Contrary to popular belief, sharks are an extremely important part of our oceans. They have been feared and loathed for centuries but in reality, they are the prey. WARNING: SOME POSTS CONTAIN GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF ANIMAL VIOLENCE, AS WELL AS SOME DISTURBING PHOTOS
Hi. I was reading this article and your previous post asking for stories. I have a story/question for you. I thought about your blog the other night. I was watching "Jaws" on cable late at night. It's a really great movie, but I wondered what your feelings might be. My question is also relevant because I know every summer there is a "Shark Week" on TV. The movie is great and shark week shows are great, but I wondered if they might have an unintended effect. Is it possible that TV and movies sometimes make people afraid of sharks -- thus perhaps putting these animals in more danger? Or do you think these movies and shows educate people about sharks and the important conservation issues we face -- thus perhaps making people care about helping sharks? I thought for a while, but didn't have an answer. What do you think?
I've actually never seen Jaws before, but I'd like to, simply to see why so many people are afraid of sharks because of it. I personally believe that most other shark-centered blockbuster hits also cause people to fear them. When it comes to Shark Week and other TV shows, I have mixed feelings. I have watched a countless number of shark shows, and it seems to me that most of them increase the fear of sharks that the majority of people already have. They tend to use unnecessary adjectives such as 'aggressive', 'violent', 'ruthless', etc and often show only intimidating footage of the animals instead of not-so-frightening. I understand that they're attempting to accurately depict sharks, but they do exaggerate quite a bit at times. But on the other hand, I do occasionally see programs where conservation is covered greatly, and the sharks aren't nearly as violently depicted. These are the ones I prefer to watch, not because I'm scared, but because I always end up getting angry at and annoyed by the exaggerated ones. And when you think about it, whales used to be seen a lot like sharks, as mindless monsters (I tried to read the book Moby Dick once; I couldn't stand it). But somehow, they have miraculously been redeemed over the years. I hope that it goes that way for sharks as well, before it's too late.
Hi. I was reading this article and your previous post asking for stories. I have a story/question for you. I thought about your blog the other night. I was watching "Jaws" on cable late at night. It's a really great movie, but I wondered what your feelings might be. My question is also relevant because I know every summer there is a "Shark Week" on TV. The movie is great and shark week shows are great, but I wondered if they might have an unintended effect. Is it possible that TV and movies sometimes make people afraid of sharks -- thus perhaps putting these animals in more danger? Or do you think these movies and shows educate people about sharks and the important conservation issues we face -- thus perhaps making people care about helping sharks? I thought for a while, but didn't have an answer. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI've actually never seen Jaws before, but I'd like to, simply to see why so many people are afraid of sharks because of it. I personally believe that most other shark-centered blockbuster hits also cause people to fear them. When it comes to Shark Week and other TV shows, I have mixed feelings. I have watched a countless number of shark shows, and it seems to me that most of them increase the fear of sharks that the majority of people already have. They tend to use unnecessary adjectives such as 'aggressive', 'violent', 'ruthless', etc and often show only intimidating footage of the animals instead of not-so-frightening. I understand that they're attempting to accurately depict sharks, but they do exaggerate quite a bit at times. But on the other hand, I do occasionally see programs where conservation is covered greatly, and the sharks aren't nearly as violently depicted. These are the ones I prefer to watch, not because I'm scared, but because I always end up getting angry at and annoyed by the exaggerated ones. And when you think about it, whales used to be seen a lot like sharks, as mindless monsters (I tried to read the book Moby Dick once; I couldn't stand it). But somehow, they have miraculously been redeemed over the years. I hope that it goes that way for sharks as well, before it's too late.
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