To want to watch a nature program without all the doom and gloom

[OwlBeGone]

I suspect I am. I just want to watch a nature program which doesn't, at some point, inform us that we're all dooooomed, and the natural world is falling to bits. I KNOW there is climate change, it's probably too late to make the necessary changes, that habitats are fucked, but sometimes I just want to watch beautiful animals without thinking about it. AIBU?

Yes Im the same OP, I wont watch them now really

Also instantly mute the adverts incase I see one about donkeys, lonely bears or dementia suffering elderly people.

I stopped feeling guilty about muting the donkeys by setting up a small monthly donation to the Brooke Hospital.

I’m glad it’s not just me, I cannot watch them at all, the images stay with me and it’s just so distressing.

I agree.

I know climate change is happening. I know it's a disaster on a scale humanity has never seen before. I know it's only going to get worse from here on.

But I'm one person with an average job in a small corner of the UK. It doesn't matter that I drive an EV, walk everywhere I can, turn my heating down, reduce, reuse, recycle. It doesn't matter that I don't buy plastic tat etc etc.

Because there's the likes of Elon Musk jet setting around the world, China becoming a giant CO2 factory, countries dumping their entire rubbish in rivers instead of processing it, and oil rich oligarchs pumping out propaganda that would make Goebbels proud.

So yes, maybe i am the ostrich with my head in the sand, but I know the world is going to shit so maybe I just want to watch some cute ostrich babies and take my mind off things, since there is sod all else I can do.

I feel the same I won’t watch them nowadays, everyone knows how nature can be cruel, we so don’t need the music changing to the “something really terrible is about to happen” music, maybe there should be two versions of these programmes, one being without the gory detail of seeing animals being torn apart - just urgh.

This.

We put nature films and programs on for the children at work (SEN school) and we put them on mute and put on intrumental playlists in the background.
They get to enjoy the very cool visuals, see the animald and the hear nice calm music without the voiceovers that they don't enjoy.

Completely agree. I just want to watch beautiful imagery of animals and nature. I don’t want to be preached at.

Even more annoying are those wildlife documentaries when they give the animals names as though they were their best mates and behaved the way humans behave. So Joe the rhino met Jane the rhino, they had little baby rhinos and they all lived happily ever after.

If it's depressing, I'm not watching. Even assuming they're all 100% correct (and I'm not convinced, because there's so very much none of us can fully comprehend or predict), there's literally nothing I can do to make a real difference, and I refuse to subject myself to misery for my brief time on this planet.

I don't really care if that makes me selfish or an ostrich. Life has misery enough without wallowing in the more depressing aspects when we can possibly avoid it.

An animals life is basically sex or looking for food. Or giving birth and teaching the babies to find food. That's pretty much all they do. There is about 10% that is maybe other behaviour but that will probably be to do with practice for sex or looking for food.

I very rarely watch them any more. Got fed up a while back with every wildlife programme ending with "sadly there are only 100 breeding pairs left in the wild," or similar. And can't bear David Attenburgh's voice now, partly as a result.

YANBU!

Sad but true

YANBU

I am fed up of penguins being eaten and seals being thrown around by orcas, all the doom, and I have been interested in wildlife and conservation all my life.

I want more about the wildlife we have left.

I don't watch any more.

People who want to see cute animals without being told about the threat of mass extinction and habitats dying are the problem. What cat videos online if that's what you want. Any decent documentary makers would be ashamed to make nature docs and not give coverage to climate change and environmental destruction.

I’m sure there are still cuddling, unchallenging, anthropomorphising nature programmes that edit out the ‘red in tooth and claw’ elements and give the impression all wildlife is baby-loving, vegetarian and pacifist.

I am sick of the fucking lectures, tbh

Totally agree OP I also find it so sad when anything about climate change is lectured to my primary age DC. They come back from school depressed and feeling guilty at what humans are doing. And it’s not fair as they are helpless to change anything as individuals as isn’t their fault.

This is ironic, as a week or so ago on another thread about cat curfews/bans being introduced into some parts of Australia to control endangered species extinction, the majority of posters simply did not understand it. They seemed to think having a few bird and fauna species go extinct is absolutely worth the 24/7 freedom of cats.

I don't necessarily like seeing those parts of nature documentaries either, but that type of knowledge is essential - and it seems many are lacking in it.

This thread is depressing. People sticking their heads in the sand is part of the problem. Education and knowledge is key as the masses have serious power and can sway government choices. Soon it won't be a choice for many but a necessity.

Try Peppa Pig. 🐷

It's absolutely overflowing with animals, and their dialogue is very profound (when compared to Members of Parliament) and no animal eats another.

(Actually I wonder what they do eat, I suppose they must all be vegans?)

I don't like David Attenborough programmes in the last ten years or so, nothing to do with climate change, but because there is always some drama shoehorned in - will the lizard make it away from the snakes? - and all that crap. It's no better than an episode of Eastenders and I feel horribly patronised.

There are a lot more quietly intelligent and informative wildlife programmes around, like Wild Ireland a few years ago.

It's a shame as I did love his programme about feral cats in Rome, probably 20 years ago now.

The thing for me is that they pretend that nature is survival of the fittest 24/7, 365 but it's not really like that.

Yes some get eaten, some travel long distances but it's not an everyday, constant stress thing and it annoys me.

It's like the message is that life is so cruel and aren't humans lucky, but for the most part, animals have a relaxed life too. It's propaganda to make us accept or be thankful to be part of the rat-race.

I just don't need the stress of it actually.
I used to love animal documentaries but I already know there's a huge problem and I can't do a thing about it that would make a significant difference. Corporations are the biggest culprits, the UK is responsible for 1% of world emissions anyway. I don't need the stress of it honestly.