9.24.2005
March of the Penguins
This movie, seemingly universally aka "the penguin movie," is not what it seems. I can't believe that it was released in France as a fictional drama between a mama, daddy and baby penguin. Luckily, that type of story has led to a structure that showcases the breeding-cycle of a penguin.
"March of the Penguins" has been used by religious conservatives as an argument to bolster traditional marriage and family values. Ironically, what struck me was how I have never seen such a simpler demonstration of why evolution is a genius. Antarctica's formerly tropical weather slowly grew colder as it drifted south, leading almost all other life to die off or flee. The flightless penguin, lacking other food, abandoned the skies and learned to swim. After feasting in the water for months, they waddle 70 miles to the penguin breeding ground, their short legs and fat bodies becoming the nest which protects a single egg from the 80 below zero temperatures which will buffet the area. The penguins live off their own fat for two months, as the pairs trade off protection duties and feeding duties. A penguin, quite literally, has been R&D'd over millenia to live in those harsh conditions.
At the risk of sounding like one of the overly religious, who see parables and object lessons everywhere and in everything, the filmmakers couldn't help but capture the essence of evolution --- the play between the accident of geography and biology. A traditional values pundit said on NPR that the penguins are devoted to their eggs "for no good reason," showing that she misses the point of evolution. The survival of the penguins' progeny is the only reason for trying so hard in such harsh conditions.
These traditional marriage people also miss the point, which is overtly stated in the movie, that the penguin pairs only shack up for one season, and then probably never pair together again. This is good biologically, because that means each penguin isn't sticking its genes in one pot, so to speak. This means that each penguin would have four or five other baby-mamas or baby-daddies and each penguin has a bunch of step-siblings with different parents, so it's more like Jerry Springer than the conservatives would like to think.
I don't mind all the conservative support for this movie. Let them bring their children to watch the penguins mate. And let the educators watch carefully. For when it is time to teach them about biology, those high school teachers can refer to the penguin movie. And a seed will have been planted.
"March of the Penguins" has been used by religious conservatives as an argument to bolster traditional marriage and family values. Ironically, what struck me was how I have never seen such a simpler demonstration of why evolution is a genius. Antarctica's formerly tropical weather slowly grew colder as it drifted south, leading almost all other life to die off or flee. The flightless penguin, lacking other food, abandoned the skies and learned to swim. After feasting in the water for months, they waddle 70 miles to the penguin breeding ground, their short legs and fat bodies becoming the nest which protects a single egg from the 80 below zero temperatures which will buffet the area. The penguins live off their own fat for two months, as the pairs trade off protection duties and feeding duties. A penguin, quite literally, has been R&D'd over millenia to live in those harsh conditions.
At the risk of sounding like one of the overly religious, who see parables and object lessons everywhere and in everything, the filmmakers couldn't help but capture the essence of evolution --- the play between the accident of geography and biology. A traditional values pundit said on NPR that the penguins are devoted to their eggs "for no good reason," showing that she misses the point of evolution. The survival of the penguins' progeny is the only reason for trying so hard in such harsh conditions.
These traditional marriage people also miss the point, which is overtly stated in the movie, that the penguin pairs only shack up for one season, and then probably never pair together again. This is good biologically, because that means each penguin isn't sticking its genes in one pot, so to speak. This means that each penguin would have four or five other baby-mamas or baby-daddies and each penguin has a bunch of step-siblings with different parents, so it's more like Jerry Springer than the conservatives would like to think.
I don't mind all the conservative support for this movie. Let them bring their children to watch the penguins mate. And let the educators watch carefully. For when it is time to teach them about biology, those high school teachers can refer to the penguin movie. And a seed will have been planted.
Labels: M
Comments:
Post a Comment
(You don't have to sign in to comment. Or use the guestbook.)
