Opinion | Octopuses arent meant to be pets

Publish date: 2024-08-11

Regarding the April 14 news article “Their son wanted an octopus. They ended up with 50 more.”:

The story of the Oklahoma family that yielded and finally conceded to their child’s irrational need to own a pet octopus only to learn later “he” was a “she” and also pregnant with 50 eggs triggered me in so many ways. Removing and selling octopuses for profit is an irresponsible act rather than a lifelong lesson taught.

Instead, why not embrace and encourage their son’s passion for marine science in a more sustainable manner? I realize they live in a landlocked state — and I’m not sure where the closest aquarium is — but maybe do some research and visit one as frequently as feasible? See whether they have a volunteer program and enroll your child? I’m sure there’s an app where you can raise and nurture your own digital octopod.

There were so many lessons that could have been taught here instead of capitulating to your kid and worrying that you’d be “the worst father” if you didn’t indulge him. Teaching that it’s cruel and inhumane to trap a wild animal (or any living being for that matter) in a tank for your enjoyment could have been a lesson to respect the world around you.

Or flip the script on him with something along the lines of “How would you like being in a glass tank if a space alien came down to earth and scooped you up and stuck you in a tank to be their pet?”

Maybe if such lessons were taught early in life, we’d live in a much different world.

Robert Pousman, Healdsburg, Calif.

It was distressing to read the uncritical account of a boy’s whimsy leading one of the ocean’s most fascinating sentient creatures to be trapped in a tank in his bedroom, giving birth to two dozen surviving octopuses that were then relegated to individual plastic containers before being held captive in their own communal tank. Anyone who has seen the amazing Oscar-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher” would wonder why indulging the child’s enthusiasm would be worth so abusing a magnificent wild creature. Surely this boy, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium official who was quoted, could better learn about octopus life by watching videos.

And what a contrast to an article on the same day — “A silent killer stalks sea turtles. A small town is trying to stop it.” — about a Venezuelan community’s valiant effort to save endangered turtles in their native habitat.

Laura Ingersoll, Washington

Perhaps smart(phone) advice

I could not agree more with George F. Will’s April 7 op-ed “Want smart kids? Ban smartphones in schools.” The contrast between today’s experience of childhood and adolescence and mine in the 1970s is striking.

Like all reminiscences, mine is surely somewhat predisposed to positive experiences, but I do clearly remember playing outdoors as much as I was allowed, which included near-constant, in-person interaction with peers and some adults. This necessitated developing some basic social skills, sometimes the hard way, as well as engaging in copious amounts of physical activity, from which one occasionally hurt themselves. We were not “bubble-wrapped.” From these experiences, one learned to handle oneself.

When I walk around my neighborhood, the streets are deserted of children and adults, with dog-walkers the lone exception. Though I rarely go inside schools now, I often see schoolchildren waiting at bus stops in the morning. Every one of them is studying their phones while ignoring their nearby counterparts. I know that at the bus stops of my youth, we talked with one another. Did we discuss issues of great import? Probably never. But we were developing our ability to converse live with individuals with different personalities and from different backgrounds.

Mr. Will and author Jonathan Haidt are correct when they suggest that the ubiquity of smartphones and limitless access to the internet have curtailed the development of adolescents mentally, and I would go them one further and suggest that there has also been a corresponding impact on physical fitness, as evidenced by the pervasiveness of childhood obesity.

Daniel W. Keiper, Falls Church

A dangerous D.C. decision

Regarding the April 13 Metro article “District hits brakes on divisive bike route”:

The decision by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and the D.C. Council to cancel the proposed bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue NW is disheartening and dangerous.

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Few drivers obey the 25-mph speed limit north of the bridge over Rock Creek. For their own safety, riders of bikes and scooters use the sidewalks, many of which are narrow.

For a frequent pedestrian from the bridge north through Woodley Park, Cleveland Park and near Chevy Chase Circle, this decision is terrifying. Pedestrians cannot hear bikes or scooters, and their riders weave among older residents and families on their way to the National Zoo and perhaps to some of the businesses that influenced this shortsighted choice.

For safety’s sake, I hope the council will restore plans for the bike lanes we were promised.

Jody Beck, Washington

‘The capability to uplift people’

Regarding Reginald Dwayne Betts’s April 16 op-ed, “I was a teen in Virginia prison. Books were my lifeline.”

Though I commend Mr. Betts’s portrayal of the transformative power of literature amid incarceration, it’s vital to address the systemic issues within the prison system. He rightly emphasizes the resilience literature can instill, yet we must confront the broader issues of limited access to education and rehabilitation programs, disproportionately harsh sentencing and inadequate support for reintegration into society.

While literature offers peace, many individuals in prison lack access to reading materials, exacerbating feelings of isolation.

As an avid reader, I found the author’s narrative to be powerful and thoughtful. While I have not experienced the challenges of being imprisoned, I feel like I can connect to the belief that literature holds the capability to uplift people, regardless of their situation. We live in a world where access to knowledge is taken advantage of, more people are seen with a phone in their hand than a book. Reading is not just a source of intellectual enrichment but also a means of self-discovery.

Mr. Betts’s narrative underscores the importance of diverse perspectives in the discourse on criminal justice reform.

Isabella Heilbronn, Boston

Here’s the pitch

I hope every Nationals pitcher quoted in The Post’s April 13 Sports article “Seeing the game through pitchers’ eyes,” which was about where pitchers focus their gaze before throwing specific pitches, is outright lying. Please tell me this is a clever disinformation campaign. Otherwise, they might as well announce their pitches to the batter. I understand that two requirements for landing a spot in Major League Baseball are (1) excellent vision and (2) the ability to remember an incredible amount of detail, especially about pitchers. Any sharp-eyed batter who has had the benefit of reading this article is going to be one huge step closer to “guessing” what’s coming.

Thomas M. Sneeringer, Washington

Troubled bridges over water

Regarding the April 11 Metro article, “Inside the massive three-step cleanup of Baltimore’s Key Bridge”:

The eyes of the world have been focused on the collapse of the Key Bridge, sealing off Baltimore’s harbor. Among those eyes are people who bear the United States ill will and who could find the disaster a cost-effective way to harm our economy. Worse, one of our strategic military triad lies vulnerable.

Most of our East Coast harbors have entrances from the Atlantic Ocean spanned by huge bridges. For instance, New York’s harbor has the Verrazzano and the Bayonne bridges rising over the front and back entrances. More ominous for our security is Submarine Base New London on the Thames River in Groton, Conn. There, twin truss bridges and the Amtrak lift bridge, if dropped, would seal those subs in port at the 22-slip base just as are the eight unlucky freighters now trapped in Baltimore. The United States has only about 70 submarines worldwide, so a few out of service would present a significant loss.

At a cost only a tiny fraction of the loss in productivity and security, excavation should begin immediately to deepen the shipping channels under all such bridges by an additional 50 feet or more. The Baltimore entrapment results from what is probably 10 to 20 feet of rubble raising the channel clearance from 50 to perhaps 30 feet. With the additional 50-foot depth, the ruins of a fallen bridge would lie below the 48-foot draft of supermax container ships and our submarines. Bridge abutments could be strengthened as needed by the deepening. The bridge wreckage could then be removed piece-by-piece between vessel transits.

Let us hope this unlikely concern does not remind us of our Sept. 10, 2001, conviction that planes would always stay away from tall buildings.

John F. Corkill Jr., Bowie