readings 2/15

I really enjoyed both readings. Though I don't agree with a lot of what was touched on in 'Teddy Bear Patriarchy' in regards to the killing of innocent animals, I did find it interesting. The language that was used was sometimes overly ornate, but also quite beautiful at times. I particularly liked this quote and the images it inspires: "The moment of origin where nature and culture, private and public, profane and sacred meet - a moment of incarnation in the encounter of man and animal". I liked this because it makes me think of the vision of each diorama. If only every museum goer had these type of thoughts in mind when peering through the glass at the once-living, once-breathing, once-moving animals. Each diorama offers a window into knowledge, yet sometimes, the knowledge of how they came to be, can make you want to turn away. It makes me upset that we take pleasure in marveling the beasts that stand behind the protective glass of the dioramas. Most did not die peacefully. Though it can be argued that they are forever immortalized this way, it can also be argued that just like human beings, these animals also have souls, and how could they ever move on to the next place if their bodies are stuffed and kept inside glass boxes? Thinking about this makes me wonder if there have ever been reports of paranormal disturbances in the museum that could perhaps be of animal nature.

I thought that the story of Meshie the chimp related well to the Haraway reading about Carl Akeley and his quest to find African mammals. It makes me sad that her life had to end in a cage in a zoo after the wonderful life she shared with Raven and his family. Another thing that came to mind is that Chimp Travis who ripped a woman's face off in Connecticut a few years ago. He was a pet and just attacked his owner's friend who was wearing her hair a different way then he was used to. They had to put him down, of course. I know that Raven didn't know any better because it had never really been done before, and Meshie was an orphan Chimp, but the lesson here is not to mess with nature. There are certain animals that should not be domesticated. Actually, very few animals can/should be domesticated (cats and dogs), but even they could survive fine without humans. Zoos are a prime example of why it is wrong to take animals out of their natural habitats.
Carl Akeley's quest to find the "perfect" adult male of each species struck me as absurd. The fact that he would spend weeks looking for this adult male with perfect proportions and take any number of risks to find and kill him, yet wouldn't think twice of spending that much time looking for a perfect female of each species is annoying to me. There would be no perfect male without a female, and who was he to judge what was "perfect" or not.
I really liked the story about the ordeal the python endured to get the mold made, especially because they didn't have to kill him. Also, I thought it was amazing how the nonpareil birds make huge apartment nests that they all live in.