The Unbearable Silence

Gentle readers, I regret that I must momentarily deviate from the usual regimen of cute pictures and humorous japes to discuss a serious matter. Until now, I had assumed that the use of animal performers was on the wane. Circuses had retired their lions and elephants, and local TV stations had abandoned the traditional “weather monkey” in favor of human meteorologists.

But now there is a new stain upon show business: Bear mimes. Innocent baby bears, trained to wear white greasepaint and amuse small crowds. (The photo below shows two performers applying their makeup before a performance, denied even the dignity of makeup sponges.) These innocent animals are often forced to sit in cramped invisible boxes, or struggle vainly against harsh imaginary winds.

Please help end this practice. Send your contribution to Stop Bear Mimes, Attn: I. May Sucker, c/o General Delivery, Pig Whistle TX.

315605xcitefun-baby-bears
“We have to dunk our faces? That’s a thing to do?”
You already voted!

19 thoughts on “The Unbearable Silence

  1. allein ? November 15, 2016 / 11:01 am

    So sad. When will we stop using animals for cheap entertainment? (Um, this site is still free, right?)

    Left bear has a much cleaner line on his makeup. He should probably give right bear a few tips.

    On a side note, the name “I. May” made me laugh…my grandmother’s name was Ida May. 🙂

  2. Smartypants November 15, 2016 / 11:07 am

    Don’t laugh…this is a beary serious matter!

  3. Gigi the cat lady November 15, 2016 / 11:22 am

    Brought to you by the same people that gave you the talking Marcel Marceau statue.
    And remember, a mime is a terrible thing to waste.

  4. allein ? November 15, 2016 / 11:25 am

    This is what these poor babies have to look forward to. Save them from the indignities of horizontal stripes and bearets! Donate today!

  5. Faye November 15, 2016 / 11:41 am

    Bear Mime Memes. That’s a thing now? Yes!

    I plunge my face into cheesecake. Does that count?

  6. DC Cindy November 15, 2016 / 11:46 am

    OK, I admit, I almost fell for it, until Mike got to the “weather monkey” part. Need more coffee

  7. DebG November 15, 2016 / 1:08 pm

    “Nobody deserves mime, Buffy.”–Oz

  8. Julie November 15, 2016 / 1:13 pm

    “denied even the dignity of makeup sponges”!!!

    Sometimes, I wish there was a way to highlight the best text in your posts.

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike November 15, 2016 / 1:20 pm

      Interesting that you should bring that up. The blogging platform known as Medium allows user/readers to highlight key passages and share them quickly. (This site runs on WordPress, which doesn’t have that ability.)

      • Julie November 15, 2016 / 2:26 pm

        That is actually a very cool feature, especially if you are an author. If you are an analytical type, it would help you hone in on what your readers respond to.

  9. Starfish November 15, 2016 / 1:53 pm

    This is one of those perfect scrolldown posts.

  10. Emsthemonster November 15, 2016 / 2:07 pm

    I have really needed some tutorial on applying make-up, and these bears seem to have found a unique way of doing it. It looks a lot less time-consuming than I expected, so I no longer need to walk bearfaced!

  11. Mal November 15, 2016 / 2:07 pm

    They tried first with raccoons. It did not go well.

    • allein ? November 15, 2016 / 2:16 pm

      Love how he comes up for air!

    • Smartypants November 15, 2016 / 8:35 pm

      “There’s gotta be a better way…maybe use these ‘hand’ thingies I have? Nah, someone would have come up with that already…”

  12. Smartypants November 15, 2016 / 3:21 pm

    Fortunately the results are charming – otherwise they’d feel em-bear-assed!

    • Faye November 15, 2016 / 10:32 pm

      ?

  13. Mr. Max November 16, 2016 / 6:33 am

    Even cuter than Stieffs. Didn’t think that was possible.

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