OK, I promise I'm not turning this into a blog about TV shows. But I thought it was worth sharing some of the responses from PETA fans to the FX television show "30 Days."
To recap: The show, which aired Tuesday night, stuck a North Carolina deer hunter with a Los Angeles vegan, PETA-activist family for 30 days. The hunter arrived with a pretty callous attitude toward animals, and left caring deeply about cruelty to animals, though he still eats meat and hunts.
The question I posed yesterday was Is that good enough for PETA? Here's a sampling of what various commenters are saying on the PETA blog.
"It's a shame he's still hunting but at least he eats what he kills and doesn't try and mask the connection between the thing on his plate and the animal (beef/cow etc). He's better than the hypocrites who profess to love animals yet are quite content for savage cruelty to take place so they can get cheap meat."
"Hunting is killing and killing is murder. People who hunt enjoy killing. Yes, that does make a person cold blooded."
"This episode with George shows there is hope (for the animals) cause people with different background and beliefs unite against animal cruelty!"
"I know that George was'nt the same person when he began and when he finish the 30 days, but I was waiting for him to say, I won't hunt and eat meat anymore."
"(G)iven that he demonstrated a willingness to endorse the existence of "animal rights" (the necessary first step) we should all be comforted that open-minded people *do* exist and can be persuaded to consider a viewpoint different from their own. We should not only be thankful for George's open-mindedness, we should emulate it. To be a persuasive speaker, one must first be an attentive listener."
"Personally, it all didn't go deep enough for me. Lot of lip service."
That's just a fraction of it (you can see all of it here), but you can see there's quite a range of reaction - just as there is when hunters talk about issues of concern to us. It's a healthy reminder that even when some of the organizations that represent us say extreme things that make us cringe, we don't march in lockstep with them.
And on that note, I think it's time to log off, unplug and get my kayak out to the lake.
Me - last year when I was a blonde - with my little friends at the lake
© Holly A. Heyser 2008
15 comments:
I was actually encouraged to see the comments about sustenance hunting being "not the worst thing in the world."
As a passionate hunter in the Northeastern US, I harbor a LOT of anger towards the "hypocrites" that PETA mentions - those who decry the evils of hunting, while choking down chicken nuggets.
And while we're on the topic of PETA, remember that when they take in shelter dogs and cats, 85% of those animals are euthanized. PETA kills...that's right, kills...an average of 5,000 cats and dogs a year. If their argument is that euthanizing dogs is more compassionate than dogs who starve in the wild, I would propose that hunting deer is more compassionate than allowing them to overpopulate and be mauled by cars. Just a thought!
Well, that just sounded like about the best idea I've heard today - about the kayak and the lake. Wonderful day for it, here. I think I might do that, too. See y'all!
Swamp Thing, I know what you mean about the hypocrites. The ones who really bug me are the ones who eat, but somehow think I'm a bad person for hunting. I have a friendship that ended with just that issue - the guy refused to even discuss his ridiculous position.
And Tom, I've gone back and added my lake picture. It's not from today, but it shows where I go to be happy in the summer. You'll love my following...
Oops, missing word. Make that: the ones who eat MEAT but think I'm a bad person for hunting.
Exactly. My usual comment is, "You know, your dinner doesn't come from the Chicken Tree or the Hamburger Bush."
I honestly think that hunting (the actual killing part) makes us better consumers and a little less likely to waste regular meat in the way that most people just throw away food.
Just my opinion. OK...my turn to get out on the water...took friday off.
Oh I miss the lake - we haven't made it out yet this summer... need to start soon!
Oh yeah, killing my own food makes me treat it with WAY more respect. I don't waste it, period. Problem is I'm also terrified to cook it.
But I'll be working on that this weekend: Boyfriend - the chef extraordinaire - is visiting family in New England and I'll have the kitchen all to myself. While the cat's away, the mouse will ... cook!
And Blessed, what is it about this year? I'm normally hitting the lake in May, if not April. Yesterday was my first day out. Definitely don't let that blog keep ya indoors!
I think there are people on both sides of the issue who are capable of being moderate and accepting the other side's point of view. Unfortunately, they are often drowned out by the in your face radicals, also on both sides, who think only their particular viewpoint should prevail.
By the way, love the picture.
Yeah, I love that picture too. Funny, when I got to the boat ramp yesterday, there were a bunch of Canada geese and their goslings (so cute!) and a few mallard hens, and they seemed very interested in me.
"Oh, they like YOU!" another kayaker said.
"If only they knew I'm a duck hunter," I said.
It would seem to me that this is a very basic question once you boil off all of the rhetoric. Is it moral to kill( or otherwise cause the death of) another creature for sustainence?
If you eat meat, then you have already weighed in and the question becomes academic. It would be ridiculous to assert that the person who eats the hamburger somehow has less blood on their conscience than the person who actually kills the cow.
However, if you are a vegetarian, the question becomes more interesting; Where do you draw the line?. It is wrong to kill animals, but aren't plants living creatures too?
I've actually seen some vegetarians address that - the ones willing to say, "I'm not perfect at this, but I'm doing the least killing I can."
I think another interesting issue here is how some people become vegans after learning the horrors of factory farming, instead of saying, "Hey, let's support alternatives to factory farming," such as local, small, humane operations that allow their animals to eat grass and bugs and other things that keep them healthy and happy.
I actually have alot of respect for vegans in that they attempt to be consistent in their beliefs and practices. In my experience however people with the strength of character to commit to a lifestyle which adheres to their belief system, rarely attempt to coerce others away from theirs. I am more concerned with the anti hunting activist types that are sending home flyers with my kids telling them that Daddy kills fish while stopping off on the way to work for a nice egg mc muffin full of processed meatlike substance and factory raised egg. The moral question is simple, is all life sacred, or isn't it. and who gets to decide? the government? hunting is legal, The Bible? God gave man dominion over all animals. The individual then? I have made My choice. Science? hello, canine teeth. I am sorry, but if I am to give up my heritage as a hunter,
and deny my very nature as an omnivore hunter gatherer I need a little more to hang my hat on than an emphatically stated opinion. from a misguided busybody.
I wanted to reply but all I can think of is that nice cool air on the lake... hope you enjoyed that!
A TV show is a TV show. Zen enough?
I guess I should appreciate that, at least to the peanut gallery (watching the show), something of value was discussed. Were minds changed? I doubt it. But at least someone is talking.
The lake was so nice I think I'm going to hit it again today.
As for TV? The preferred position on mine is "off," but most Americans are deeply wedded to and influenced by their TVs.
I think all this show did was emphasize and illustrate known cruelties to animals. I don't think it could've changed anyone's mind about hunting or veganism.
I'm not a huge television fan, but at least this particular show got people talking.
It was encouraging to see a few people who were at least open to the hunting idea.
I think Kristine is right in that a lot of the moderates are lost in the shuffle because there are so many radicals on both sides.
The moderates are the ones we need to focus are message on and I think this show may have helped in that respect.
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