Over at Dadcentric today, Jason Avant broaches an important topic: in the wake of yesterday's Orca-killing-its-trainer drama, should we take our kids to Sea World? My impulse would be to say, well, there are certain kids I'd like to take to Sea World, and leave them there, but instead I'll let my eloquent and thoughtful wife respond, as she did in the comments section of the post. Take it away, Regina:
"I have mixed feelings about zoos and parks, but they are such a great opportunity for teaching our kids respect for other species along with all the other fascinating stuff. Kids today grow up with all kinds of cutesy animal characters in their lives. Everything is neutered to by gentle and passive--benign. Sometimes even adults fall into thinking this way and are stunned when a mountain lion or bear attack happens in a state park or a shark attack happens at the beach. We avoid the realities of nature, and we especially avoid teaching our kids about death.
This attitude reflects our general approach to raising kids in this country--shelter them from everything bad and never let them see or experience anything upsetting. I strongly disagree with this approach. You can educate your child to the realities of the world while still making them feel safe and secure. In fact, I believe it's crucial that children learn to process that the world is unpredictable and sometimes dangerous while still embracing it and living fully. In other words, teach a healthy respect and understanding of the nature of things. And teach them about death.
In our home, those nature movies where predators are seen eating other animals have always been welcome. My son started watching Planet Earth at age 4. Some parents thought this was horrible - too violent. But we talk to him about what's happening on the screen and in the end when I'm the one cringing as a baby elk gets eaten by a hungry pack of wolves, my son looks at me and says "it's just the circle of life, momma! Those wolves have to eat, too" And he's right!
The most recent wisdom to come out of his mouth related to this is his response to as discussion about trying to live forever. He said, "Why would anyone want to live forever?! If you lived forever then life wouldn't be so special." I hope he can remember that little nugget throughout his life. Condolences to the trainer's friends and family. I bet she died doing what she loved."
As for me, I'm grateful to have such a wise wife and wise son. And four pets that couldn't eat me if they tried.
Amen. I recently took a 6 week course on death & dying and we did a whole week on how we (as a culture) shield our children from death & don't give them the credit they deserve in their ability to process it...in the end we harm our children instead of helping them grow!
Good stuff.
I wonder if SeaWorld also teaches clidren the (mistaken IMHO) Abrahamic concept of land and nature that they are both here to serve us, even if only for our amusement.
I agree that zoos are great educational tools, and many of the animals there would be extinct if not for the awareness zoo bestow on kids who visit them. I do take issue with theme parks that take extremely intellegent and sensitive social mammals and imprison them so they can dance and leap for our amusement. In the case of dolphins, they were cursed with a "smile" that makes many anthropomorphizing folks believe they are perfectly happy in captivity, when in fact they are not.
What do parks like SeaWorld teach our kids about the natural world?
Neal; I couldn't agree with you more! I think it is important to be as realistic as possible without becoming scary. Children need to realize that there is some danger in the world and that being aware of it is very important.
If you are really interested in the subject of whales and dolphins in captivity, I recommend you check out the movie The Cove (http://thecovemovie.com/) . It is nominated for an Oscar this year and discusses the ethical issues surrounding aquatic captivity. It discusses the very issues surrounding Shamu and the Sea World franchise.
It is very well put together and doesn't pull any punches when discussing reality.
If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email!
-Dustin
DustinLFilm@gmail.com
Oh, you'll be surprised at just how successful they'll be once they take the opportunity. Notice I didn't say "if". Be very afraid!