My favorite zoo residents
Measuring the economic impact of the Minnesota Zoo. Since dollars are how we measure importance, more arts and cultural organizations have been taking the time to provide information documenting the dollars they generate and spread around the region.
Is there also a report on the other values we might assume the zoo provides, research, education, endangered species protection, etc. ?
considering the MN Zoo ONLY in the context of an economic driver falls down hard on the side of exploitation, always the conundrum with the existence of zoos, anyway.
Really begs the question then of whether these millions are better spent on protecting animal populations in the wild.
This report landed in my inbox-I haven’t looked for additional info so the short answer is “no”
I’ve been interested in the trend to monetize arts, education, parks, etc. which puts everything in the same currency but also seems to flatten some ineffable values…I’m still thinking about it all.
I would agree about the ‘flattening’ of values, and that is why I think this post serves as an important base for a broader examination of the values vs value($$) of any of the arts, or amenities like museums or the zoo.
Most would argue that the operational dollars involved are the reasons to be focussed on the economics of the arts/educational philanthropies, but if that is the primary focus … and considered essential for those structures to be supported by LGUs, then that is a ‘flattening’ of the cultural morality that underlies the arts, museums, etc.
So then the issue becomes how to turn the discussion away from the purely monetary value, and focus on the worth of more basic, even though some may think more intangible, benefits of cultural richness.
Additionally, the idea that the first consideration of ANY idea is money, is one reason why I voted for you , rather than your opponent in last fall’s election; holding to the premise that the first consideration is $$, is to me, ironically, a ‘cheapening’ of value in the broader sense.
How to best make this argument? Any ideas?
In my earlier reply, I mentioned “ineffable” values – I’m going to retract that particular word as too religious and completely unverifiable. I’ll try to resist jokes about “effing” values and simply say that I have many ideas, but not yet an argument. One of the considerations must be time, however. Spending takes place in a particular budget year, for specific items/services. The results of that spending may take years to be realized – far longer than election cycles. An additional factor is public benefit broadly construed vs. what individuals want at the moment (consider the petition against the Maple Street sidewalk, for example).
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