I've been a fan of Mike Rowe since his early days on the Discovery Channel's 'Dirty Jobs.' I don't always agree with his political views, but he's entertaining. He has a new show on CNN called 'Somebody's Gotta Do it,' where he highlights what seem to many like odd jobs. Apparently in a recent show, he spotlighted efforts to save the Whooping Crane. A viewer took exception. In his response, Mr. Rowe sounds a bit like an environmental economist...at least he's asking economic-like questions:
"You did a disservice to Operation Migration and the whooping crane project on "Somebody's Gotta Do It." You came across as bored and disdainful. You say you work for the people who watch you and not the people who pay you -- OK. You're on probation."
Rowe's response:
...
Fair enough. I've been on probation my whole career, and I'll be grateful to remain there as long as you can tolerate me. But for what it's worth, you're mistaken. I was neither bored nor disdainful of anything I saw at the whooping crane facility. In fact, I was genuinely impressed with Dr. French and his team, and glad to give their program some national exposure. Now it's true - I didn't swoon in their presence, or behave as though I agreed with every single thing I heard. Dr. French was very clear about why he does what he does - he believes the whooping crane has as much right to exist as we do. I doubt that everyone shares that view. Should they?
Read on...
Lot's of people are currently worried about overfishing -- specifically, the depletion of the worlds tuna stocks. Some people are worried because they're concerned about the rising price of tuna. Others are worried about its long term viability as a delicious menu item. And others are protesting because they believe it's morally wrong to eat them. The difference is important, because an individuals worldview will absolutely inform their opinion about basic conservation.
According to some other show I just narrated for some other channel, there are approximately 8.7 million species on the planet, give or take 1.3 million. (If a 1.3 million delta seems high, consider that the previous estimate put the number of total species on Earth between 3 million and 100 million, which is somewhat baffling in and of itself.) But here's the most intriguing statistic -- of the 8.7 million species now estimated to inhabit the planet, approximately 88% have yet to be discovered, described and cataloged. That strikes me as rather extraordinary.
Point is, you could fill a library with what we don't know about biodiversity. And yet, many people have a deep and abiding conviction about the proper way to discuss the plight of endangered animals. You seem offended Panier, because my attitude did not reflect the seriousness that you believe this topic deserves. You weren't alone. But consider -- many others were equally offended because I gave a platform to a man who believes that all creatures on the planet are entitled to the same right to exist as humans. A lot of people told me that with 7,000 children dying every year from hunger, the plight of the whooping crane was not worth my time. Thus, addressing this topic in a light-hearted television show is guaranteed to offend somebody.
via www.cnn.com
