Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Yogi Bear.

I'm one of those people who is a sucker for a really good nature documentary, the kind produced by the BBC and narrated by someone on the order of David Attenborough. If you've ever tried to take pictures in nature you know how excruciatingly painstaking it is. You might once in your nautical life catch a glimpse of a school of fish compacting itself and swimming into a tight ball. To capture that perfectly on film is a wonder to behold.

Of the many fascinations of nature videos, not the least are those animals who disguise themselves to capture unsuspecting prey. They wait silently sand-colored on the bottom of the sea or perched limb-like in the branches of a tree before they strike.

As humans we like to think of nature, of wildlife as a lower order than mankind. Because we can easily kill and eat most species, or at least wear them if they don't taste good, we speak of denizens of the seas and forests as 'dumb animals.' Even Yogi Bear who proclaimed himself smarter than the average bear never went to college or held a job.

It occurred to me this morning that Facebook might well be worth the $100 billion the savants have valued it at.

This morning, like nearly every morning there are serial posts from "friends" claiming they have gotten a free Macbook Air, a pair of Ray-Bans or some other delectable simply for answering a survey or clicking on a link.

These are posts from people who have fallen for some disguised inducement. They've fallen for the flounder that looks like sand.

We are as dumb as animals.

No comments: