Bears, Mallozzi, the end of BSG? and the world ;)

[wraithfodder]

Have you ever read a news story that just made you want to bash your head into the keyboard due the sheer insanity of the topic? (well, excluding anything on politics, which makes you want to do yourself in with the mouse cord)... anyway, I've been seeing photos of Knut, a little polar bear cub in Berlin, in the news now for weeks. Then I trip over this story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6470509.stm - Berlin Zoo has vowed it will not kill a baby polar bear amid a heated row over whether it is right to hand-rear the cub, who was rejected by his mother. I'm like, huh what?? I read that article, a few others, and just shook my head. First, wild animals don't lose their instincts. Sorry, doesn't matter if a human raises them or not, they're still a wild animal. I seriously doubt the zoo will turn the polar bear cub into a couch potato... heck, I've got this cute little cat here, but boy, put a chipmunk in front of him and it gets gory real fast. But anyway, I think the whole proposition is insane. Baby wild animals are saved all the time by animal rescue people. We're stewards of the planet earth and should help the animals, not destroy them due to some bizarre ideology. Sheesh.



Anyway, speaking of insanity, I visited Joe Mallozzi's blog (http://josephmallozzi.blogspot.com/), and well, read the rest under the cut.

I saw this quote from a business book about bad bosses the other day and it's so appropriate for the behavior now occuring in the comments section.

“To me, the main sign of someone who's a certified jerk is someone who leaves a trail of people feeling demeaned and de-energized. It tends to be more often associated with power dynamics — they kiss-up to those above them and kick down those beneath them. About a third of the time, bullying is peer on peer.”

I can only suspect that Joe Mallozzi must be one bored boy to push through all these catty, insulting and definitely biased squabbling fan posts about ship, Shep and whatever else. I feel like screaming 'grow up, people!' but figure, why bother, as this same insanity occurs in various shapes at the GW forum too. Wish people would just ask questions (gads, even about sushi) instead of going "you're a nutter". 

Meanwhile, on more sane ground, noticed in the press that Battlestar Galactica (which I tried but could not get into) may have a limited number of days left. New York Post - http://www.nypost.com/seven/03202007/tv/galactica_prepares_for_end_tv_don_kaplan.htm - reports that season four might be it.

And Katie Sackhoff (the late Starbuck) has signed onto the BIONIC WOMAN pilot as an 'evil bionic woman' who may be a guest star if the show goes to air. 

And, in another sign of the impending apolcalypse, CW's pretty much skanky (I rarely use that word, but it applies here, sorry) Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll ratings are going up. Scary, ain't it?

Comments

[xfkirsten.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right about the polar bears. They definitely retain their instinct to kill. We have four bears raised in captivity, and ALL of them have shown a strong hunting instinct. In fact, Blizzard, who was taken from the wild when he was just a cub, is one of the most aggressive that we have, jumping at us and even taking a keeper's finger off once. Now, would they have the skill to hunt successfully is another question. In the wild, polar bear cubs stay with their mothers for 1.5-2 years to learn hunting techniques. A human-raised bear would likely not have those abilities, and would be a marginal hunter at best, and more likely die of starvation.

That being said, this bear is extremely important to the zoological world. In the 90s, it was decided that there were too many polar bears in captivity, and a moratorium was put on breeding to avoid overcrowding. The majority of the male polar bears in captivity were castrated to prevent breeding. But we lost a lot of bears since then, and now there is a serious lack of intact male bears for breeding. Zoos are struggling to keep the population going. This bear would provide seriously needed gene representation!

On the JM stuff... UGH. I am an avid Shep/Weir shipper. And I am disgusted by the display that I am seeing from my fellow shippers. They whine and complain about the image that people paint of them... and in so doing, only make their case worse. I have seen a LOT of nasty comments from Sparky shippers (and, to be fair, some of the other ships as well), and it really irritates me that they're playing innocent and trying to point fingers at everyone else. Not only is it obnoxious, it only hurts their case. There's a reason that I've distanced myself from the Sparky community in recent months - I don't want to be associated with all that mud-slinging crap.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yup, considering how polar bears aren't faring all that well in the wild, we need to keep them in the zoos and not bump 'em off!

I'm not sure who is what ship anymore, but I just wish people wouldn't make such nasty blanket statements about other 'sides' of fandom. It's so... juvenile, and honestly, I think it's pretty juvenile of JM to put through posts which aren't commenting on the blog or the show. Heck, it just feeds the insanity. And I still can't remember what Sparky is and no no, I don't need to know. I like my little bit of bliss! :)

[xfkirsten.livejournal.com]

Polar bears just need love! :D

Yep, that's what makes me mad, too. I may pull for Shep/Weir, but I've become good friends with fans of McWeir, Sheyla, McShep, NoRomos, whatever. So it really irritates me when I see comments in the Sparky thread about "those Sheylas" or "those slashers" as if everyone in the group in question is an exact clone of Hitler or something. I'm sure JM likes to deliberately feed them... it's his way. Honestly, I'd love to see him take them all down a peg. ;)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

People who act so whacko really don't need anyone to take them down a peg. It's all self-serve ;)

[xfkirsten.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it's so much more satisfying for me! ;)

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

Knut is just all kinds of the cute...how anyone could want to kill him... *sigh* People are dumb - as I said in my post about that earlier...

Nothing changes in the SGA fandom, does it???

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Eh, it's all fandoms. SGA is like the rest with screaming mimis and agendas and whatnot. Apparently LOST and BSG has the same kind, only they harp on about Starbuck and whatever goes on on LOST. That show lost me years ago ;)

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

To be honest, it's the Internet in general. I frequent a few mental health type places and they get the same stuff - though it's usually bickering between sufferers about different types of whatever illness - which is frankly, insane.

Personally, I can't abide JM so I don't read his blog - but from what I'm hearing, I'm beginning to wonder if he wasn't justified in his comments about the fandom, given what he's presented with.

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

I think his general problem is that it's the same people who follow him from place to place and thats why it's always insane.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I recognize certain names and even on some anonymous posts,I go yeah, I recognize the style of writing, or the same phrases. So, his blog now isn't much different really, than what he had on GW, save for the food stuff.

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

At this point, I don't think there's anywhere he can go without having to field the same people with the same comments with the same agendas, yadda yadda. It must get very old after awhile, I should think. Though he still caters to them, so maybe he just finds it all amusing?

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure of that. Some of the folks asking about certain things have been pushing for that particular ship resolution since, oh, for years!

Yeah, I think he finds fandom perversely amusing, considering how insane the March 19th entries got. Definitely approved just to fan the flames ; Hmm, does this make him an enabler? ;)

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

Heh :) All those kiss @sses over there give me a headache - as bad as the freaks with the agendas. Oy.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, there is that particular behavior going on. Some posts in that category can be as painful to read as the nasty ones slanging other fans.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Well, a friend left one list due to extreme hostility between members - it was about birdfeeders - so it's just people.

While JM can say what he wants about fandom (and vice versa), he does have a tendency to encourage, and it's not like he didn't behave like fans a long time ago. Amazing what can be dug up on the internet on comic book threads ;)

[dejla.livejournal.com]

Polar bears are one of nature's most determined and efficient hunters. And deadly. And exactly as xfkirsten said above, the gene pool has to be enlarged, or we'll get inbreeding problems.

Shippers drive me crazy. I'm a Shep/Weir shipper -- McKay/Sheppard gives me hives and makes me nauseous -- but if someone else thinks its the best thing since Starsky and Hutch, who am I to piss on their parade? But shippers are nuts. Sanity. I have work to drive me crazy. I don't need fandom trying to help. Seriously.

Remember that nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public, God help us all.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Well, McKay/Shep are slashers, not shippers. To each their own, as long as any fan of any persuasion doesn't try to stuff their agenda down my throat, and unfortunately you do see that a lot in fandom.

[audreyscastle.livejournal.com]

Knut is just freakin' adorable...some of those animal rights people are just a little over-the-top, but they don't get that when they dance around in public saying stuff like that, then they just make everyone else look bad......

And, yeah, it's not just SGA...I've dealt with those kinda nuts in many a fandom.

[gaffer42.livejournal.com]

You wouldn't recall the book, would you? It's an interesting quote.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yup.

Here's a review:

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070321/BIZ/703210336/1001

Here's the Amazon link

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-6755889-3020815?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=assholes

[vecturist.livejournal.com]

I've skimmed JM's blogs, but I pretty much want to strangle the man, particularly given his comments about Beckett fans - there are better ways to say, 'we've made our decision, maybe we were wrong, but that's how its going to be.' Maybe he just thinks he's popular given the posts he gets? If he were ignored would he stop posting?

I don't know about polar bears, but cheetah cubs raised by humans will still hunt, and are very good (apparently any rabbits that wander into their cages at the San Diego Zoo are dinner).

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I think he would stop posting SG tidbits if it weren't for the fans who visit his site and ask questions over and over (and in some cases, the same question ad naseum) ;)

All wild animals maintain instincts to hunt, etc. Whether those raised by humans in a zoo, etc. could survive in the outside environment depends upon how you raise 'em, but if you tick off any animal (domestic or wild) they can do damage! ;)