Keyboard worrier

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

White rhino

source

According to the BBC and David Shukman the northern white rhino is teetering on the brink of extinction. Although it doesn’t look white to me. More grey than white. Shukman seems concerned though. Even more worried than the rhino but that’s what he does – brow-furrowing concern.

In an age when mankind can send robots to look for life on Mars, why can't science stop so many forms of life from being wiped out here on Earth?

The question comes amid the loss of species on such a relentless scale that conservationists call it the Sixth Mass Extinction - the fifth being the asteroid that killed the large dinosaurs. This one is driven by human activity.


It seems to me that there is a scale of possible reactions to this story.

From: Arm-waving we-are-destroying-the-planet, something must be done, it’s all our fault or rather your fault for being a thoughtless consumer bastard.

To: Indifference.

I’m firmly in the indifference camp – I really don’t care if northern white rhinos become extinct. I’m happy enough for other folk to try saving them, happy enough for substantial sums of money to be spent in the attempt - Shukman's salary for example. So go for it David - save them. 

I’m not prepared to pretend it really matters to me in any meaningful sense though. That would be cant. Johnson was good at spotting cant, especially in Boswell.

You tell a man, ‘I am sorry you had such bad weather the last day of your journey, and were so much wet.’ You don't care sixpence whether he is wet or dry. You may talk in this manner; it is a mode of talking in Society: but don't think foolishly.”
James Boswell's  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D.

The BBC does cant rather well, it’s the fashion and has been forever, but Johnson’s advice was sound. It even applies to northern white rhinos which aren't actually white.

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9 comments:

Paddington said...

I had to check, but 'white' is a mistranslation of 'wijd', or 'wide'.

CherryPie said...

@ Paddington

All Rhinos are greyish...

Here is a link to how black and white Rhinos differ.

http://www.thomsonsafaris.com/blog/difference-between-black-and-white-rhinos/

As to the arm waving versus indifference. I think we have a responsibility to our planet and its resources. We should not waste precious resources...

CherryPie said...
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CherryPie said...
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CherryPie said...
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CherryPie said...

Hmm... Blogger went a bit nuts and posted my comment four times!!!!

Timbo614 said...

First Nature came for the rhinos and I did not speak out...

A K Haart said...

Paddington - I wonder if "northern" is a mistranslation of "mucky"?

Cherry - but who bears the specific responsibility in this case?

Timbo - I hear poachers beat Nature to the draw.

CherryPie said...

The human race bears the responsibility.