Strange Ideas and Ideals.

The following was posted on Facebook yesterday - hence my "tirade"!

"When children see animals in a circus, they learn that animals exist for our amusement. Quite apart from the cruelty involved in training and confining these animals, the whole idea that we should enjoy the humiliating spectacle of an elephant or lion made to perform circus tricks shows a lack of respect for the animals as individuals"

— Peter Singer

Sorry that statement is far too broad.

I saw animals in a circus when I was young. I did not come away with the feeling that animals only exist for our amusement. I have never felt that and I never will. I felt privileged that I could be in close proximity to a huge animal and I felt wonder at all the things that made him different. I felt anger when they were chastised with whips – my skin burnt for them. I wept when I saw them in cages and tethered in a minute walking area. But I realised that the world was vast and I was a little girl gazing at a majesty I wouldn't easily see again. I cried for the cruelty but I thanked the animals for allowing me to experience them.

I existed in the Apartheid regime in South Africa. I saw little black children who were not allowed to come to this magical place and I couldn't understand it. I think, even at that stage I was colour blind in one way but ashamed in another way when I realised that they probably thought I was different. I wasn't - I was a little girl.

In our modern society we tend to over think things. YES there are things that we need to get upset about. YES we need to do something about it and YES Facebook seems to be an ideal platform but pick your battles (and your words) carefully – don't sweat the petty stuff and beware of abject generalisations. By all means use Facebook to scream and shout about things that REALLY matter. Cruelty to animals matters. Cruelty to humans matters. Cruelty to nature matters. But be very careful of broad statements like the above.

Surely children have the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad and sensible from silly?

I think we mollycoddle our kids too much now. Why should every trick come with the warning "Don't try this at home"? Have kids lost so much touch with reality that they have lost all logic on the way. When I saw Superman scale a building or fly through space did I really think I could do it? Hell NO! My parents had encouraged me to think before doing things and even my 4 year old self could see the danger. Why is there a difference? How can a modern child shoot another child and expect the child to claw up from underground? We saw the same cartoons! Ajax boxes falling on characters who were perfectly fine in the next frame. What made me able to see the difference? What made my kids see the difference? Are we placing lunatic ideas in our children's minds nowadays?

Who is responsible for guiding young minds so that the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, sensible from silly becomes a firmly grounded principle? Parents? Teachers?

And finally animals are there for our amusement – and our love and our caring. Come on who of you haven't roared with laughter at your animal (cat, dog or whatever) when they do something silly or unpredicted? They are as funny (and serious and loving) as you and your children are.

Let's laugh at, cry with and enjoy life and all the creations that we are blessed to have.