ArcaMax

Scientists say blue whales are singing less.

It's not really singing. It's more like squeaking, but they used to do it all the time, and now they only do it sometimes. The singing helps them find mates, and it's how they talk to each other.

The same scientists say the whales might be singing less because climate change is making it harder for them to find food, so they're singing less and working more. Like us, the whales are experiencing climate change, but they don't talk too much about it, just like us.

What's happened to the whales is pretty much what happened to you when your wife lost her overtime at the nursing home, and you didn't get a raise for two years, so you started working 20 hours a week stocking shelves at the dollar store.

The extra job plugged the hole in your finances, but you probably don't sing as much as you used to, and my guess is there's less communication and mating in your house these days.

Normally, whale life is a kind of homelessness. They drift around, not caring where they'll be tomorrow, and they eat whatever they can find. There used to be three or four people in the brush at the end of my street who lived pretty much the same way.

And then, one day, the police came and rousted those people out of the brush, and offered them various government addiction and housing "services," which a lot of them didn't want because all they really wanted was more heroin, which was the only thing that gave them any comfort.

The people left the brush and walked away into the bright morning, and a city truck came with workers, and the workers picked up the people's tents and used syringes and clothing and small plastic items like tote bags and cheap shoes.

Some of the people drifted off to the bus station, some to beg on the streets, some to a soup kitchen, some to find a dealer or a relative who might be good for $10.

We forgive homelessness in animals. The bird on the branch is "free." The cat in the yard is "cute." The whale is "beautiful" and sings.

When people drift, they're not forgiven, and if they sing, or laugh, we hate them for that moment of humanity. If they're lucky, we ignore them, and they wander unnoticed to a death from overdose or exposure.

Everyone says, "We're all a couple paychecks away from homelessness," but no one really thinks that's true. If you did believe it, you'd be too paralyzed with fear to go to your second job at the dollar store.

In New England, where I live, you can get on a boat and go "whale watching." You see the whales swimming, spouting, sometimes breaking out of the water to jump in the air. It costs a little money, and the whales don't get a cut.

The homeless you can watch for nothing, but seasoned watchers recommend you don't make eye contact, or try to touch them, not unless they're willing to be touched for a little money, which is illegal, but not important.

There are good animals and bad animals, and singing animals and silent animals, and animals that have to be moved along.

To find out more about Marc Dion, and read words by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com. Dion's latest book, a collection of his best columns, is called "Mean Old Liberal." It is available in paperback from Amazon.com, and for Nook, Kindle and iBooks.