Comments on: The Tragic Tale of the Pygmy in the Zoo http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2008/12/the-tragic-tale-of-the-pygmy-in-the-zoo/ Ideas, innovations and discoveries from the world of science Thu, 23 May 2013 11:45:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: The Vapour Trail http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2008/12/the-tragic-tale-of-the-pygmy-in-the-zoo/comment-page-1/#comment-167 The Vapour Trail Sat, 03 Jan 2009 06:25:09 +0000 http://science.smithsonianmag.com/?p=193#comment-167 [...] And it also reads as a complement to Sarah Zielinski’s post on Ota Benga, one of several pygmies from the Congo taken to America for exhibition at the beginning of the brave new twentieth [...] [...] And it also reads as a complement to Sarah Zielinski’s post on Ota Benga, one of several pygmies from the Congo taken to America for exhibition at the beginning of the brave new twentieth [...]

]]> By: Katherine http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2008/12/the-tragic-tale-of-the-pygmy-in-the-zoo/comment-page-1/#comment-62 Katherine Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:57:33 +0000 http://science.smithsonianmag.com/?p=193#comment-62 I found several parallel aspects between Greg Downey's "Turning a Blind Eye" of Seed Magazine and Raffaele's "The Pygmes' Plight" of Smithsonian Magazine. Whether in the rainforests of Africa or South America, it seems that a major reoccurring theme is profit motive over compassion for life. Many foreigners enter rain forest environments in search of raw materials to extract for their own financial benefit. Examples mentioned in both articles include logging. Downey mentions that the false media information regarding three tribe men who shot arrows at a team of aerial surveyors in search of isolated humans was a reflection of our own ignorance. “But the likely truth is harder to face: The tribe might have threatened the observers precisely because they had encountered some of the worst aspects of our culture before, and suffered grievously.” (Downey) Many indigenous people had been enslaved murdered and tormented during the 19th and 20th century rubber boom. The tribes chose isolation in the forest for safety reasons. Raffaele’s story describes how the indigenous Pygmy clans in Africa are forced to leave the forest because of the Bantu government’s greed for the profits made by forest resource trade. As a result, Pygmy traditions and culture have changed. They can no longer hunt like they used to in the previous decade because “the Bantu poachers have plundered the jungle.” (Raffaele 74) They can no longer easily support their families. They suffer from malnutrition and various viral and bacterial diseases. They have no land or civil rights and must endure social prejudices by the Bantu’s. Although elephant killing is illegal, Bantu sometimes provide guns to the Pygmies. As a result, the Pygmies get some meat and money and the Bantu’s earn a profit from Asian markets. They also support themselves by growing marijuana crops on borrowed land from the government. They are forced to survive by new means and their lives are threatened by the deforestation movement. The indigenous humans of the South American rainforests of “Turning a Blind Eye” are forced to change their lifestyle because of the profit motives of loggers. Their hunting and gathering has been altered because of the roads and settlements of those with money motives as well as landing strips made by drug traffickers. “While the loggers may kill Indians, settlers wound the forest itself, making it harder for any survivors to eat.” (Downey)The Indians are also catching new diseases brought in by Westerners. These tribes are forced to find new ways of survival in a world of profits over people. In sociology I learned about ethnocentrism and I think this is embedded in the destruction of tribes throughout the world. “Given that a particular culture is the basis for each person’s reality, it is no wonder that people everywhere exhibit ethnocentrism, the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture.” (Macionis 75) Because of our ignorance, we make decisions that are harmful to those people who may live in an area that we search for goods. What will it take for all of us humans to respect each other and come to a balance of survival and prosperity for all involved? Maybe a good sociology course and a major paradigm shift on the planet will force us all into a more spiritually evolved direction. Blog by Katherine December 3, 2008 Greg Downey. “Turning a Blind Eye.” SEED. 19 2008 September Macionis, John J. Sociology, Twelfth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson. 2008. Paul Raffaele. The Pygmies’ Plight. Smithsonian. December 2008: 70-77. I found several parallel aspects between Greg Downey’s “Turning a Blind Eye” of Seed Magazine and Raffaele’s “The Pygmes’ Plight” of Smithsonian Magazine. Whether in the rainforests of Africa or South America, it seems that a major reoccurring theme is profit motive over compassion for life. Many foreigners enter rain forest environments in search of raw materials to extract for their own financial benefit. Examples mentioned in both articles include logging. Downey mentions that the false media information regarding three tribe men who shot arrows at a team of aerial surveyors in search of isolated humans was a reflection of our own ignorance. “But the likely truth is harder to face: The tribe might have threatened the observers precisely because they had encountered some of the worst aspects of our culture before, and suffered grievously.” (Downey) Many indigenous people had been enslaved murdered and tormented during the 19th and 20th century rubber boom. The tribes chose isolation in the forest for safety reasons.
Raffaele’s story describes how the indigenous Pygmy clans in Africa are forced to leave the forest because of the Bantu government’s greed for the profits made by forest resource trade. As a result, Pygmy traditions and culture have changed. They can no longer hunt like they used to in the previous decade because “the Bantu poachers have plundered the jungle.” (Raffaele 74) They can no longer easily support their families. They suffer from malnutrition and various viral and bacterial diseases. They have no land or civil rights and must endure social prejudices by the Bantu’s. Although elephant killing is illegal, Bantu sometimes provide guns to the Pygmies. As a result, the Pygmies get some meat and money and the Bantu’s earn a profit from Asian markets. They also support themselves by growing marijuana crops on borrowed land from the government. They are forced to survive by new means and their lives are threatened by the deforestation movement.
The indigenous humans of the South American rainforests of “Turning a Blind Eye” are forced to change their lifestyle because of the profit motives of loggers. Their hunting and gathering has been altered because of the roads and settlements of those with money motives as well as landing strips made by drug traffickers. “While the loggers may kill Indians, settlers wound the forest itself, making it harder for any survivors to eat.” (Downey)The Indians are also catching new diseases brought in by Westerners. These tribes are forced to find new ways of survival in a world of profits over people.
In sociology I learned about ethnocentrism and I think this is embedded in the destruction of tribes throughout the world. “Given that a particular culture is the basis for each person’s reality, it is no wonder that people everywhere exhibit ethnocentrism, the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture.” (Macionis 75) Because of our ignorance, we make decisions that are harmful to those people who may live in an area that we search for goods.

What will it take for all of us humans to respect each other and come to a balance of survival and prosperity for all involved? Maybe a good sociology course and a major paradigm shift on the planet will force us all into a more spiritually evolved direction.
Blog by Katherine December 3, 2008
Greg Downey. “Turning a Blind Eye.” SEED. 19 2008 September
Macionis, John J. Sociology, Twelfth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson. 2008.
Paul Raffaele. The Pygmies’ Plight. Smithsonian. December 2008: 70-77.

]]> By: Steven Poole http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2008/12/the-tragic-tale-of-the-pygmy-in-the-zoo/comment-page-1/#comment-65 Steven Poole Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:04:43 +0000 http://science.smithsonianmag.com/?p=193#comment-65 This is a great article very well written thank you for sharing this story This is a great article very well written thank you for sharing this story

]]> By: Sarah Zielinski http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2008/12/the-tragic-tale-of-the-pygmy-in-the-zoo/comment-page-1/#comment-64 Sarah Zielinski Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:03:38 +0000 http://science.smithsonianmag.com/?p=193#comment-64 It's the Smithsonian hive brain. (heehee) I've been waiting for the December issue to go online. Ever since I read Ota Benga's story in October, I've wanted to tell it to people. It just haunted me. It’s the Smithsonian hive brain. (heehee) I’ve been waiting for the December issue to go online. Ever since I read Ota Benga’s story in October, I’ve wanted to tell it to people. It just haunted me.

]]> By: Brian http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2008/12/the-tragic-tale-of-the-pygmy-in-the-zoo/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Brian Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:34:23 +0000 http://science.smithsonianmag.com/?p=193#comment-63 What a coincidence! I just wrote about this story the day before at Laelaps (http://scienceblogs.com/laelaps/2008/12/when_humans_were_kept_in_the_m.php) What a coincidence! I just wrote about this story the day before at Laelaps (http://scienceblogs.com/laelaps/2008/12/when_humans_were_kept_in_the_m.php)

]]>