Whither Flipper?

I realized recently that the animals most cherished by the collective public are not the same from era to era. As Peter points out in the comments below, this could be linked to the society itself: what it values and how it thinks. There's a small sociology research paper lurking in here somewhere. Any sociologists out there need a theory to hang a thesis on? Just footnote me! I was just doing it for fun but I'd enjoy seeing anyone take this ball and work it up properly...

decade	Era-specific Charismatic Megafauna	Defining charactaristic
70s	Dolphin, whale	intelligence
80s	unicorn*	combable-mane / pink
70s	Baby seal	White fur, big eyes
2000s	lemurs	Wild striped tail, glowing eyes, odd dancing gait (see You Tube for confirmation)
1990s	Sea turtle	motherhood
1980s	orcas	Theme park servitude
1990s	Polar bear	Soda-appetite
2000s	Polar bear	CO2 poster child vainly seeking an ice floe
1970s	Sea horses	Bizarre, affordable (~$9) as home pets.
<1940s	bee	Work ethic
1970s	bee	Venomous & irritable
2000s	bee	sustainable farming
1990s	ladybug	Sustainable farming
1990s	deer	Presence anticipates Captain Planet arrival
1970s	shark	Revenge of the Earth against hubris of 70s humans
1970s	bear	Early adopter of the move West (esp to Colorado)
1980s	wolf	Friends with Kevin Costner and other Native Americans
1960s	otter	Oblivious to the rat race; thriving without a work ethic

Comments

[Peter]

Did you do this? This is brilliant!

Animals' connotations change so quickly! Maybe deer are becoming habitat destroyers this decade because of their relatively unchecked populations.

Your table reminds me of the differing concepts of youth, old age, government, religion, etc. that our society buys into depending on which generation is going through youth, young adulthood, middle age, and old age at a given time. Generations, written by Strauss and Howe in 1991, really turned me on to that.

[Evan]

I wrote this list down in a notebook after it came to me while I was washing dishes.

Wow, I remember you explaining that book in your blog and I have thought about it since then. You're right- it sure does connect. The animals would be a Rorsach blot test of these generations orientations.