Killer, Killer

Who in the world would want a job with “Killer” in the job description? You know like “Needs to be skilled with killer whales” or “Must have experience dealing with Jewelery distributor, Bob “the killer” Schmendrick. Or, has to understand killer storms”. It’s just one of those words that indicates that a some point, there are bound to be some problems. Actually, I can’t think of anyone (by name), except Kirstie Alley, who has made a career of disastrous life decisions. First she was fine, then she got to be a TV star then she disappeared, then she got really fat, then she was the spokesperson for the “Jenny Craig” weight loss program and she lost plenty of weight, then she got fatter than she was, and now she is doing some kind of a reality TV show – where she is the horrible reality.

Anyway, there are always people who want to be challenged by their work, but who are not satisfied sitting in an office, behind a desk, or photographing plants. People who work as zookeepers, lion tamers, and the young women who die at the fins of a mammal like Orca the “killer” whale. And he was, and he did, and it was inevitable that there would be continued disaster. Orca did have four incidents of violence before he finally succeeded in killing someone. One question is, did he do it intentionally? Another is, should wild beasts be kept in places like “Sea World”. There are those who say that places like Sea World are educational. Oh Pleeeze! They are not kept in small puddles because they are teaching anything to anyone. They are captives because they can jump and play on command. It’s the usual controversy about animals and zoos. Is it humane to take them out of the wild and keep them contained in cages? Probably not. But then there are experts who say that animals don’t breed in captivity unless they are happy. And further that since they were born in captivity they cannot survive in a natural habitat. And it is not only whales who are mistreated – it’s every kind of animal from elephants to tigers to giraffes to other enormous fish and “once were wild” animals.

To be honest, there are so many serious problems in the world, I am hesitant to expend any energy on a “Whale” of an environmental controversy. I care deeply if people can’t feed their families because they don’t have jobs or lost everything to Bernie Madoff. (Obviously, I don’t feel as bad for the latter.) At some point we need to pick and choose our battles because there simply isn’t enough time to fight for everything – although it seemed like there was in the 60’s. But time has changed so many things. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my dog and I once had a parakeet, who if he hadn’t had a nervous breakdown, I also would have loved.

Exactly what is my point? I have no idea. It’s just that I get tired of silly, when there is serious. And I think it’s important to have priorities – like health care for children, food for destitute people, a clean environment, and a healthy economy. As I mentioned previously, it is difficult for me to get excited about the death of an animal trainer who knew that if “Killer” was mentioned in her job description – and if the animal had a history of “accidents”, there was likely to be trouble.

People who have the luxury of advocating for pets and wild life, are to be admired for their hard work. And as my mother would say, “It’s a way to spend the day”. But I prefer to advocate for issues that will make the world a better place for my children and grandchildren. Let’s get real – animals in cages (while unfortunate) is still not on the same level as starving children or parents without jobs. We’re just sayin’…. Iris