I love the circus BUT...

I love the circus BUT ...

I don't like to see a ring without a ringmaster.

I don't like to see lady circus performers dressed like they're not.

I don't like to see people crunching on lightbulbs or running fire all over their bodies or dropping knives on their tummies, or lying on glass and nails, because the children might go home and copy them.

I don't like to see an act where people pretend to be drunk and get the audience to laugh, because that tells the children that drinking is fun or funny, and it's not, it's just sad.

I don't like to see sad expressions in elephants' eyes, or what looks like tears running down a horse's eyes, because I can't speak Elephant or Horse, so I don't know how to say Sorry. I don't like to see mahouts poking elephants with proddy things, or people with whips, because I think working with gentleness and earning trust works much better.

I don't like to see clowns hitting each other, because real humour doesn't need violence. I don't like to see audiences who laugh at clowns hitting each other, because real humanity doesn't need violence to feel good.

I don't like to see young ladies swirling in the air, hanging from their teeth. I don't like to see people doing pretty things high up in the air but not having a safety net or proper safety harness, just a wire or a rope tied to their waist. I don't like to see death-defying acts that really are death-defying acts, because it tells me that not everyone in the world believes in the value of life.

I don't like to see audiences come out smiling and laughing without noticing that the circus people don't do as much smiling and laughing.

I love the circus BUT I don't think the circus loves itself.