Meerkat Prompts: Fish Politics
My daughter has been bugging me to write this post for ages. Whenever I’ve asked her to offer up a prompt idea, she’s suggested fish politics, and in my covid-riddled state I’ve decided to bite the bullet and give it a go.
If we were to subscribe a political understanding to the creatures of the sea, some notions might immediately spring to mind, but they aren’t necessarily accurate. We might assume sharks, being bulky and powerful predators, would be the rulers. On the other hand the likes of dolphins, orcas and whales have considerably more intelligence, and dolphins have shown an ability to cooperate with other species for mutual benefit. This would make them better suited to leadership roles. The likes of octopuses have also shown tremendous intelligence, and would make excellent problem solving leaders. The presumption of ‘might makes right’ only prevails in limited circumstances, so the supposed ‘big fish’ wouldn’t make the most ideal leaders and decision-makers.
Not everyone would share that assessment, not least of all the shark. It may wish to bludgeon and bully its way around, wielding intimidation as a path to power, yet the reality is that the intelligence and social efforts of other species has rendered them more successful. It would nice if humans could learn similar lessons.
