I was rooting about looking for beaver photos the other day, the way I’m wont to do, and was surprised to stumble on the pbs “FACT” page for beavers, released in 2021. It talks about their diet and their life span and all the scientific names associated with their genus, The source is the Smithsonian. And what else do you suppose they had on their FACT page? Alongside the nice sleek photos of beavers?
After my years of psychological training, I of course recognized at once we were back in the age old NATURE vs NUTRIA debate again.
The very notion that this is the FACT sheet for beavers from the revered public broadcasting network that informed so many of us over the years and yet cannot tell the difference between two entirely different species breaks my heart into pieces. I loved Jari Osborne’s documentary that taught so many so much and really jump started the entire conversation. This post is released 9 years later and is not anything to do with the series but still is linked to the website and the whole thing greatly depresses me.
Is this an “Alternative facts” sheet?
PBS sustained me as a child, and growing up. Long before there was an internet to search from my home for answers I had to go to the actual library and look things up. The encylopedias could only get you so far… In the Library there were card catalogs and round stools that rolled and lots of whispering. I can actually remember how the room smelled. But libraries aren’t always open and you can’t always go and check facts in the middle of the night or whenever you want like we do now on our phones.
In fact one of the worst things I ever did as a young child was lie to my older sister that my mom had given me permission to come with her to the library when in fact I was told the exact opposite the moment before. It was a fine summer evening and after her refusal I promptly sneaked outside ostensibly to “walk the puppy” whereupon the poor confused yellow pup was swiftly dumped it in the garage and I the young criminal ran off after my sister telling her gaily that mom said I could come too. And since the teen didn’t know I had been forbidden, and thought she had once again been burdened with me, off we went.
To the LIBRARY. The destination of my first real crime. Where giddy with freedom I stayed and poured through pages until it was dark and closing so that when we came home after streetlights my mother was crazy with worry on the streets calling my name and wondering where her 5 year old was.
And I say now all of that could ugliness have been avoided, officer, if the internet had just been invented and I would have been able to surf through it and find stories or misleading incorrect information on a public broadcasting blog that showed me pretend photos of beavers from the privacy of my own home.
Was I just in fact a bad seed? Or was my environment lacking something essential?
Honestly. I was very sad to find the photographic error but honestly, the pun sustained me in my hour of need. I may have paid for my library crime like Max did with his wild things, apologized to my mother and my sister and eventually received a Ph.D. in child psychology but here it was once again:
The old Nature Vs. Nutria conundrum.
