Animals and Media

As a student in the honors journalism program, I was gently coerced into taking a class titled “Animals and Media.” This is not a class I would have taken of my own volition, simply because I wouldn’t have been interested in the topic.

Animals have always existed on the periphery of my awareness—lovable and entertaining, but rather one-dimensional. Although I have a deep respect for nature and a long-held concern for specie extinction, my understanding of animal rights was largely superficial.

Before class started, we were assigned to read the book Dominance and Affection: The Making of Pets by Yi-Fu Tuan, which turned my perception of human-animal relationships on its head. I learned that peoples’ inherent need to control has mired our connection with the natural world on almost every level.

The class encourages us to think about society from a perspective other than our own. If we were to study any other human on the planet, I would be able to relate to his or her reality in some way. Animals are different because we can’t assume anything. Ludwig Wittgenstein’s impenetrable remark, “If a lion could speak, we wouldn’t understand him,” beautifully embodies the complete disconnect between humans and animals.

The “Media” portion of the class focuses on the portrayal of animals in popular culture. Frequently, over-generalized, sexless creatures are molded to represent human desires and concerns completely unrelated to the animal itself. Our professor directed us to a journalism style guide that advocates for a respectful representation of animals in media—using “he” or “she” instead of “it”, and treating the animal as an individual instead of an abstract symbol.

I am thrilled that this class has forced me to think about and invest in something so unexpectedly challenging. I hope that opportunities like this continue to present themselves throughout my life, and that my scope of understanding becomes ever broader.