www.wcpo.com: After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on "The Greatest Show on Earth." The owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told The Associated Press that the show will close forever in May.
The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.
2 comments:
It’s a shame that so many circus are closing. Just last week I heard the the Big Apple Circus, the circus I grew up going to, was closing. I think it's interesting that the main obstacle is time. Not only was it harder to keep the animals but children are less willing to sit through the show. It’s still a shame though. The circus was a fun, family activity that I have found memories of. Watching television at home, despite it being more convenient and cheaper is not the same. I think the attempted ideas to stay relevant was good ideas and I wish that they had been successful. Also with better and better GCI, I can understand why the circus seemed less interesting therefore much of the wow factor is gone. Also, the bad press from the animal rights activist probably did not help trying to attract people to the circus. Despite the fact that Ringling Brothers and other circuses are closing, I hope that one day they're brought back in a way that is more suited for the time.
Like Evan said, once I read the headline I felt a sense of bitter sweetness. I've went to the circus as a kid with my family so many times and have loved it so much. However, you never think or really know about how animals are treated in circus life and I remember being so confused as to why there were protesters outside the tents. I thought, "How could they possibly hate such a magnificent show?" (Although my favorite part were the clowns). As sad of a closing this is simply because of joyous childhood memories and the extremely long run time the Ringling Bros had, this is a huge, important win for animal rights activists all over. It's also interesting to note how, due to a loss of elephants, the circus lost so much business--the animals really were the thing people came to see and it was probably a little horrid once they found out the truth. Finally, one last point that I didn't even realize at first were the massive loss of jobs because of this decision by the company. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to land a gig when your major, passion, and education are all in the circus business. I'm sure there are plenty more spectacles that'll take these specific skill sets and there are always other circus companies, especially local ones you can go and support (as long as the animals are treated fairly of course).
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