Author Topic: General Chatter  (Read 229248 times)

jdc

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2770 on: August 01, 2020, 10:23:33 AM »
We have been watching some of the national geographic docs on Disney+ with the kids. My wife asked why do American nature docs so focus on the killing of other animals. As an example I picked one called America's National Parks, and it was all about how this animal or that animal catches their prey. Another time it was one about birds, same thing. What about the social or engineering behaviours. Does any one have an answer as to why the focus on killing in these docs?

We will be sticking with the outer space docs or British nature ones from now on.

Oh, but do I have so many answers to your inquiry!

My general observation is that Americans have a severe empathy gap, which is especially required by the dominant culture to cope with the nature of acquiring both our land and wealth. It's inherent in capitalism as well. Watching predator eat prey is likely an affirmation of the tenets of capitalism as being natural. Not that this type of "civilization" built with blood is exclusive to America, we just seem to have the least pity and concern about it. At least 62,984,828 of us. Likely many more.

It could be more evolutionary on how species interact and it probably shouldn’t be ignored but it doesn’t mean it should also be the primary theme. . I can’t I have seen enough non-America docs to know if they are very different on how they focus on animals killing animal.  (Werner should comment)

I do remember watching a British doc on house cats where they should a scene of how a male cat killed a litter of kittens just to send the female back in heat again. It might of been in Secret Life of Cats. 




 

I do remember watching a BBC doc on Cats where they showed a scene of how a random male cat will go  kill a litter of kittens from another male cat so that it can send the female into heat quicker.  I think it was part of “Secret life of Cats” where they were just following a lot of random house cats and the territories they wondered.

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colonel_mexico

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2771 on: August 01, 2020, 02:33:06 PM »
Dave I have an interesting cross thought about Oz culture too, in that the limited media I have experienced, Oz is usually portrayed as this desolate, intimidating place where if the incredibly dangerous animals don't kill you the weird Ozlanders will.  All the scariest and strangest animals seem to come from Oz which make for very tough, but also very kind characters--see Mick Dundee and Steve Irwin
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Antares

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2772 on: August 01, 2020, 05:44:24 PM »
We have been watching some of the national geographic docs on Disney+ with the kids. My wife asked why do American nature docs so focus on the killing of other animals. As an example I picked one called America's National Parks, and it was all about how this animal or that animal catches their prey. Another time it was one about birds, same thing. What about the social or engineering behaviours. Does any one have an answer as to why the focus on killing in these docs?

We will be sticking with the outer space docs or British nature ones from now on.

The National Geographic documentaries aren't the best the US has to offer. That is the realm of PBS and their outstanding series Nature. I've been saying for over 30 years that it is the best show on that network. If you can find it, watch the one about Beavers, here's a link, but I'm not sure it will play in your country. I was reminded of it today when I watched a film from your Top 100, The Man Who Planted Trees. https://www.pbs.org/video/nature-leave-it-beavers-full-episode/ There's a scene in this episode, I think it was in Utah somewhere, where a family of beaver damned up a long forgotten stream in the desert. By building the dam, they created an ecosystem where there had been only desert wasteland. The stream slowly started extending away from the dam, and snaked its way for something like 50 miles, creating a natural oasis for so many different species of animals, birds and fish. They show the stream in a long overhead shot and you just have to be amazed that it was all created by a small family of beavers.

I've always wondered what this continent must have looked like before European settlers came and started hunting the beaver for its pelt. It must have been lush with wetlands.
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1SO

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2773 on: August 01, 2020, 09:10:28 PM »
We have been watching some of the national geographic docs on Disney+ with the kids. My wife asked why do American nature docs so focus on the killing of other animals.

We've been noticing that too. We just watched a show about "Big Cats" and they spend about a third of time talking about how lions, tigers and cheetahs hunt with lots of graphic footage of kill moments, dragging dead animals and tearing apart their meal.

Bondo

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2774 on: August 01, 2020, 09:13:41 PM »
Any feline documentary that isn't 90% the cats sleeping is a lie.

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2775 on: August 02, 2020, 02:23:43 AM »
Distilling down the responses it would seem to be a case of hyper-capitalism is the reason for the killing focus of the docs.

I unfortunately cannot watch the beaver doc on the PBS site (I will have a look for it in other places)

Dave I have an interesting cross thought about Oz culture too, in that the limited media I have experienced, Oz is usually portrayed as this desolate, intimidating place where if the incredibly dangerous animals don't kill you the weird Ozlanders will.  All the scariest and strangest animals seem to come from Oz which make for very tough, but also very kind characters--see Mick Dundee and Steve Irwin

I am assuming you are talking about documentaries on Australia. Australia has a lot of desolate land, and because this land is so uncommon elsewhere it draws a lot of the focus, it has provided the incubator for so many of our unusual animals. The outback is much like a frontier as the long distances and harsh environment, even now, make it a dangerous place (even without the creatures).

I think the urban areas of Australia just do not attract the interest the dry wilderness does.

The larrikin is a long standing 'hero' of Australian culture and Dundee fits that role well. Steve Irwin was bigger overseas than here in Australia, I was in Japan when he died and heard about his death within hoursl

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2776 on: August 02, 2020, 05:48:39 AM »
I found the beaver doc on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLyBZ1mdg2c

Looking forward to showing it to the kids. I watched the beginning and it looks good. Thanks Antares

Eric/E.T.

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2777 on: August 05, 2020, 01:04:16 AM »
All I can think of is:

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Beavermoose

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2778 on: August 05, 2020, 08:51:24 AM »
Do American nature docs present more killing? Because I've been getting through Attenborough narrated docs and there is so much more to them than just animal violence. Breeding, homebuilding, communication, relationships with other animals, evolutionary behaviours. The point of view also changes, sometimes we're following a predator or a prey, and it follows all kinds of species and their different behaviours.

Eric/E.T.

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Re: General Chatter
« Reply #2779 on: August 06, 2020, 01:24:33 AM »
Are you doing Our Planet? That one does an above-average job at avoiding applying human psychology and pettiness to animals and provides a whole lot of nature porn. Gorgeous, and will still be gorgeous after we're gone. How soon will that be?
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