Dear Editor,
I read Christine Flowers’ column about the shooting of a gorilla after a child fell into its pit at the Cincinnati zoo (“Tragedy was avoidable,” June 8). Up to the last paragraph I felt she was being reasonable.
Then she flips into “blame the mother” mode. A bit of research on Ms. Flowers turns up the fact she is not a mother. Amazing how someone who’s never had to manage three children at one time as a lifetime career knows exactly what should have happened.
First, there were three children, not one. The mom-blamers never mention that tidbit. The mom had turned briefly to deal with one child before finding the toddler missing. She was already looking for the boy before he fell into the pen. No one without children knows just how fast they can move.
Second, the zoo and the police cleared her of any wrongdoing. We fail to hear that part, too. She was investigated and cleared. The situation wasn’t swept under the rug.
But there are always those who believe they know better, whether they were there or not. A bit of research will turn up eyewitness accounts, and none blame the mother. Only people who weren’t there do.
What is it about the need for blame that makes us strike out at strangers? A few media reports and a lot of opinion, and suddenly we know exactly who is to blame and what the punishment should be.
Blame is a waste of time. It will not bring back Harambe the gorilla, it won’t change the tragedy, it will only allow small-minded people to feel good about themselves.
Alex McGilvery
Flin Flon
