Things That Suck (Issue #52): The Circus

Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight. - Albert Schweitzer

I was elated to see this recent Washington Post article about the training of circus elephants. Don't worry - the article is not overly graphic. Don't be afraid to check it out. When a former elephant trainer acknowledges that there is rampant cruelty in training these animals for circus acts, it's hard to spin it any other way.

Although I don't consider myself an animal rights extremist, I do hold firm the belief that animals should not be used for entertainment purposes. What is done to elephants and other non-human circus performers in the name of good family fun is truly unconscionable. There is nothing natural or fun about wrapping ropes around a young elephant calf (who has probably been forcibly removed from his mother) and forcing him to the ground. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I hope other parents will consider rejecting the circus as a form of family entertainment. Your kids would probably enjoy a day at the park just as much. And as a bonus, you wouldn't have to buy any overpriced souvenirs.

Comments

Sam said…
Agreed! I will never, ever take my child to the circus. (Except for Cirque du Soleil!)

But you think that W.P. article was bad? Years ago I went to a circus in Moscow. I'm not sure who was treated worse--the animals or the women. Ugh!
December 16, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Lisa said…
I have never and WILL NEVER take my kids to a circus. i would cry the entire time for the poor animals.
December 16, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Steph K said…
Two Thumbs Up, Claudia!
December 16, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Anonymous said…
How about the animals in zoo? They are not in their element.
December 16, 2009 at 8:37 PM
Rachel said…
Read the article and did a lot more looking into the issue and I have to agree with you. All creatures deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and that definitely is not.
December 16, 2009 at 10:44 PM
Just Lisa said…
I don't dig on the circus, either. As the anonymous poster suggested, what do you think of zoos? We go, because Allie loves them, but I think the animals always seem sad and lethargic. Thoughts?
December 16, 2009 at 11:20 PM
Alabaster Mom said…
RE: The zoo. I struggle with this one a lot. I think zoos have certainly gotten better over the last few decades. Some attempt has been made, at most zoos, to approximate a natural habitat for the various species.

Since we've done such a bang-up job of pushing so many species to the brink of extinction, zoos are needed for conservation and preservation.

So, while I don't *love* zoos, I don't think they're the root of all evil.

Now, roadside zoos are a different story. I wouldn't go to one of those if you paid me. Bad, bad news.
December 17, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Jen said…
This is a tough issue. I go to zoos several times a year and lets face it, entertainment is probably 99% of the reason we go. I wonder if I'm any better viewing a flamingo in New England than someone viewing an Elephant in a tent.

Man has assigned themselves such dominion over animals. I question our right to make ANY decisions for them. I own cats, I own a fish. I neutered the cats taking away their born biological right to reproduce. I know that in today's times, it's for the greater good but I still question my right to make these decisions for other creatures. Fundamentally is it any better that I keep a fish in a 1 gallon tank that would do better in a pond in Japan? I have actually wondered if that is abusive to the fish, honestly.

Tough line between intervention and interferance. I don't know the answer and I pass no judgement on circus goers because I don't know if I truly am any better. Very tough questions. The simple answers aren't really so simple if we think about it.
December 18, 2009 at 12:09 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's been a minute, but let's talk about my b*o*o*b*s

Image
I'm in the sixth grade. I'm sitting on the floor at my friend Sharon's house. Rachel is there, too. My well-meaning friends turn to me and gently let me know that I "really don't need to bother wearing a bra." They aren't wrong. I'm wearing one, but the situation doesn't particularly warrant it.  Two years later, I found myself sporting a C cup. My mom, a talented seamstress, made me a dress at about that time. It was a slim-fitting column dress with a matching jacket, as I recall. The white fabric had large polka dots; we jokingly called it the Wonder Bread dress. My mom took my measurements. 36-24-36 At some point in history, those numbers were considered "perfect measurements" for a woman. This was 1984; I'd like to think the world as a whole is less concerned about such things these days. I'm confident my daughter has no earthly idea what her measurements are. She just knows she's cute.  Growing up with a fun array of medi...
Read more

On Being Patriotic

The list of adjectives I assign to myself is pretty long: clumsy, organized, competent, uptight, etc. One that might surprise you: patriotic. I fully understand what it means to be an American and am darned happy about living here. But, I have a beef (that part won't surprise you). I've grown tired of certain segments of the population thinking that they've cornered the market on patriotism or that they can dictate precisely how the rest of us express ourselves when it comes to our shared country and flag. Sometimes it seems like the Toby-Keith-boot-in-yer-ass brand of patriotism drowns out the rest of us. For the record, I don't believe that patriotism requires a love of NASCAR, a disdain for immigrants, a Republican voting record, or a preference for country music. Nor does it require adherence to a specific religion. I've seen Facebook posts from some of my friends and acquaintances that call for all of us to return to the "Christian principles on which ...
Read more

14 Weeks

Image
My baby is leaving me in 14 weeks.  She and I started touring colleges in May of 2022. When I applied to colleges back in 1988, I was an English major so there were no auditions. Colleges basically just said, "Sounds good. Come on in." I was the first person in my immediate family to go to college and as a whole, I don't think we understood the importance of campus visits and such. I ended up being fairly miserable that first year until I transferred to a school closer to home. For my daughter, I wanted to make sure she had an opportunity to see lots of college campuses so that she had the best shot at figuring out what she wants out of the college experience. I wanted her to look at elements like campus size and location, diversity, activities, distance from home, and distance from the nearest "big city" (since performers often head to larger cities with active theatre scenes after college).  Last summer, we began the daunting process known as "getting int...
Read more