The idea of lemmings regularly committing mass suicide has never really made a lot of sense, of course. Not from an evolutionary perspective, certainly. Most species have enough external challenges to their survival without collectively dropping the hammer on their own existence. So the fact that much of this stereotype was promoted by a Disney snuff film is horrifying, but not that surprising.
It's an enduring impression, though. There was even a theatrical hit in the early 1970s, National Lampoon's Lemmings, that reflected this myth and projected it onto youth culture. Was a big break for John Belushi and Chevy Chase, so go figure.
2 comments:
I have a vague memory of having seen that Disney documentary the article refers to. Maybe it's such a famous bit it got shown more than once. Anyhow, Ihad no idea they actually drove the creatures off a cliff in order to get some dramatic footage. At the same time it doesn't surprise me all that much as all these years later I still remember the trauma of heroic Ol Yeller getting shot - never mind Bambi's mother. I'm not going so far to say Uncle Walt was a bit sadistic, but he never really left the naughty boy behind and that was a big part of his success.
Why would lemmings commit suicide, indeed. I'm glad to know I no longer have to believe that particular notion. Thank you.
btw: I never did see National Lampoon's Lemmings - although it sounds entertaining.
Like many of us, Walt was a complex character. While Ub Iwerks essentially created a lot of Disney's early characters, including Mickey, Walt's skills as an animation director helped breathe life into them, and he saw their potential. Plus of course he based a whole entertainment empire on these characters. Not surprisingly, it picked up a lot of his psychological tics. As to the shortcuts taken in some of Disney's nature films, they prefigure the shady ethical practices of some reality TV shows in an odd way.
Robert Heinlein seems to have been misinformed on lemmings. One story of his has a long tangent on their mass suicides.
I've only read about NL's Lemmings. Apparently Lorne Michaels is planning a big 50th anniversary revival. Tempus fugit.
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