Taught to Believe: Different Variables That Affect Our Perspective Of Certain Animal Species

People are not born fearing sharks. Being afraid of a harmless animal smaller than the palm of your hand is not logical. Where does this fear and feeling of rejection come from? Such thoughts have been with us for so long we do not even think about where they come from anymore. There are animal species that have a certain reputation thanks to different variables. This includes myths, the presence of media, and marketing done by companies. First, let’s talk about myths. People tend to look at some animal species based on what they have heard or seen about them, rather than looking for actual facts. A blatant example is the case of sharks. These marine creatures are rather pacific and help with the preservation of the ecosystems. However, their image has been warped to the point of being seen as “bloodthirsty killer machines”, thanks to the myths that circle them. Such a thing happened in the late 70’s, people became terrified of sharks thanks to the movie “Jaws”, which transmitted a completely incorrect image of the great white shark, which in the end affected the existing shark population negatively. Unlike sharks, dolphins have been positively affected by myths. Both animals have their unfavorable traits, but sharks’ are intensified by how twisted the myths around them are. Having landed the topic of misrepresentation in the media, another great example that could be given are bats. These small mammals have become the emblem of the animals that humans have learned to hate. Why? We can put most of the blame on the media. The truth is that, however scary or evil bats can be seen in movies, they are more beneficial than people think, being responsible for eradicating pests and a large sum of the pollination in subtropical and tropical areas. Only a small percentage of bats eat meat, and an even smaller amount actually drinks blood from bigger animals. Yes, it is true: bats do drink blood. But it is not how people usually depict it. Bats could be compared with lions, although they have almost nothing to do with each other. Lions have always been represented in the media as fearsome predators, just like bats, but in a way that they do not get half the hate the bats do. On top of that, we have the influence of marketing, which affects people of all ages daily through ads, commercials and spots. There are animals that have been more exploited by capitalism, and that create a bubble around said species, a bubble made of stereotypes and romanticization. Equestrian sports wouldn’t be as popular if horses hadn’t been promoted as much and in such a massive way as they are, just to give an example. Either way, what can be concluded is that people tend to be attracted to the most flamboyant storyline, and don’t usually question if what they are seeing is true or not. Stories are created, but as spectators we need a criteria to be able to tell the facts apart from the falsehoods. There are several factors that have been shaping the minds of many generations for countless years about what they think about certain animal species. If adults continue promoting these ideas, the younger generations will grow up with their perspective shaped by misinformation.