Făkünamę wrote:Thinking Aloud wrote:I'm pretty sure I've seen more than one documentary which covers this subject on the BBC. That Attenborough's programmes, which are usually covering very large topics in terms of broad animal types or geographical spread, haven't covered this comparatively minor aspect of behaviour in any detail bothers me not at all.
Absolutely there have been such documentaries, but the inclusion of homosexual behaviour in nature is not widespread in popular documentaries; Sir Attenborough's being amongst the most popular. I'm not saying this is in anyway an indictable offense, rather I'm saying that the inclusion of homosexual behaviour in such documentaries would be beneficial to the advancement of society.
Well that depends on what the scope of the documentary is. Attenborough has most often produced epic-scale series that cover an entire class of life globally, or by some geographical connection (such as Africa). When you're trying to cover things on that scale, and introduce the viewer to the
typical behaviours over a broad spectrum of species, you have to decide whether a specific and relatively uncommon behaviour in a particular example species is worth concentrating on in the time available. I recently read his autobiography, and was taken by his desire to astound and amaze the audience, and awaken in them an enthusiasm and passion for the wonder of nature. He's acutely aware of what's been covered before, and what hasn't, and has gone to great pains to keep showing new things. If homosexuality in animals has been covered in existing documentaries, why should he repeat it, based on his personal popularity, just to make a social statement about human interactions?
