"A Life of Pain, for Someone's Gain"

It is a problem, no doubt about it. But IMHO if there is a market for such freaks it's because there are morbid individuals who like to watch them and will pay admission to enter a trailer at a fair. This is not new to the XXI century, it's been going on since ancient history, and it's part of human nature. Just remember the circuses of the recent past or the more distant Roman Colosseum. Think about the shows in Las Vegas today (the albino tiger that finally mauled one of the performers). Those are just examples of people raking the cash because the public demands it. Then there's the other extreme; in ancient Greece children that were born with deffects were culled immediately (yes, if you saw "300" that's true). Of course, no one profited from this, it was just done to maintain the "perfection" among the population. Have them breed and try their odds in life? No, by no means...

The thing is Dan, what's morbid to one doesn't HAVE to be to another.

Cultures differ. Here, it's frowned on to eat dog or cat. That is not so world wide. Why should it be?

Individuals differ as well. Why is it "morbid" to want to look at freaks of nature? Do you turn away, turn off the TV, close the book, walk out of the theater, when such "morbid" cases are shown?

I would not think, arrogant as I am, to force my mores on someone who thought differently in this situation. If I disagreed to begin with.

Often people with strong opinions think that theirs is the only one that can possibly be correct, the ONLY one that can possibly be correct and I simply disagree.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
mor·bid /ˈmɔrbɪd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[mawr-bid] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive, extreme, etc.: a morbid interest in death.
2. affected by, caused by, causing, or characteristic of disease.
3. pertaining to diseased parts: morbid anatomy.
4. gruesome; grisly.

I don't think I'm a morbid person.

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cu·ri·ous /ˈkyʊəriəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kyoor-ee-uhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. eager to learn or know; inquisitive.
2. prying; meddlesome.
3. arousing or exciting speculation, interest, or attention through being inexplicable or highly unusual; odd; strange: a curious sort of person; a curious scene.
4. Archaic.
a. made or prepared skillfully.
b. done with painstaking accuracy or attention to detail: a curious inquiry.
c. careful; fastidious.
d. marked by intricacy or subtlety.

I am a curious one though.

As long as no one is ripping open mom to split the fetus in order to entertain the masses, or something along those lines, as long as the "curiousity" is of natural origins, I see no problem with not only viewing it but by profiting by it if that is possible.

Originally Posted by Wilomn

As long as no one is ripping open mom to split the fetus in order to entertain the masses

Off topic a bit, but i wanted to comment to this part, i find the "bodies" exhibit pretty fascinating... and there are lots of ripped/cut/sliced parts people premature babies and other such things, while one might find it morbid, i find it really dang interesting. *shrug*

Originally Posted by The BoidSmith

It is a problem, no doubt about it. But IMHO if there is a market for such freaks it's because there are morbid individuals who like to watch them and will pay admission to enter a trailer at a fair. This is not new to the XXI century, it's been going on since ancient history, and it's part of human nature. Just remember the circuses of the recent past or the more distant Roman Colosseum. Think about the shows in Las Vegas today (the albino tiger that finally mauled one of the performers). Those are just examples of people raking the cash because the public demands it. Then there's the other extreme; in ancient Greece children that were born with deffects were culled immediately (yes, if you saw "300" that's true). Of course, no one profited from this, it was just done to maintain the "perfection" among the population. Have them breed and try their odds in life? No, by no means...

Wes,

This is the problem with the written word. My post was actually agreeing with yours. The last statement "Have them breed and try their odds in life? No, by no means...", was 100% sarcasm.

What I still do believe is that if there's a price tag of $10,000 for a deformed animal it's because there's a demand for it. Now my point is that we have no right to dictate what should live and what shouldn't. Purity of the breed or race? When a deffect is such that truly affects the quality of life of an animal or a human we should try to ameliorate it's living conditions as much as possible. Years ago I tried to put together each and every case of one-eyed albino boas that showed up for sale. It was meant to alert there was a genetic problem going on whereas certain individuals sold them as "a rat gnawes it off", the "mother sat on the babies" etc. etc. I still believe that if a pigmentation anomaly (any of the constrictors designer morphs) does not affect the quality of life of the animal they are fine by me. Do albino alligators suffer and thus should not be allowed to breed and lead long productive lives? I don't have a straight answer. Do normal ball pythons suffer because they are confined to racks and cannot roam the African landscape? Not an easy question to answer easily. We should be measuring stress indicators in these species to know if actually they are undergoing stress. Animal welfare is a complicated issue, think of the tiger that was teased to the point where he jumped out of the cage and killed a person this past month, or the rampage of an elefant years ago that couldn't take no more...

I'm drifting off topic now. My point, where there's demand, there certainly by supply in this society we live in. As you very well said what's moral for some is completely unacceptable to others. Poligamy is punished with jail in the U.S. and it's common practice in Middle Eastern countries. The problem is when within a country you deviate from what's considered "normal" behavior. It is then that you are judged by society, thus this thread...

Originally Posted by Mooing Tricycle

Off topic a bit, but i wanted to comment to this part, i find the "bodies" exhibit pretty fascinating... and there are lots of ripped/cut/sliced parts people premature babies and other such things, while one might find it morbid, i find it really dang interesting. *shrug*

That's a very good example. I went to watch that exhibit in Chicago. I really found it enlightening. The part I disagree with was with the way it was displayed. An excellent lesson in anatomy but I found certain things a little tastless like a preserved corpse with a hat on. But that was just my own problem, someone else might have found it amusing.

Regards,

Originally Posted by The BoidSmith

The problem is when within a country you deviate from what's considered "normal" behavior. It is then that you are judged by society, thus this thread...

Damn Straight Skippy.

Of course, if you deny the dictates of society.....

Originally Posted by The BoidSmith

That's a very good example. I went to watch that exhibit in Chicago. I really found it enlightening. The part I disagree with was with the way it was displayed. An excellent lesson in anatomy but I found certain things a little tastless like a preserved corpse with a hat on. But that was just my own problem, someone else might have found it amusing.

Regards,

I didnt see, or i dont remember seeing any with hats on, though i did see some with objects such as books, a bow and arrow and a football, but i figure those were more to serve the purpose of showing motion along with the body.
* ill make a thread regarding it, as it was pretty interesting, and i wonder who else has seen it too!*

back on topic...