It's comforting to know that the people of the world see us as happy and friendly, welcoming and warm. It's comforting, but it's not true.
If you want to know how the world sees the people of the Canada (because this province is lumped into the national whole and doesn't merit a specific attack), then this piece is as good as any.
Doesn't matter if it's true or not.
If you want to know how the world sees the people of the Canada (because this province is lumped into the national whole and doesn't merit a specific attack), then this piece is as good as any.
Doesn't matter if it's true or not.
2 comments:
Simon, reading this post, and that article prompted questions, lots.
Who exactly are the "they" who see us? Do they include meat eaters, fur, leather, or sheepskin wearers? Are they people living in states or provinces where there are no bloody animal slaughtering industries? I cannot imagine that millions of cow, chickens, pigs, turkeys, etc. just willingly drop dead on their own for the majority meat eaters.
That piece is only good to show that someone who seems somewhat ignorant about the sealing industry, was inspired to write a colorful piece, which was the purpose of being sent a hakapik in the first place (by the way, it is no longer being used). I wonder what the reaction would be if a cow killing device/contraption were sent with video of that killing process, and accompanying photos of that "massacre".
Also, "baby seal" is repeated as there probably are people that still associate it with an old and and now illegal white coat hunt.
There are 10s of 1000's, perhaps 100s of thousands of NL natives working in pretty well every field in other parts of Canada and the world - though I haven't heard of any preparing to fly a space shuttle just yet. Workers from this province prove themselves to be dependable, honest and/or hard-working as the next - some move away and stay to work, while others are asked to return. So I wonder how that world sees people from this province.
The article you point to shows that at this time of year when fund raising forces and well funded marketing kick in, like clockwork, that there will always be a writers that like to take advantage of what they perceive may increase readership, as there certainly many potential donors who don't know any better than to believe, the anything goes style of propaganda used by some animal rights activist groups.
If the sealing industry died a natural death, let's say by a period of changing demands for seal oil, fur, or meat, then fine. But when people maliciously mislead the innocent with false and exaggerated propaganda, then that's unethical. Keys words to describe sealing could be used for any animal industry. I have heard interviews with people who work in the cattle houses of Alberta, and as you would expect the description was not pretty, but it was indoors, out of sight, and no PETA camera crews frequented there.
I was going to avoid bothering to comment on this annual fund raising story, but if anyone is really interested, here are a couple of informative links. I spoke with a Fisheries scientist who sees the hunt take place, and who continues to validate the comprehensive Royal Commission Report on Sealing.
That report was extensive and included world veterinarians, scientists, observers and other interest groups, and the conclusion was that the sealing industry was as humane as other animal industries. Here's a reply to an anonymous anti-sealing commenter.
How do the "world" see themselves with the walled butcheries around their world? Maybe the writer might be interested in doing a little research in her own backyard. She might also get a large readership if she were to do some research into some of the animal rights activists groups who abuse peoples' innocence and generosity each year, to lure money out of their accounts. The seal protest industry is lucrative, and it makes one wonder, if the ARAs really want it to stop. In case you're interested, listen to Paul Watson tell Barbara Frum how easy it is to raise money from seal imagery.
Yes indeed, with enough hype, PR, media exposure, you can get some people on board with an image. Too bad though, that sometimes the people who are deceitful are the ones who look good. Then again, many people (polls have said most), another world, see through the leading hate-mongering shysters.
As I said, it doesn't matter if it's true or not. Like you (I guess) there are no groups out there who get under my skin the way the anti-sealing groups do. But that doesn't matter: this is what we face when we defend the hunt.
We can't hope or expect to change minds from the point of view expressed in this article by pointing out that PETA is unethical. PETA just don't care because alarm and sensationalism is their stock in trade. It's not a mere byproduct or an accident of their actions. It is the point and goal of their actions.
Tourism ads featuring laundry scenes look pretty but red blood on white ice will trump.
Is the writer ignorant? Sure but so what? Are we honest people and hard workers? Sure but so what? Do the antisealers raise funds by propagating frauds on their donors? Sure but so what?
I'm not happy about it but years of talking about how cows die too and that we are just a traditional hardworking people prosecuting a humane hunt has not worked.
We have to come up with something better than that otherwise the last sealers will be seen in the noon tour of the lifesized diorama at the Rooms featuring ketchup and artificial fur.
Post a Comment