"Scared Inside" - Do the Media Hype Wilderness Dangers, Keeping People Indoors?
By Tom Chandler on Mar 5, 2008 in Contest, Opinion
Does sensational media coverage taint people’s perception of the outdoors to the point that they’re simply afraid of it?
I stumbled across an excellent podcast series that asks this very question (via Tom Mangan’s hiking blog). The two-part podcast is worth a listen (Sargeant’s stuff largely kicks ass), as are these excerpts of reader comments on Mangan’s blog:
From Dan Mitchell:
I’ll never forget the time I casually mentioned to one of my work colleagues who has (I now clearly understand) led an entirely indoor life that I was planning a short pack trip. She ripped into me for acting foolishly and dangerously and risking my life and putting the futures of my children in danger. There was no explaining…Randy L:
I cracked up a few weeks ago when one of our office workers spotted a turkey outside the window near her workspace. Our building is very near the wetlands beyond 237, and we commonly see ducks, seabirds, various rodents, and such. She was actually scared of it. She was saying “oh my god” “what about diseases”, and “do they bite?” “Should we call security?”, things like that.
Sure, you don’t tangle with Marauding Packs of Killer Turkeys every time you head out into the backcountry, but you have to wonder about the “Wild IQ” of people who think you do — or people who think backpacking involves risks on a par with spearfishing for sharks.
Danger, Will Robinson. Danger.
Every report we’ve seen cites the decline in participation in outdoor sports (the Internet and video games are seen as culprits). Does the popular, somewhat sensational media play a role?
After all, the only time you hear about mountain climbers is when they die; the only media attention given mountain lions comes during their very infrequent attacks.
Years ago, — while suiting up at a fishing access — I was confronted by a woman who wanted to know why I was “risking my life” (presumably in the raging waters of the river) “just to catch some silly fish.”
She was nice about it, but it’s hard to answer a question when you disagree with the basic premise. Suggesting that I was in more danger on the drive to the river (down I-5) didn’t make much of an impression, and I wonder how she would have reacted to a backcountry skier.
A Question of Risk
Does the average “indoor” person believe wild animals are hanging right on the fringes of the darkness, waiting for dinner some foolish human to wander by?
Do people really perceive wild turkeys as a threat?
Is the wilderness really more dangerous than your average freeway at rush hour?
And how many wild turkeys (the animal kind, not the bottled version) would it take to kill a pair of fly fishermen?
Weigh in Undergrounders; do you have any stories/opinions/rants to share about the public’s perception of wilderness?
Technorati Tags: two heel drive,wildebeat,wilderness,popular media,fly fishing
kbarton10 | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
I went on a date with a girl in San Francisco, she inquired as to my interests and I responded with the traditional boilerplate, “I love fishing, but let most of them go..”
She said, “OH My, you like torturing them?”
(…end of date)
Tom Chandler | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Ah yes - the food-chain related Datus Interruptus.
Ken Morrow | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
I must have missed “The Wild Turkey That Ate Manhattan.” But there have been plenty of movies about backpacking and float trip adventures gone awry (insert Dueling Banjos here). But I still believe that the underlying problem lies with folks who believe that movies made to entertain us are somehow reality. I guess these folks believe in Wookies and light sabers, too? I think this is a classic case of “don’t shoot the messenger.”
Timo | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
In my kayaking class (Yes, class. part of the PE requirement at the U. Credit for being on the water, what could be better), we got into a conversation about this. Teacher said there was a book out, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder”, that looks into the problem. The title says it all.
I have seen as many “life threatening” animals, as car accidents, and so far I have only seen injuries in the car accidents, buts thats just me. Mass media tends to turn peoples heads to mush and make people fearful in general, so this is just a another in a long list of consequences of that mushdom and fear.
Being back in school a little later in life, I have to say that I see a lot of fear about everything, compared to the recklessness the first time around. People barely use the wood and metal shop, because they are scared of the machinery, and so much of the art in the department isn’t made by hand, except from purchased or found materials. Many students are scared to get out of school, and find a job, and make a living. Scared of looking dumb (or like nerd). Scared of not dressing right. Etc. etc…. Outdoorsmen are snowboarders, surfers or skaters to this generation. There are some who are going back to the “old” ways, but not many, and a lot is getting lost.
So maybe the question should be; is there enough “other” media surviving to pass on the “old” ways, and traditions in the face of the NDD promoted by the mass media?
Kentucky Jim | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
This is an interesting, subject, hilarious and depressing at the same time. “You like torturing them?” “Well Darlin’, it’s been nice, but I haveta get up early tomorrow…” Flocks of killer turkeys roaming over our land…and to think, when I was a boy, they didn’t have endangered species, but if they did, the turkey would be on it…no open season in any state.
On the other hand, I almost had my head taken off by a lady one time when I told her I did not think a mountain line was simply a cute big 135 pound pussy cat. She quickly informed me that I didn’t know what I was talking about. My impression of her was that she had not spent much time in the out-of-doors.
Maybe it’s a good thing that people don’t get out in the wilderness much. It’s fragile, and tramped upon enough. Let ‘em get fat and play nintendo or whatever. More fish for you and me.
Wook | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
“You like torturing them?”
No, I prefer taunting them. I wiggle my opposable thumbs at them and laugh. HAHA dumb fish! If you had these, you could DRIVE! Off you go now, to think about what you’ve done.
I think I’m doing the species a service.
Pete | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
I had neighbors call the fire department b/c a bat got in their house.
But then again, maybe people should be more afraid. On my one trip to the Canadian Rockies we experienced “bear jams” caused by people getting out of their cars to take photos of grizzlies on the side of the road. And I wish I could find the news clip of the guy who put ice cream on his daughter’s face so a bear would come closer and he could take their picture together.
Ethan | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
I remember the feeling of complete and utter safeness while lying in bed at home after an extended backpacking trip. I’d spent nearly a month camping and backpacking in the High Sierra around Bishop and Yosemite, can you say Golden Trout Lake! We’d spent a few nights just laying on our pads up on a rock no tent, and so much fun. Anyway, I laid there in my comfy at home bed and felt almost claustrophobic by all the walls around me. At that moment I realized how sheltered our normal lives are from the natural world. I felt TOO safe, I wanted to go back out. However, school was calling, and I was tired.
Steve Sergeant | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Tom: Your post seems to imply that Dan Mitchell was responsible for our audio production. You can down a combined version of both parts of this audio series at:
wildebeat.net (numbers 126 and 127 titled “Scared Indoors”)
To other commenters here, the only problem with the “more wilderness for me” argument is that when only a small minority are interested in voting for the preservation of these places, because they don’t have direct experience with how wonderful they are, then it’s relatively easy for folks who are only thinking about the money to strip mine, log, dam, or otherwise destroy the places we love to go.
So please, do listen to the program, see if you agree with some of the suggested solutions to the problem.
RRiver | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Oh No! Evil Killer Wild Turkeys. We have a new couple, from California who moved into the river front neighborhood of 6 houses I live in. Everyone has acres, and turkeys are a normal occurence. Her husband was out, and she frantically called us, asking for help because a group of turkeys was wandering her property. I don’t think I was very helpful. “Leave them alone, and they will go away”.
Wook | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
There’s this band of turkeys around here (I hesitate to call them wild) who make the rounds to all the bird feeders on my road in winter. This was reportedly learned behavior from somebody down the road who used to feed them, and I guess it’s now turkey lore, passed down to their turklings or something. Anyway, they leave big turkey shites that my dog finds fascinating. I want to find the neighbor that fed them and force them to diaper the damn turkeys. Not that I care so much, but turkeys in diapers would be funny.
Tom Chandler | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Steve: Apologies for wonky editing; Steve Sargeant produces the Wildebeat, and yes, it still kicks ass. For some reason, it wouldn’t display your comment as long as the URL was present (that’s a first). I mucked around and that’s as close as I could get to the actual address to the podcasts (though I link to them in the original story).
Otherwise, lots of good stuff. I think there are two parallel problems. One is the sensationalism of the media whenever anything “dramatic” happens outdoors, and the other is the “Disneyfication” of wild animals, where people think they’re friendly and tame (some even wear pants) just like in the Disney movies, so they treat them with as much respect as you’d treat a hamster in your house.
Big mistake.
So far, nobody’s even touched the seminal “how many wild turkeys to kill a fly fishermen” question, so I guess one of the last, great, unanswered questions of our time will remain a mystery…
RRiver: Good to have you back.
kbarton10 | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
The media requires sensationalism in order to make the newscast. Plain old news isn’t newsworthy.
Every momma is scared to let her kid out of her sight until he’s 25 - and even then she insists he play in the front yard.
We had shootings in schools I attended, but they were never fawned over by the national press like they’re doing now.
Fear rules. We’ve been fed a steady diet of it since 9/11/2001, it’s a great way to sway popular opinion, remove sacred constitutional rights, and make everyone “drop dime” on their neighbor.
The outdoors is just now taking it’s lumps, why wouldn’t we suspect that if we dump toxic waste there daily - something mean and sentient with a taste for human flesh be lurking in the shadows?
…and if we’re not outside, we’re glued to the damn Boob Tube which is where they want us.
C3C Raine | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
this went down in SISKIYOU county…?! The lady inquiring to your stupidity that is…where the hell does she live, “inner-city” Weed and never left?!
my wife's cook | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
C’mon, who amoung us did not begin venturing
out into the Wilderness in their youth armed
with some sort of weapon to defend against
the cunning and quite deadly hords of wild
turkeys, and their little friends the mountain
lion.
My weapon of choice is, and shall remain the Bushmill’s, not wild turkey.
m.w.c
Taku | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Ok, I’ll bite on the killing fly fisherman question. Based on one experience I had with a momma turkey in the spring, when I was out looking over a project in the woods in the Bitterroot’s, if both fisherman had bad hearts, they would go down fast - if the turkey they encountered screamed, squawked and charged like she did. But for most turkeys - forget about it. Ain’t gonna happen.
Now onto the media question. Having lived in the Big Sky for so long, I don’t see these reactions, especially since I stay away from most people anyhow (wife, dogs, cats, hunting , fishing and skiing buddies excepted). But, I think on the larger scale, you bet the media sensationalizes (and not just the media, the wolf haters certainly stoke this too) the outdoor dangers. On the one hand, I can agree with those who say all the more room for me. But the other hand, it is important to keep people interested in protecting what is left. Maybe Donny Beaver will buy the entire Bitterroot Valley and invite me to be the lands manager. Watch out for those killer whitetail.
Scott | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Wait a minute, wait a minute. Who’s torturing who? Fish with brains the size of peas are commonly taunting and outsmarting large creatures with opposable thumbs and supposedly larger craniums. Maybe the fish ARE smarter and we should fear them — forget the turkeys. I feel a bad “B” horror movie in the making.
No, I’m always frightened when I suggest to someone that we should “go backpacking sometime,” and when they learn you can’t “carry firearms in the National Park” suddenly won’t “take the chance.” I go with one guy who brings a good sized knife and when I ask him why, he says if anything ever happens, he wants to go down “fighting.” Big weenies. I’ve been lucky enough to run into three bears in my entire life — two of them turned and BOOGIED the moment they saw me, the other one had three cubs and we BOOGIED! But she was plenty tolerate and gave us plenty of leeway to get out of Dodge. I wouldn’t pet her on the head, but I didn’t have to blast away at her either.
How hard do you think it would be to train a turkey to be a bodyguard? Hmmmm. There might be a business opportunity here…
ijsouth | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
I’ll give it a go on the question du jour - how many wild turkeys does it take to kill a fly fisherman? I would say it would depend on whether one is speaking of hip flasks, fifths or gallon jugs.
As for the growing disconnection the general public has with the outdoors, as someone said above in a previous post, it is funny and sad at the same time. We go up to the Smokies several times a year - I always find it amazing to see the people flock to the tourist traps in Gatlinburg…these people probably battle traffic every day going to and from work, and what do they do on their vacation? They head for the main drag in town, where they…battle traffic. I don’t understand it. I’ve heard some real jewels, like people go there, not realizing there is a NATIONAL PARK just beyond town. Or, that a majority of the visitors to GSMNP never leave their cars. The best ones I’ve heard go along the lines of these:
“Why don’t the rangers release more water for the streams so we can swim?”
“Where are the cages for the animals at night?”
Loon | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
I once ran into a bear on the M****** river. I yelled at it a couple of times to try to get it to move off of the narrow trail so that I could go to a choice piece of water. It didn’t move. Well, I went the other way. Later, I told my fishing partner about the encounter… He laughed so hard, not being coordinated enough to laugh and walk at the same time, that he twisted his ankle. It seems he had heard me yelling and I sounded like a girl… Yes, the wilderness _is_ dangerous.
Kentucky Jim | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
This thread get funnier and funnier.
While driving around Roseville one day waiting to visit my daughter, I chanced upon a turkey hen that I recognized as such. She was running back and forth next to the chain link fence, and I could tell she was upset. I stopped my car, got out, and began walking toward her. This increased her anxiety, until she recalled something I was trying to remined her of; she could fly! She finally flew over the fence and went running toward the flock that I finally saw as she ran toward them. It was a fearsome experience, and I was lucky to escape alive, but felt better for the encounter.
So, Tom, I’ll bite. How many turkeys does it take to kill a fly fisherman?
hawgdaddy | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
The question I want answered is, what is so wrong with a little danger? Since when did we all become so averse to danger that we immediately run from any unknown quantity, even turkeys. One thing I enjoy about wilderness is the unknown. It is dangerous. Maybe not as dangerous as the freeway, but dangerous nonetheless. A close encounter with a bear can really make you feel alive. Combine that with a fishing trip in which you are reminded of your place in the real food chain, not the version at the grocery store, and you get a real sense of life. And how fragile it is. If we’re always running around constantly worried about avoiding danger, are we really living? People should want to go into nature BECAUSE it’s a little dangerous. Anyway, I guess the whole danger aversion thing just annoys me today. BTW, I prefer my wild turkeys with Coke. That stuff’s nasty straight.
hawgdaddy
razmaspaz | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
Death by Wild Turkeys, that’d be the way to go.
Out in the wilderness with the last thing to go through your mind being a flock of turkeys large enough to kill a man. We should all be so lucky.
Speaking of which, last weekend was the trout opener in Wisconsin, and I saw a flock of turkeys that must have been 100 strong. Never seen anything like it. If there was ever a flock that could kill a man, that was it.
Tom Chandler | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
Great comments. Building on what Hawg said, I don’t know if I crave danger, but I do appreciate the random & unknown.
Oddly, it’s the kind of thing I tend to avoid in my daily life; random events throw me off my schedule and I don’t get my work done, but the outdoors aren’t much of a paradise for people who don’t delight in the happy coincidence or the random encounter.
There’s also the element of control. Big chunks of our daily lives are under the influence of others (bosses, spouses, kids, pets, clients) while outdoor adventures are far more serendipitous.
At least, that’s what I’m thinking today.
heddon17 | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
The growing disconnection people have with the outdoors starts in the inner city for the most part and at an early age too. I’ll post more about this later since I have to get ready to go leave for work now.
Brian
Mark Ostrom | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
Politics Aside (yeh, right) Isn’t it convenient that our VP is from one of the least populated states, knows full the joys of briskly hunting lawyers and yet is an environmental disaster walking?
The more “terrified” the “powers” keep Americans, the easier it is to wrench their prized fishing and rafting rivers, the mountains, valleys and timbered forests out of our ignorant hands. It seems also that our dear friends “the National Park Service” is so broke it will close public lands rather than risk “injury” of unsupervised patrons. What absolute bull shit! Like I need FEDERAL protection from a stream or cliff? What am I… a priceless URN?
… and as to TURKEYS… well, never underestimate the berserker turkey. My good and dear (and dead) friend Mickey Chips was hunting around Red Bluff once, with shotgun in hand, (almost bigger than 5′2″ Mickey) he would trod off up some canyon to be alone and hunt… anyway, I met him once as he saw my car at the River and stopped to say hi and haggle me. (Mickey could spout Chaucer or the latest 49er gossip with equal passion and ease.) All white and pale he shouted me back to shore with the following story:
While hunting around Red Bluff, CA, Mick saw a big turkey dodge behind a clump of Blackberries. Stealthily he crept up on the bird and began working around one side… the bird mean while in a yin yang dance keeping exactly opposite Mickey and his Double Barrel.
Tiring of the dance, Mick picked up a big rock and hucked it at the Bird… with the results that the Turkey launched a precision directed guided turkey attack on Mick, knocking him to the ground and discharging his gun in the process! His eye was black and blue, and he had assorted turkey feathers in his hat. A more forlorn hunter could not be imagined… “22 pounds at least, it was like being hit by Joe Frasher” he kept saying.
Mick was by his own admission and reputation on the Lower Sacramento “the best god damned single egg fisherman in california… and you can ask anybody”….and bless him…he was. He explored alone all throughout the steelhead streams and bird hunting grounds for his whole life, and died of a fucking ulcer. Go figure.
Mark Ostrom | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
and on a more sinister note… on the day they tell me I’m riddled with tumors the size of 1910 softballs I’m on a plane to India, to the Delta Tigers’ domain, to become lunch.
I can imagine no better nor more noble end than to grace the jaws of a Maneater, and feed her Cubs. Amen and Amen.
Let Nature have her due and don’t put me in a box like mummified dog shit in those “doggie” bags laying encapsulated forever
in our landfills. I am not a pearl…I am not a golden icon…I am not priceless and to be preserved forever… I am a primate who learned to fish and make weapons and iPods. Treat my butt likewise.
Bon Appetite!
Kentucky Jim | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
Well, alright then.
Wook | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
Turkeys are thugs.
Tom Chandler | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
From the Redding Record Searchlight [http://www.redding.com/news/2008/mar/04/man-evades-mountain-lion/]
Read the whole story, and let me know if you think you’d want the lion shot if you were the jogger. Is he really lucky to be alive? Or is he overreacting to a chance encounter with a mountain lion? Assuming the lion “almost pounced on him” is amusing given that the thing probably noticed him halfway down the slope and put on the brakes.
I wasn’t there, so I won’t comment further on this specific instance, but it sometimes feels like people seek out the solitude of wilderness, but want the “wild” animals to act like Disney characters.
Dave N | Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
If that Lion wanted to “pounce” on him it would have. And it would have killed him pretty easily. What a dork.
Salty | Mar 7, 2008 | Reply
If he wants the lion dead, Fish & Game should make him kill the lion, with a fork. Natural selection would then decide who has the weaker genes and who is worthy of passing them on.
Tom Chandler | Mar 7, 2008 | Reply
Dave: I tend to agree. I’m sure it was what you’d have to call a “peak” experience for the guy, but if the lion wanted him to be lunch, he’d be lunch.
Salty: An admirable Darwinistic approach. Many y ears ago I proposed a higher use for our National Parks; we’d stock them heavily with predators, and then enforce a mandatory two-week “vacation” for every citizen (armed with only a knife and a flint for starting fires).