Ya know, there was a “Homo sapiens exhibit” at the Bronx Zoo around the turn of the century… :eek: I think the guy in question didn’t like it too much though.
For a lifestyle better than the one to which I’ve become accustomed? Yeah, I’d probably volunteer. If I got regular vacations and was housed with an outstanding female specimine (sp?) of the species, then sign me up right now.
(I’m having a vision of Slaughterhouse 5.)
If I could have Mr. Athena, a computer, Internet connection, and a decent sized library, I’d be perfectly happy to live in a zoo. Throw in a couple vacations a year (a travelling zoo!) and I’d be set for life.
Wow, this thread has been an eye-opener for me. I had no idea so many people would have no problem with being caged people. Don’t want to get all philosophical and stuff, but what does that say about our lives that we would give up freedom for security?
I’m gonna have to say not much, because the yesses seem to come with a lot of caveats, e.g. vacations, mates, pets, etc. So while people are volunteering to be zoo exhibits, I’m not so sure we’re volunteering to be caged and all that implies.
IIRC, Ben Franklin was opposed to any sort of personal debt because when one took on a debt, like a mortgage on a house, one was restricting one’s ability to make unemcumbered choices; i.e., by taking a loan one was giving up an amount of freedom that was not acceptable. I tend to disagree because people make free choices to take out a mortgage on a house, etc. People are free to do that.
In the zoo question I am volunteering to give up quite a bit of freedom in terms of mobility and privacy; however, I am gaining quite a bit in terms of not having to work, access to healthcare, amenities, etc. Slaughterhouse 5 is quite relevant here: the main character was a zoo exhibit on an alien planet for some time. He was housed with a beautiful woman and he was able to converse with the visitors of the zoo. Would that be such a bad way to spend a couple of years? It’s not like my life is any more interesting or that I’m using what freedoms I have to do much of anything worth while.
My dad tells me that his grandma (IIRC) used to tell him that he would never know freedom like she did. He was born in '29 which would have put her in the 19th century, I suppose.
Can anyone recommend any books with this theme other than Slaughterhouse 5?
The maximum I would do it for is about a month, and only if I had internet access while I was there. Oh, and a nice sum of money at the end.