Hacker News Reader

Comment by Esau | Hacker News Reader

Personally, aside from something passive like a zoo, I don't care for anything that relies on animal performance for entertainment. That includes dog racing, horse racing, and things like circuses and even Seaworld.

I know many people don't care but it bothers me.

View on HN

Zoos are inhumane for many animals in my personal opinion. Many animals should be ranging a territory in the wild, not confined to a tiny plot of land to be gawked at.

I don't find the 'conservation' excuse all that acceptable either. What if the millions spent on Zoos were instead spent to conserve the native territories of the animals and to improve the lives of the people who live near them so they won't resort to poaching or habitat destruction.

> or habitat destruction

Doesn't this come mostly from clearing land for agriculture?

Yes, some animals get stressed out living in zoos. That being said, it is probably the least stressful way that people can appreciate animals in real life. There is some value in bringing people face to face with animals, I think it reconnects us with the basis of our humanity, and leads us to treat animals better overall. Does the moral math work out in the end? I don't know, but it isn't a one sided issue.

This is my thinking as well. Zoos are kind of a necessary evil so we don't completely concrete all jungles, etc.

Humans are horrible caretakers of this planet.

Some zoos are actually centers of research and teaching.

http://www.omahazoo.com/conservation/

>What if the millions spent on Zoos were instead spent to conserve the native territories

A lot of zoos are funded 100% off ticket sales. How do you generate those millions of dollars without some business model supporting it?

True, but - there wouldn't be any millions if these (poor imho) animals weren't confined in small places.

Planet 1: "Hey there, long time no see, how are you doing? :-)"

Planet 2: "not too good lately... :-( I got infected by humans..."

This is a funny joke.... But ultimately nonsense. Any other planets with any life?

At best, it is looking like most life dies off. Conway's game is incredibly fitting in that.

I dont know where this idea comes from that animals in the wild are happy. Most live short brutal lives. Living in a zoo, free from predators, plenty of food, and veterinary care when they are sick. Its sort of like an animal utopia.

> Living in a zoo, free from predators, plenty of food, and veterinary care when they are sick. Its sort of like an animal utopia.

Replace "zoo" with "modern society", and vets with hospitals. Sounds pretty similar to what a lot of people strive for.

The common argument against that comparison is animals don't have a choice in the matter, while we are free to flee.

Zoos really differ in their treatment of animals too btw.

NFL Football and boxing are perhaps more inhuman than those activities. You should add sports that fry the participant's brains to the list of things to not support

I don't think they're more imhumane, simply because people get to choose whether or not to participate in them, unlike the animals. And in fact now that we have this information, support for football is starting to decline at the high school level at least. Not by much yet but it could be a trend.

Many children start playing football because of peer pressure and parental pressure. It's not as much of simple choice as you think.

If the bar was "the kid could technically decide not to", then we would allow advertising cigarettes to children.

Nobody's going into the NFL because of peer pressure.

Is this a joke?

I agree that some people, especially in the highschool level, will play football because of peer pressure.

Who do you believe is putting in the work required to play football professionally, but doing it purely out of peer pressure?

I view the pool of people that get into it professionally as including the set that got into it at the school level.

That is, I viewed it as two different points. I will agree that there is unlikely anyone staying in professional football from the peer pressure. However, that they got into football at all is probably attributable to that.

So, you're saying that nobody is going into the NFL because of peer pressure?

Yeah, the population definitely doesn't idolize NFL players and provide so much viewership that they get millions of dollars annually just to play.

Someone with no job prospects is offered millions of dollars to cause himself brain damage. You think you can make the right decision?

No one is forced to play football or box.

Nice to think that. Not really true. Meet some college football players sometime. Most could have at best got a job as a janitor.

Not even comparable.

First, people make these choices voluntarily and are not in servitude.

Secondly, even as science is revealing the horror of the consequences, a lot of these people still choose to do it.

For example when you tell star college football players the NFL has a 40% chance of brain damage, most will still go. It's hard for me to understand, but the fame, fortune, glory, adulation some believe is a fair trade off.

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/04/1...

It's almost as if it's like a drug or gambling when the rational choice is not what people make.

Way ahead of you on that one.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com