hegemony rules

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Zoology, black bears are feasting on the detritus of human activity - namely, garbage. Bears are becoming fatter and more sedate because they're eating all the crap that we throw away, which often includes the remnants of our habitual fast food consumption.

Researchers found that black bears now fall into two groups: city bears, which hang out in town, and country bears, which forage in the wilderness like "normal" bears should. The city bears are causing quite a ruckus - one report cited in the NY Times mentions a woman who found a bear sleeping outside her bedroom door after ingesting a huge meal from her kitchen.

All of this talk of country bears and city bears reminds me of two things: Aesop's classic children's tale The City Mouse and the Country Mouse and the wretched "Country Bear Jamboree" at Disney World, which perpetuates every ridiculous stereotype about bears (or people) from the south.

I love it when science imitates art.