I lost respect for most of the "educational" type channels long ago. I don't understand how many of the shows on these channels give such glaringly inaccurate information.
NatGeo - you'd think that a channel/company with such a long history of education the public about the natural sciences would push the producers of their shows to be more rigorous about fact checking.
Animal Planet - This channel has lost so much credibility with me over the years. Again, why aren't the people in charge bothering with fact checking during their editing process? (Calling a boa a python??? Come on.)
I'm not just talking about shows pertaining to reptiles or snakes either. It seems that many of the channels I used to enjoy watching nature and documentary-type shows on have cut back on fact checking. For those shows that do pertain to reptiles - it always seems that the "experts" they interview offer up very biased answers. I would be able to let this slide a little more if they would give some weight to the other side of the argument OR if the "expert" wasn't a scientist. When it is a scientist I'm very disappointed since they are supposed to be professionally UNBIASED... it's the foundation of science.
When they do interview someone who is "pro" snake (or reptile) they always seem to find the people who are engaging in obviously completely unsafe handling practices, who have been bitten by their venomous animals multiple times, seem to be nearly clueless about the snakes in their care, and/or can't comb their hair and put on a shirt when their is a TV camera interviewing them. It completely reflects negatively on the rest of us.
Of course, I don't want anyone involved with this site to get into trouble due to my words and opinions so I'd like to make it clear that ALL of what I wrote is solely my opinion and does not express the views or opinions of any other person, company or entity anywhere. I don't need KS to get into trouble because I questioned the credibility of the programs found on the channels I mentioned.
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Stay United!
"...I say 'apparently' because despite all our progress she is not at all a tame or handle-able snake and gettting her from that cage would re-start a war.. and we've had a good armistice for several months now."-Gus Rentfro - I love this quote!
