Blogtrek

Nature Shows

I see a generational difference in the way that nature shows are presented. Take Wild Kingdom, for instance. I used to watch it in the late 1960s and 1970s when I was a young adult. The show was presented by the Silent Generation then; those born between 1925 and 1942. The show presented mostly the animals, in their adventures in obtaining what they need to survive. It would show cheetahs chasing springbok; jaguars hunting capybaras, and elephants grazing on the savanna. Once in a great while a human would appear, as in one case when one wrestled with an anaconda.

Wild Kingdom has reappeared on the Animal Channel, but it is different. It is now presented by Generation X, noted for practicality and adventurousness. Today is the day of wrestling crocodiles and "crikey". Now people appear all over the place on Wild Kingdom, especially young men who go out in the wilderness and investigate all over the place even to the extent of holding the necks of black mamba snakes in their hands. Instead of a travelogue of animals, we now get a wild safari. The show is just as interesting and informative; it is just presented differently.

If generational trends as theorized by Strauss and Howe in Generations continue, in 10-20 years the Millennial Generation will present the show. We then will see nature people going into the wilderness showing how we can preserve the environment and how to live peacefully among the animals. It will show a much more loving attitude than the bookworms of the 1960s or the daredevils of today.