Posted: Sep 19, 2018 10:16 am
One of the things that gives me hope for the future is the way in which we have become more sympathetic towards animals and nature in general.
I remember clearly when this became obvious to me, I was watching a silent comedy sketch, possibly Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd, and the comedy revolved around the main character's inability to kill an elephant with a pistol, the bullets kept bouncing off. At the end he managed it somehow and adopted the classic pose with one foot on the dead animal, and I immediately knew, young as I was, that this would no longer be acceptable (possibly mid to late 70's at the time).
I am sure there are many cultures where such humour would pass even today, but I bet they are shrinking or adapting fast. I don't think it is a stretch to say that the overall reduction in war and environmental destruction parallels such a shift in attitude.
I remember clearly when this became obvious to me, I was watching a silent comedy sketch, possibly Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd, and the comedy revolved around the main character's inability to kill an elephant with a pistol, the bullets kept bouncing off. At the end he managed it somehow and adopted the classic pose with one foot on the dead animal, and I immediately knew, young as I was, that this would no longer be acceptable (possibly mid to late 70's at the time).
I am sure there are many cultures where such humour would pass even today, but I bet they are shrinking or adapting fast. I don't think it is a stretch to say that the overall reduction in war and environmental destruction parallels such a shift in attitude.