You Belong In A Zoo

You can bet that the recent exhibition of humans at the London Zoo is going to stir up the talk show air waves and stoke the internet. In case you didn’t hear, London Zoo put 8 humans in a cage. Read it here and here. A zoo spokesman stated,

"Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals ... teaches members of the public that the human is just another primate,"…

Caged and barely clothed, eight men and women monkeyed around for the crowds yesterday in an exhibit labeled "Humans" at the London Zoo.

The exhibit, which opened yesterday, puts the three male and five female Homo sapiens side by side with their primate relatives, though separated by an electric fence. While their neighbors might enjoy bananas and a good scratch, these eight, chosen from 30 applicants who entered an online contest, have diverse interests, from a chemist hoping to raise awareness about apes to a self-described actor/model and fitness enthusiast.

Apparently zoos are not beyond entering into the liberal political correctness game which infests much of the arts. What is somewhat surprising to me is that the humans were not nude. But, then nude would raise all the sexual issues, and that is a different battle than the creation/intelligent design/Darwinian evolution conversation that is current.

Let’s take the argument one step further. Why not include various human ethnic and cultural groups in our zoo exhibits.? It would be a living educational experience for visitors to see exactly how various people dress, work, live, reproduce and carry out their own special cultural requirements. Think how much money could be saved on not having to travel to learn all of this. And, there would be no need to subject you to the potential of being caught up in a terrorist act in a foreign country.

At first I thought the human zoo exhibit was goofy. Upon reflection, I think that the London Zoo has hit on something. What do you think?