Further to my previous article about hunting, a study shows in detail how disconnected urbanites are from the natural world.
- Two million people in the UK have never seen the countryside.
- 10% of 16-24 year olds have never seen the countryside.
- 17% of urbanites only visit the countryside once a year.
It is no wonder that these people have strange ideas about the countryside, food production and the natural world. Ideas that lead to distortions of the mind about hunting and the eating of meat.
An animal for many urbanites is a dog or cat that naturally they would never consider eating. For those without pets their only contact with the "animal world" was an anthropomorphised soft toy animal as a child, with which they had played and conversed with. Hardly the sort of thing that generates understanding of the natural world.
There should be more done to integrate urbanites with the natural world. However, getting them to visit and play in the countryside is not the answer. Be it boating on lakes and canals or driving 4x4s and trials bikes off-road is hardly going to extend their knowledge of ecosystems and food production. Children need to grow up seeing and understanding the animals they eat. Such knowledge will give them a better understanding of local food and the importance of farming.
Telegraph - Urbanites can't tell a lark from a sparrow
2 comments:
I worry about this for my kids, who are still young. We have spent most of their life in urban environments. That is not to say that we have not been to farms or the country. I grew up in rural Scotland the the cycle of the seasons was very visible. I hope that they can get a feel for this too since we have moved closer to the country.
Getting them involved in growing vegetables and being active in constructing their own healthy diets is a good start.
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