[This
week, my amazing younger son Kyle turns 18! So I wanted to dedicate the week’s
blog series to AmericanStudying some Kyle Contexts, leading up to a repeat of
his excellent Guest Post on the OJ Simpson trial.]
Three ways
to contextualize my son’s favorite animal (and one of the cutest out there, just
objectively, you know it’s true).
1)
Exotic
pets: I wrote a good bit in that post on ostrich racing on both exotic pets
overall and my sons’ interest in them in particular (focusing there on alpacas,
another favorite of the boys’ and one featured at my
wedding!). I certainly get critiques of exotic animal fads, such as the pot-bellied
pigs a few decades back who ended up being left at shelters or just
abandoned altogether far too often. But in truth, chinchillas are not
radically different from many other rodents frequently kept as pets, from
guinea pigs to hamsters to gerbils and more. Yes, they require a bit of
specialized care, but every animal is unique in its needs. And the benefits more than
speak for themselves.
2)
Fur is murder: Most of the chinchillas in the
world these days are indeed kept as pets, as both of the chinchilla species in
the wild have become
extremely endangered. There are a few reasons, but by far the most significant
is hunting
for their fur, which has been prized for items like coats for a long time. (Even
Jay-Z references chinchilla fur as the gold standard in his rap verse on his wife
Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love.”)
I’d like to think that we’ve all realized here in 2025 that fur is indeed
murder, but just in case not: the only place chinchilla fur should be found is
on chinchillas.
3)
Animal
Adventures: Young Kyle had been a fan of chinchillas for a while before he
had the chance to meet one in person, but when he did it took things to a whole
‘nother level. That was thanks to the folks at this local animal rescue
business, and specifically to their featured exhibit at the awesome Kimball Farms in Westford, MA.
When they let Kyle take part in a performance and hold a chinchilla on his head
(as well as in his arms, natch), my younger son’s fondness for not just this
particular animal, but all cute animals, was truly cemented—and despite his thoroughly
mature 18 year old self, that fondness remains, one of so many things I love
about him.
Guest Post
this weekend,
Ben
PS. Lemme
know any bday wishes I can pass along to my not-so-young man!
