Spectacle of Nature
So... I was watching National Geographic's take on our amazing earth. Specifically, on the geology of our planet. I happen to be a geologist (or a geology major, anyway), so it's of interest to me.
Who thought up this crap??!!
Sure, it's not bad - most of the information is current. But the earth is "tearing itself apart"?
it "vomits, belches, heaves"?!! Tokyo and San Fransico are "cities waiting to die"???!!! And the earth's mantle is plasitc, NOT liquid (think plasticine when you warm it up in your hands - you can mold it ridiculously easily, but it's still a solid).
This brings me to the subject of sensationalism of nature shows in order to gain ratings. It is innacurate to personnify the earth or any organism - they don't think the way they do (the earth doesn't think). the earth is not undergoing "indigestion" - the processes that are going on now have been occuring for a very long time - possibly almost as long as the earth is old. Stratovolcanoes don't pretend they're "fine" - they just act according to their chemical and mineralogical nature. Stop anthropomorphising nature - it's not out to get us, there's nothing personal. Any effect we have as the human race on the ecology and environment of the earth, the consequences will be impesonal - the earth will adjust to what we do to it.
They do it with animals, too - I recall a couple of shows, one on dragons (dragons?!), another on what supercreatures will exist a couple million years from now. This is what gets the ratings?! Animals that don't even exist??!! Another one talks about the "engineering" of the hippopotamus - and how deadly these creatures can be. Okay, I understand that hippos can be dangerous - so can cows, for that matter. But why portray them as horrible, deadly animals? This smacks of "Fierce Creatures". What next - the terrifying aspects of the Northern lemming? The deadly House Marten (oops, make that North American Robin - vector of West Nile)?
Quit the bloody fear mongering - yes, there is much we cannot control. Accept that we can't hold the plates together, prevent or even predict earthquakes and eruptions, stop animals from acting under their instincts, or even control the actions of other human beings. We don't sit at the center of the universe, and it's a whole heck of a lot bigger than we are. And for the love of the Earth, stop making it look like it's out to get us and let's learn how to get along with it.
Who thought up this crap??!!
Sure, it's not bad - most of the information is current. But the earth is "tearing itself apart"?
it "vomits, belches, heaves"?!! Tokyo and San Fransico are "cities waiting to die"???!!! And the earth's mantle is plasitc, NOT liquid (think plasticine when you warm it up in your hands - you can mold it ridiculously easily, but it's still a solid).
This brings me to the subject of sensationalism of nature shows in order to gain ratings. It is innacurate to personnify the earth or any organism - they don't think the way they do (the earth doesn't think). the earth is not undergoing "indigestion" - the processes that are going on now have been occuring for a very long time - possibly almost as long as the earth is old. Stratovolcanoes don't pretend they're "fine" - they just act according to their chemical and mineralogical nature. Stop anthropomorphising nature - it's not out to get us, there's nothing personal. Any effect we have as the human race on the ecology and environment of the earth, the consequences will be impesonal - the earth will adjust to what we do to it.
They do it with animals, too - I recall a couple of shows, one on dragons (dragons?!), another on what supercreatures will exist a couple million years from now. This is what gets the ratings?! Animals that don't even exist??!! Another one talks about the "engineering" of the hippopotamus - and how deadly these creatures can be. Okay, I understand that hippos can be dangerous - so can cows, for that matter. But why portray them as horrible, deadly animals? This smacks of "Fierce Creatures". What next - the terrifying aspects of the Northern lemming? The deadly House Marten (oops, make that North American Robin - vector of West Nile)?
Quit the bloody fear mongering - yes, there is much we cannot control. Accept that we can't hold the plates together, prevent or even predict earthquakes and eruptions, stop animals from acting under their instincts, or even control the actions of other human beings. We don't sit at the center of the universe, and it's a whole heck of a lot bigger than we are. And for the love of the Earth, stop making it look like it's out to get us and let's learn how to get along with it.
posted by NinjaRaven at 4:17 PM
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