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| Bah, I say summer reading still isn't over quite yet! |
It’s
been a little bit quiet here on the Raccoon Reader Review lately, but that’s
not due to lack of great anthropomorphic content out there or coming up! There
are a ton of good-looking anthropomorphic films coming out and books coming and
already on our shelves, many of which I hope to introduce to you or encourage
you to read!
I mean,
heck, do I even have to mention Disney’s upcoming Zootopia?
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| Yeah, I can't wait for this. When it comes out, you can bet I'll do a full write-up! |
However,
rather than talking about all the awesome anthropomorphic media on the way, I
thought I would kind of reverse things a little bit and start back to basics…
What is
it about anthropomorphic animals that draws our attention? Why do they attract
so many people? By that, I mean, when you see or read about an animal, anthropomorphic
or not, something inside many of us just triggers.
Hearts melt, people go ‘awww’, and some folks get that glassy-eyed look of
nostalgia. To put it in other words, our hearts are generally softer towards cuddly
animals.
Don’t
believe me? How about a fun example?
A while
ago, the Central Florida Animal Reserve (CFAR) put out a podcast on the subject
of anthropomorphism as it relates to animal conservation. It’s a fantastic and
thought-provoking discussion, so give it a listen! (http://www.cflar.org/?p=3813 )
One of
the more interesting points that they bring up on the podcast is that, due to
how people have projected emotions onto certain animals, they are more likely
to be interested in working to save a cute endangered fuzzy critter rather than
working to save a considerably less cute spider that is equally endangered.
Both need our help to prosper and need to be protected, but we’re more likely
to want to help the cute one. You can see this played up by many organizations
when it comes to protecting endangered species or even adopting unwanted pets.
Commericals will be sure to show audiences the cutest kittens and the most
adorable puppies because they know that something inside of us naturally
reaches out to that.
Now, we
could just argue that this is a typical case of people being shallow and
preferring things they find to be beautiful over things they find to be ugly,
and that may not be wrong. However, I think there may be some merit to the
thought that animals, especially those that we tend to anthropomorphize, are
somehow connected to our very psyche. I remember reading a few reports back
when I was doing some research on the Disney movie Bambi that objection to hunting rose considerably after Bambi came to theaters, and the world of
hunting never really fully recovered. Hunters lamented the coming of the ‘Bambi
Generation’ that would completely tear the image of the sport apart, and I
think that term is actually very apt. By this point in time, we really have
developed a generation where we grew up with adorable cartoon animals
entertaining us, making us cry, and showing us how friendship worked. It’s
little wonder, then, that such characters still tug at our heart strings and
make many of us nostalgic just at the sight of them.
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| THIS is the creature that truly strikes fear into the hearts of the most hardened hunters! |
Unfortunately,
I don’t think it explains the preponderance of cat memes on the internet. That
one is still a mystery to me.
What do you
readers think? Has exposure to anthropomorphic animals changed the way you view
or interact with animals in everyday life? Do you think it’s led to more
charity for animal-centered organizations? Let me know!
Also, if you have any questions, suggestions, or things you'd like me to give a read, go ahead and email me at: RaccoonReaderChammy@gmail.com
Until next time, happy reading, all!
-Chammy
Currently Reading:
Animal Land by
Margaret Blount
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