Timothy Treadwell - Brilliant Animal Lover or Insane Loon?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

Timothy Treadwell, in my opinion, was mentally ill. A couple of years ago, I watched Grizzly Man and found it to be one of the most painful movie experiences, ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFvUpUY7Ysw

As someone who has worked with animals of all kinds, in wild situations and in controlled surroundings, I found Treadwell's actions to be be very telling of a narcissistic personality compounded with delusions of grandeur (among other borderline personality disorders.) The belief that people can coexist peacefully, in the manner in which Treadwell attempted, in the woods with wild grizzly's is so misguided that the tragic outcome is of no surprise. His histrionics in front of the camera. The screaming at a God to make the rain stop. The idiocy of leaving food where a hungry animal will try to get it. Petting, naming and talking to wild bears... INSANE.
Troubled child that Tim Treadwell.

The one happy thought - One of my favorite spoofs on a movie: http://www.youtube.com/w/Grizzly-Bear-Man?v=TFq2CM2Pd2g

[flvegan]

1. I'd say a scoop of each.

[redqueen]

5. Yup.

Most people are complex creatures.

[Lance_Boyle]

2. food n/t

[QueenOfCalifornia]

3. Yes....

he was.

Too bad his girlfriend was too.

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. He desperately needed intimacy/affection.

This is what a person looks like who has been denied basic intimacy, and screams from the injured child for some salve to the continuous wound. Yes, that is infantile ego and a desperate search for belonging and acceptance. People who turn too heavily to animals to fulfill lack of human intimacy have some of the same traits.

"How come men stop calling when they find out I have many cats?" -Sheba, "Love Is Hell", Matt Groening.

It's a howling shame that our society is structured to reject damaged individuals, especially the louder they cry for their birthright as a human. Instead he meets the people who throw rocks at bears to excite tourists. The old, old story, to tragic extremes. It's a compelling indictment of our "culture".

[grace0418]

6. Mentally ill man who loved animals.

I couldn't even finish watching that movie. It was hard enough watching the rantings of a clearly delusional man, but then to have the director exploiting it (like when he gives the woman the audio tape and tells her not to listen, or where the coroner hands over the watch to his ex) was just too much.

I love animals and I have a fantasy of being able to communicate and live amongst wild animals, but I know the reality and I would never put myself or the animal in that position. I think Timothy Treadwell did more harm than good, in that he was training wild animals to get too close to humans. What happens when bears get too close to humans? Someone gets hurt, either humans, or the bear or both.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Yes.

And still better than those poachers he ran into.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

10. Because of his actions

he might as well have been a poacher. He made sure that the bears were accustomed to a human presence- this insured that the poachers would be able to easily approach. His actions were unthinkable for anyone who really wanted to save the bears.

Yes. intentions are nice but they pave a road to Hell... Or so I am told.

[VenusRising]

8. He probably would have been better off trying to rescue animals.

He had an intense love of animals, I'll give him that. I think if he had turned that energy into rescuing and caring for sick/injured wild animals both he and the animals would have fared far better.

[skygazer]

9. Idiot

One of those morans whose "love" of animals endangered the very animals he loved so much. Wild animals don't need our hugs and kisses. They need us to leave them the fuck alone.

[Critters2]

11. Re: that video...I hate myself for this, but

"He was nuttier'n squirrel shit. He lived in the woods with bears."