Ringling Bros. announced the closure of its circus earlier this year and the Big Apple Circus filed for bankruptcy in in 2016. Janet M. Davis, a professor of history and American studies at the University of Texas at Austin, debunks five myths about the circus and offers a perspective of how animal rights activity has affected the industry and society in general.
Source: Washington Post, March 20, 2017.
. . . smaller circuses are flourishing. . . . Other one-ring shows, such as Circus Flora and the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus, are still going strong. As a bellwether of the future, your circuses are booming. According to the American Youth Circus Organization, there are 250 circus education programs nationwide, with growth projected at 10 new programs per year.
INSIGHTS: No matter where you stand on issues surrounding the circus, you owe it to yourself to read this column to get a perspective of where it fits in our society. Davis eloquently provides context. As importantly, she presents the broad cultural and social influence of the American animal welfare movement in her book, The Gospel of Kindness: Animal Welfare and the making of Modern America. If nothing else, reading her column and her book, will help reduce name-calling and blaming in our business.