Dinosaurs Outside the Boundaries of Entertainment

 “Where’s the goat?” Just then, the carcass of the goat slammed into the car window with a thud. The three people looked up in alarm. ‘What the…?’ Just then, a low, but thunderous growl came from above their heads.

          I keep my eyes glued to the screen, watching the Tyrannosaurus Rex rampage around wildly. What a pity for the people there. Child or adult, in that situation, anyone would have bawled their eyes out in fear. To those in the position of a viewer, however, the scene not only gives an enormous amount of anxiety and horror but also excitement. Excitement, a sense of adrenalin through the veins, comes without exception during this scene. The setting, of course, contributes to such excitement, but I believe the material of dinosaurs itself provides another big explanation for all the adrenalin.

          Many children are fascinated and excited by dinosaurs, probably because of their mysteriousness and the fantastical vision of the giants roaming around; and the movies make their imaginations come true. I was also captivated by these strange creatures when I was young, and that interest is continuing throughout my life. It is quite unusual for a 17-year old to seek to research about dinosaurs in the future, but what does unusual have to do with picking my future. “Nonsense!” my grandmother exclaimed. Well, it seems like someone cares.

          My grandmother was highly negative about my decision of wanting to study dinosaurs. “Dinosaurs.” She exclaimed, “They make no money.” I thanked my grandmother for bringing to light the unobvious. Now, don’t get me wrong about my sarcasm. I have tremendous respect for my grandmother, but I honestly did not like how she thought the jobs with a higher pay were ‘better.’ Yet, I do understand why she does not approve of my liking of dinosaurs; no one would want their grandchildren to be short of money. My reply? “Still grandma, I like them better than law and medicine.”

          Not only my grandmother, but a number of adults question me, not only about whether I get enough money, but why I would want to learn about such a childish thing. Childish! Yes, I do admit that most of the people who are interested in dinosaurs are children, but surely, that does not mean the subject itself is a childish thing.

          Dinosaurs are being consumed as entertainment nowadays, the ‘entertainment’ image being solidified after the movie series, “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World.” I’m not complaining about these movies though, as they did spark up a dinosaur phenomenon in the country for some time. However, dinosaurs should not be consumed solely as entertainment; most of the facts regarding these creatures are still a mystery to us people, and dinosaurs surely have the potential in a purely academic field as well.