Harald Schmidt on the 'Timmy' Whale: Our Hypocritical Animal Cult
Harald Schmidt, former late-night TV host, recently commented on the media frenzy surrounding a humpback whale off the coast of Poel, Germany. He noted that Germany's largest tabloid, Bild, ran an article about the dangers of anthropomorphizing animals, while simultaneously featuring the whale story under the headline 'Krimi um Timmy' (Crime around Timmy). The piece draws parallels to earlier cases like Knut the polar bear and Bruno the 'problem bear', arguing that society sentimentalizes individual animal stories while ignoring mass slaughter. The article appears in the current issue of der Freitag.
Key facts
- Harald Schmidt spoke at an event in Kaiserslautern about the whale 'Timmy' off Poel.
- Bild newspaper ran an article on the problems of anthropomorphizing animals under the headline 'Krimi um Timmy'.
- The whale story has dominated German media for weeks.
- Schmidt compared the whale to earlier animal celebrities Knut and Bruno.
- The article argues that society shows hypocrisy by focusing on individual animal stories while ignoring mass slaughter.
- The piece is published in der Freitag.
- Knut was a polar bear, Bruno a 'problem bear'.
- The whale is a humpback whale.
Entities
Artists
- Harald Schmidt
Institutions
- Bild
- der Freitag
Locations
- Poel
- Germany
- Kaiserslautern