they act as if they knew the man
i just finished watching a memorial service for steve irwin - the crocodile hunter. actually, i saw only the last 15 minutes, because i had just gotten home from a basketball game. the service was quite odd. it seemed to be held in an amphitheater at the zoo where irwin worked. i believe it was conducted by one of the guys from the "wiggles." there was a video montage of cameron diaz and justin timberlake and others saying "g'day" and "mate." did they know him? i don't know. the stands were filled with people in shorts and t-shirts crying for this man i'm sure they barely knew. the crowd were crying, clapping, singing, laughing. it was a little surreal.
don't get me wrong. i am not attempting to denigrate the fashion in which one's life is viewed, celebrated, or remembered by others. unfortunately, i have been to many funerals in my life...for aunts, uncles, grandparents, classmates, friends, a sister-in-law, and my son. one thing i have learned in these many experiences is that mourning is deeply personal. it is a singular expression unique to the individual. it also sucks.
put me down as a crocodile hunter fan. i don't pretend that i watched his show too often; but, it was fun to watch when i did. that said, people fooling around in the environment of a wild animal has always made me uncomfortable. what makes you think the dolphins want you to swim with them? i know i don't want you putting your dirty hands on my nose, why should they be any different? almost equally disturbing to me are zoos. even sea world (we get season passes every year) gives me pause. these animals weren't created to be confined in areas as restrictive as those generally provided. just because these particular animals were born into captivity and don't know any better seems a poor excuse to me. yes, they appear to be well taken care of; but, that's not the point. every year when we are at sea world, one of the trainers will go to great lengths to teach us that the reason these killer whales interact with them so personally is due to the bond of love which has developed between the whale and the individual trainer. this may be true. if it is, can someone explain to me what the big bucket of fish is for?...and why the animal needs a handful of fish after every trick? come on.
they also like to explain to me that the animals aren't doing "tricks." they are performing "behaviors." additionally, i am told that the animals only perform behaviors that are inherent to their species when in the wild. really? at sea world, i have seen a walrus doing sit-ups, a otter drink a 7-up, and a killer whale stick out his tongue for a picture. seriously, how dumb do they think i am?
here is what steve irwin did. he confirmed the thinking that i have that although animals in captivity are in a less than ideal situation; their sad and restricted lives serve a larger purpose. they allow the general populous to observe these beautiful creatures in an environment conducive to large-scale interaction. the advantage here is that it forces us to see the magnificence of a part of the world that is slowly being destroyed. he said that when we appreciate these animals, we begin to love them, and we will be less likely to destroy that which we love.
i hope he was right.
don't get me wrong. i am not attempting to denigrate the fashion in which one's life is viewed, celebrated, or remembered by others. unfortunately, i have been to many funerals in my life...for aunts, uncles, grandparents, classmates, friends, a sister-in-law, and my son. one thing i have learned in these many experiences is that mourning is deeply personal. it is a singular expression unique to the individual. it also sucks.
put me down as a crocodile hunter fan. i don't pretend that i watched his show too often; but, it was fun to watch when i did. that said, people fooling around in the environment of a wild animal has always made me uncomfortable. what makes you think the dolphins want you to swim with them? i know i don't want you putting your dirty hands on my nose, why should they be any different? almost equally disturbing to me are zoos. even sea world (we get season passes every year) gives me pause. these animals weren't created to be confined in areas as restrictive as those generally provided. just because these particular animals were born into captivity and don't know any better seems a poor excuse to me. yes, they appear to be well taken care of; but, that's not the point. every year when we are at sea world, one of the trainers will go to great lengths to teach us that the reason these killer whales interact with them so personally is due to the bond of love which has developed between the whale and the individual trainer. this may be true. if it is, can someone explain to me what the big bucket of fish is for?...and why the animal needs a handful of fish after every trick? come on.
they also like to explain to me that the animals aren't doing "tricks." they are performing "behaviors." additionally, i am told that the animals only perform behaviors that are inherent to their species when in the wild. really? at sea world, i have seen a walrus doing sit-ups, a otter drink a 7-up, and a killer whale stick out his tongue for a picture. seriously, how dumb do they think i am?
here is what steve irwin did. he confirmed the thinking that i have that although animals in captivity are in a less than ideal situation; their sad and restricted lives serve a larger purpose. they allow the general populous to observe these beautiful creatures in an environment conducive to large-scale interaction. the advantage here is that it forces us to see the magnificence of a part of the world that is slowly being destroyed. he said that when we appreciate these animals, we begin to love them, and we will be less likely to destroy that which we love.
i hope he was right.
posted by cm at 9/19/2006
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