February 07 Commentary Available
Charlotte’s Tangled Web
Several weeks ago, two spider-related items arrived in my email box on the same day. One was from a friend telling me she had taken her son to see Charlotte’s Web and was surprised to discover that this childhood classic now comes with a disclaimer. The second was a link to a video clip showing the bizarre webs spiders weave when exposed to certain mind-altering drugs. (The fact that this showed up on a comedy site is equally bizarre but that, as one of my teachers used to say, is beyond the scope of this discussion.) These two events triggered thoughts about our increased use of animals as a means of retreating from reality rather than as a source of inspiration regarding the best ways to deal with it.
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