-is-a-lot-like-what-the-ducksters-profess/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [Like or dislike her, the British Queen is harmless. Her role is purely ceremonial. Conversely, life and death are in the hands of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-or-dislike-her-the-british-queen-is-harmless-her-role-is-purely/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [Breaking into a country signals quite reliably a willingness to break yet more of the invaded country's laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/breaking-into-a-country-signals-quite-reliably-a-willingness-to-break/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, is now its dust bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/zimbabwe-once-the-breadbasket-of-africa-is-now-its-dust-bowl/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [The end result of positively reinforcing bad behavior is that you get more of it. The culmination of a failure to punish predators is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-end-result-of-positively-reinforcing-bad-behavior-is-that-you-get/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [Demonstrators for a government takeover of medicine have a right to discuss their demands, but no right to enact these demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/demonstrators-for-a-government-takeover-of-medicine-have-a-right-to/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [The Big-Media collective, however, is slow, stupid and shackled by ideology. Reality must bite them before they’ll recognize it, much less report it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-big-media-collective-however-is-slow-stupid-and-shackled-by/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [The only time Republicans will shake fists and point fingers is over a war delayed, one that isn't led by the US, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-only-time-republicans-will-shake-fists-and-point-fingers-is-over/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [There are just too many Americans grubbing for free stuff and a preponderance of Republicans eager to parcel it out in exchange for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/there-are-just-too-many-americans-grubbing-for-free-stuff-and-a/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [free market is a market in which groups and individuals are differently represented. Parity in prosperity and performance between differently able individuals and groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/free-market-is-a-market-in-which-groups-and-individuals-are/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [Big media are all about the angle, the spin. Look to the overarching theme that runs through each and every news story. Be hip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/big-media-are-all-about-the-angle-the-spin-look-to-the-overarching/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

[Explore all 96 Ilana Mercer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

## More Environmentalist quotes

> [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

> [I'm an environmentalist; I recycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyrsten-sinema/i-m-an-environmentalist-i-recycle/)

[Kyrsten Sinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyrsten-sinema/)

> [I absolutely am an environmentalist. I am probably more of an environmentalist than most people who live in the world, but I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/i-absolutely-am-an-environmentalist-i-am-probably-more-of-an/)

[Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/)

> [In fact, because of their connection to the land, farmers do more to protect and preserve our environment than almost anyone else. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-skelton/in-fact-because-of-their-connection-to-the-land-farmers-do-more-to/)

[Ike Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-skelton/)

> [I believe strongly that we need to get beyond rhetoric, beyond industry and environmentalists fighting with each other, and seriously solve problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-norton/i-believe-strongly-that-we-need-to-get-beyond-rhetoric-beyond/)

[Gale Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-norton/)

> [Despite one or two minority appeals our society is not outraged at man's unremitting use of the animal world. Ecologists and environmentalists may talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/despite-one-or-two-minority-appeals-our-society-is-not-outraged-at/)

[Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/)

> [“To save our dying earth, any government which is not environmentalist must go because on earth there are thousands of governments but there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/to-save-our-dying-earth-any-government-which-is-not-environmentalist/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“MichaelTobias Evolution does not condemn us. Only our choices can do that. It is imperative that we cherish, nurture, and endeavor to protect all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/michaeltobias-evolution-does-not-condemn-us-only-our-choices-can-do/)

[michael tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/)

> [Energy is a sector of the economy that has been particularly resistant to innovation. This is precisely the problem. It is why we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/energy-is-a-sector-of-the-economy-that-has-been-particularly/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

> [I'm a Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic. It's a humorous way for me to describe that I'm not stereotypical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/i-m-a-christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic-it-s/)

[Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/)

> [I am not a veteran environmentalist. I don't live in a house made of recycled tires, I've never handcuffed myself to a tree, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-mathewson/i-am-not-a-veteran-environmentalist-i-don-t-live-in-a-house-made-of/)

[Christy Mathewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-mathewson/)

> [I am an environmentalist. ... I am for clean air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-am-an-environmentalist-i-am-for-clean-air/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The philosophy that I have worked under most of my life is that the serious study of natural history is an activity which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/the-philosophy-that-i-have-worked-under-most-of-my-life-is-that-the/)

[Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/)

> [If I had to catalog all the moronic plot turns in The Day After Tomorrow, we'd be here until the next ice age. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edelstein/if-i-had-to-catalog-all-the-moronic-plot-turns-in-the-day-after/)

[David Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edelstein/)

> [I'm an environmentalist. Most of my jokes are recycled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-m-an-environmentalist-most-of-my-jokes-are-recycled/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

[Browse all 228 Environmentalist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmentalist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege flora and fauna over folks.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ilana Mercer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-environmentalists-politicians-generally-privilege-flora-and-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Environmentalist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-environmentalists-politicians-generally-privilege-flora-and-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dde/ilana-mercer-6995_environmentalist_like-environmentalists-politicians-gener_2907955.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dde/ilana-mercer-6995_environmentalist_like-environmentalists-politicians-gener_2907955.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dde/ilana-mercer-6995_environmentalist_like-environmentalists-politicians-gener_2907955.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege flora and fauna over folks.” — Ilana Mercer",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ilana Mercer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Like environmentalists, politicians generally privilege flora...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-environmentalists-politicians-generally-privilege-flora-and-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-environmentalists-politicians-generally-privilege-flora-and-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
