I’ve been waiting for literal months for the chance to use this phrase:
“Actually, you’re not overreacting, Karen.”
In all seriousness: I’m annoyed by this kind of behavior, too, and I’m barely out of my 30’s…but I think Ryan is correct: engaging wildlife videos have a huge impact on views, and this likely drives people to create that kind of content. For proof of the impact, just look at how people react to well-filmed wildlife documentaries, or even a cutesy video of a pet hedgehog happily floating in a sink: hundred of thousands – if not millions – of views. For content creators, that kind of view count is a powerful lure…and although I’ll admit that there’s very little on this planet that’s cuter than a baby bobcat playing with a piece of aluminum foil or a bunny head-bonking someone in an effort to get a piece of apple, my feelings about those events do not give me permission to involve myself past simple observation. I, too, have concerns about how this kind of exposure either tacitly condones or outright encourages further harmful engagement with wildlife; granted, we all have to interact with wildlife in sub-optimal ways from time to time, but people making a habit of those actions is problematic in many ways..so when I start seeing too much of that behavior happening on a YouTube channel, I no longer look at that channel.
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