Re: DINO Commercialization

[dunn1@IDT.NET]

> From:          ceratosaur@juno.com (William J. Bevil)

> At the risk of being skewered by some of the more *volatile*
> personalities on the list, I had some thoughts on several messages posted
> recently regarding the "commercialization" of dinosaurs

(snip)
 
> Despite the scientific inaccuracy of such movies as "KING KONG" and "ONE
> MILLION YEARS B.C.", I should point out that this particular dinosaur
> enthusiast must admit that such films are directly responsible for my
> adult interest interest in the subject. 

Me too.  I also love the Jurassic Park movies.   I have *nothing* 
against companies making money off of these ventures.  How would you 
like it if kids were taught life sciences with these movies?  Museums 
purport to educate people about certain aspects of the world, don't 
they?  Why is this nuance escaping so many people?

> >Judy Molnar wrote:
> >I applaud your high standards, but life is full of compromises.  Live
> with it.
> 
> Basically that sums it up.  

Don't give up on people so easily and submit to this sort of sell-out 
cynicism.  Believe it or not, people will go to see dinosaur displays 
without the JP logo stamped all over them.

> I hate that more money doesn't go to help
> Paleo and Natural History science efforts.  But, if latching on to this
> social frenzy means that Museums can bring dinosaur exhibits to the
> public, I must applaud it.  Not every facility is the gigantic AMNH,
> either.   Just think of all the small local museums out there whose
> attendance increased dramatically from this surge of interest?  

This just leaves me full of questions. 

You're saying that people whose interest is sparked by the dinosaurs 
in Jurassic Park (which is great) can only go to museums and see 
these $12.00 commercials? Local museums will die without this?  If 
so, how did these museums survive before these movies? Why can't 
people go to museums and see current dinosaur holdings and learn more 
about dinosaurs as we believe they really were (hold the tiny frilled 
spitting dilophosaur and the shiny new Mercedes on the museum floor)? 
What is barring this?

Larry

"Atheism: a non-prophet organization"