Say So

three words: Cirque du Soleil

I did not get to see a circus until I was in my late teens, so the magic for me was not there, but I did see the magic in the children’s faces. Not all circuses have abused animals in them, with all the animal rights activists out there, lots of circuses are eliminating animals from their acts.

Every time I take my son to Las Vegas, we always go to Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, where they have free circus acts. Maybe they are not “The Flying Walendas” but my wife and son love to watch the acrobats.

C’mon guys don’t take away a good thing - animals don’t know better!

I’bve trained my goldfish to leap through a hoop of fire and walk around the living room on its tail.

My kids love it.

Ten: “Cat in the Hat”?? Love that fish….but I still think circus’ suck ASS!!

i think that animal rights protesters should be concentrating on the owners of domestic pets who are up in court every day for cruelty .

Not all animals are mistreated, some do have vigorous training methods, but many don’t, animals can establish close connections with their trainers

circus animals are great entertainment. thay are excellent fun for the kids and the mother and parents

I’ve read some pretty horrifying stuff (assuming it’s even half true would be enough to turn me off) so I wouldn’t take my kids (if I had some) to the circus for entertainment.

I have clown issues.

Ditto on the clown issues. Plus, the lives for the animals is probably pretty horrid. I give it a big thumbs down.

I am against them. I’ve also heard horrific stuff about them and wouldn’t spend a dime to go to one

I used to be in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and took my little to the circus for an afternoon outing. It was horrible. He was only 11 at the time and he beat me to it by saying, “Those animals look miserable.” And they did. An 11-year-old knows it just was well as an adult. It was really sad.

I remember going to the circus when I was a very little boy. It was fun then because the “magic” was there and I wasn’t cognizant of the cruelty involved. I very much understand why there were gaggles of PETA members handing out fliers before the circus.

I’ve a kid on the way and now I’m wondering how I’m going to handle it when he or she is five and asks, “Daddy! Daddy! Can we go to the circus?”

“Uhhh, no, Junior. We’re not going to give money to support the abuse of elephants and horses and pay $11 for cotton candy.”

“Awwwww Dad.”

“No, sorry.”

“Well, then can I put this fork in that hole in the wall where the lamp is plugged in?”

“Uh, sure, I guess that sounds okay.”

Circuses are also bad because there’s only two things in the world that scare me and one is nuclear war.

“What’s the other thing?”

“Excuse me?”

“What’s the other thing that scares you?”

“Carnies.”

“…”

“Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands.”

I will NEVER go to OR take my kids to a circus EVER!!!! I feel very strongly on this issue, if you cant tell…. :) As i’ve been “backstage” so to speak, at a circus, I know exactly what goes on and it is horrific!! The participants in circus’ will tell you different but who do they really think they are kidding???? These animals are treated worse that I would treat my worst enemy.

Oh and yea, clowns really scare me…..ever since I watched “Poltergeist”….YUCK!!

I would go see Cirque du Soleil. However, I would not go to the regular circus. I don’t believe in abusing animals and I don’t want to give a company money that abuses animals.

That cum up to the knee….

Well, life of circus animals surely IS horrible but - I don’t know - the truly reason why I don’t like circus is that somehow I do not enjoy watching people do dangerous things. When I watch some acrobatics, all I can think is “My god, what if he’d fall!” or “Oh men, this must hurt!” I don’t say circus is bad - it’s just not for me.

At least boo boo the human performers are in charge of their own destiny….whereas the poor animals are not.

Many animals get hurt there they don’t get right amounts of food and water and if they run away and they get caught they get killed. How can you think that is right?

i think this because i think animals should not be used for entertainment. it is unfair on the animals and really cruel as well.

i think it is bad because animals should be treted the same

ITS EVIL GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it’s bad because animals are took from their families and make them do things that they don’t want to do.Sometimes even hit them when they don’t obey.

For many people the word “circus” to them means popcorn, candy, “wild” animals, and fun but behind all the good performances that happens out on the stage behind all that lies a cruel world of untold animal suffering. Animals used in circuses are unwilling participants in a show that puts their health and mental well-being in danger and also the lives of human watchers and performers. Circus animals are just as badly treated as make-up tested animals. Animals are not supposed to be used as objects of display, testing or amusement. In a circus, you would usually find animals like Elephants, Lions and Monkey’s. Where did we get them from? What suffering did we cause to bring them here? What pain did we cause for them to be able to leap through “Rings of Fire”?

Circuses force animals to perform tricks that they would naturally never do or how they behave in the wild. These unnatural acts range from a tiger jumping through a flaming hoop to bears riding bicycles. Some of the animals are badly injured while they are performing these acts. Tigers that are naturally afraid of fire have been badly burned jumping through the hoops Training animals to perform acts that are sometimes painful or that they do not understand requires whips, tight collars, muzzles and other tools. Elephants are trained with the use of an ankus—a wooden stick with a sharp, pointed hook at the end to discourage bad behaviour. Even though an elephant’s skin is thick, it’s also very sensitive. It’s sensitive enough to feel a fly on her back. The ankus that the trainers use is to hit the most sensitive areas of the elephant, such as around the feet, behind the ears, under the chin, inside the mouth, and is sometimes used to smash them across the face. Circuses claim to use “positive reinforcement” and to base their tricks on behaviours that animals carry out naturally. If this were true, the trainers would be carrying bags of food treats, not a metal weapon.

Animals that are in circuses in 18- wheelers or by train. Animals that would naturally walk a long distance are kept in small cages with hardly enough room to turn around. Elephants are put in chains on their front and back legs so they can barley move. They are forced to eat, and sleep in the same trailers, where they can be kept for up to or more then 24 hours. Often the animals are not let off the railroad cars as soon as they arrive either because of traffic conditions or because the train arrived too early or late. In this instance, the animals are forced to wait inside of the railroad cars for hours and in very hot and cold condition.

Even if conditions were improved and better methods of training were used, that still affects the animals because keeping wild animals in captivity takes away the animals natural surroundings and they eventually lose their natural instinct and they start to rely on humans. Elephants, tigers, chimpanzees, and other animals used in circuses are complex creatures, not something to be stacked in boxes and forgotten about until the next show. Lives of constant confinement and frustration of natural instincts force animals into a state of unnatural behaviour. Elephants in circuses constantly sway back and forth in their chains, and tigers constantly pace in their cages. These animals belong in their natural environments in the jungles of Africa and Asia—not in American arenas and parking lots.

Circuses are BAD!!!!!!!!!! The circus trainers put animals in very small cages, whip them ,and do not give animals enough food. DON’T go to CIRCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think animals should not be used in circuses at all as they are torchered and are not looked after well at all it is sickening to watch and see them suffer slowly in those cages that they call enclosures as they have no room or space to move around and are shouted at by visitors as they think its cool when its dreadful it just shouldnt happen at all and I for one am against the whole thing!!!

pointless and i dont see how people can find it entertaining to watch a wild animal do unnatural tricks. They are treated in a very cruel manner and what people dont realise is what goes on behind the sceans. An elephant is aver 20 times bigger than us and at the top of the food chain, what makes us think that its ok to treat this animal with no respect. This world is a very sad place! just put yourself in their position.

the circus is just not fair.I think it is mean to threatend animals that are living peacefuly with us .They should be free like humans,because we are all equal organisms.

All you need to do is look into an elephant’s eyes. I am against zoos also. No matter how a wild animal is treated or fed, it just isn’t right. Just look into their eyes and feel the sadness.

circuses are REALLY bad they should be allowed to have them the animals are kept in small cramped cages and in bad condition!!
i will protest till the end!!!

they are bad - no animal shouldbe taken from the wild and forced to wear tutus or do unconfortable tricks. The animals get no say in this and the only way it’ll stop if the customers stop going to circuses with animals. We all know what goes behind the scenes and sometimes not just behind the scenes - the animals get whipped, abused and stabbed with electric prods and bull-hooks. Although this is not the case for all circuses it is the case for most. They are also held in small cages or chained up in small buildings.

Sorry,I don’t get the Stefani connection.What was/is your point on using her name??

li’ll slow dumbass - she asked for new topics

if we are against circuses and rodeos, do we also have to be anti-zoo?

Be nice *.

I asked for new topics and this is a great one!! Pagan, its ok….

Don’t worry Stefi-I don’t get offended.I smile because they don’t know how easy it is to trace them if I wanted to.I Do enjoy clowns.I see many during the course of a normal day.

I loved them when I was younger, but am alarmed at the animal-cruelty now that I’m an adult. Cirque du Soleil I would see (as rhett said), but a regular circus - I think not. Oh, and pagan, you do amuse me so! LOL about the trace - even though I know you’re probably serious! :) There seems to be an abundance of clowns where I am, too. I do have issues with some of them. ;)

Nori,you are correct.I am being serious.I Do LOVE Cirque du Soleil.Outside of work I’ve only traced one person.[with permission]This person was using the Net to scare a female friend.He turned out to be someone she attended UConn with and thought was a friend.When I caught up with him on campus and laid it on him-he was so scared he pissed his pants in front of everyone.Made it all worthwhile. He’s behaved ever since.

LMAO, pagan! It definitely pays to stay on YOUR buddy-list.

Nori,meant to tell you how much everyone at work loved your reply to my teddybear response.The young woman I mentioned is now my girlfriend.She laughed the most.OMG,I just realized that I’m dating a Federal Agent.I better behave.LOL

Glad I could provide a few chuckles. Really do respect what you do, and wish I could help!

I don’t know if we have to be anti-zoo…. I have gone back and forth on the issue. But while it’s easy to disagree with the idea that wild animals you assume should be free are cooped up in cages, at the same time zoos do a lot of rehabilitation work and take in alot of animals that might otherwise die. I know at the Toronto Zoo they have many many injured animals that they’ve taken in to try and heal. When it comes to animals like Pandas, zoos have enough money and can be a good, safe way to try and keep them healthy and to encourage procreation. Also, people that become zoologists do it because they sincerely love animals, unlike circus workers who are much more likely to abuse an animal, especially an animal that is being forced to work as hard as those animals do.

Well the animals that are at the zoo arent being necessarily “trained” to be something that they are not…they are free to live their lives, although captive, they still have some freedom to do what they want…

Vos…remind me to kick your ass later :) Animals feel pain and get depressed like humans…

LOL @Stefi.Better watch out Vos-we know you’ll enjoy it too much.

Further to Pagan’s comment - Stef will you be barefoot or a nasty high hells

Those big, chunky, black patent leather ones…..

hot damn!

Cirque du Soleil is okay- I like it. But any other, really bad. I really hate the way the animals are shuffled around and treated. Even as a kid, I would have rathered seen the animals in the zoo possibly enjoying themselves instead of trying to perform for people. And dont get me started on clowns….

… on the clowns.

we have to make a law were it say that circus are forbid in any country because animals are like humans and they did´t do someting bad to be treated in that way so i think the one who make that should go to jail!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well the way they treat animals is really bad and horrid, but watching people do really cool stunts and stuff is great fun to watch! I’m not saying the circus is good or bad but I reckon that some parts are cool where as others are just cruelty.

MANY PEOPLE SUCH AS MYSELF GO HORSE RIDING. SO WHEN WE HORSE RIDE WE ARE MAKING THEM PERFORM. SO ANIMALS PERFORMING IS OK AND KITKAT IS WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i like circus

honestly clowns are quite scary so i’m not really much of a circus fan.

I think it depends on how the animals at the circus are being treated. For example, in some ways, the animals would be better off at the circus because they would have people looking after them and caring for them. If they are however, being mistreated then I would surely recommend that animals should NOT be a part of the circus. Anyway, it is not our place to judge what goes on behind the scenes of the circus, unless we have true evidence on the matter.

As long as I do not have to interact with the clowns. They creep me out.