Monday night, Rose Scholars had the opportunity to watch the documentary Racing Extinction. As a society, we hear that we are destroying our planet all of the time, but it was different receiving this message visually. I left the Cornell Cinema mad and infuriated, and I think that was the point.

There was one scene that covered village-wide massacre of these beautiful Manta Rays. The village people had to do it in order to survive- not by choice. Once a bill was passed to forbid the killing of the creatures, the creators of the documentary helped the community transition into a tourism-oriented economy. I think this method could be used for a lot of communities that are in similar situations.

There was another scene that depicted clip after clip of endangered animals in black market shops in China. There is such a big market for items like Manta Ray gills (believed to cure cancer) and elephant tusks (a symbol of wealth) in this country and others. I think one of the hardest aspects of ending this cycle is the fact that it started so long ago. Some of these myths and beliefs regarding medicinal remedies and status symbols originated hundreds of years ago. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but the world depends on it.