When the movie “Bambi” came out, kids started feeling sorry for deer that got killed by hunters. When Teddy Bears became popular (ironically based on a bear cub Teddy Roosevelt, the hunter, had spared the life of) kids began having personal relationships with the likenesses of wild animals. As Walt Disney’s army of animated wildlife marched into the forefront of American culture, talking animals became the rule rather than the exception. But why should we hide the fact that animals don’t talk? Why pretend they do? Kids are constantly directly involved with animals, even kids who never go outside. They watch animals on TV. We dress them in animal-print jammies and read them story books about animals -- surprisingly informed characters with nuanced opinions of the human world -- right before we tuck them, along with their stuffed animals, into their animal-emblazoned sheets and comforters. This occurs of course, right after we feed them dead animals for dinner.
