I applaud the Governor General for not being a hypocrite, and I denounce much of Europe for being one. I am of course referring to this:
“Neanderthal” and “blood lust” were some of the phrases animal-rights campaigners used today to describe Jean’s cultural encounter in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, in which the Queen’s representative sliced off and sampled a piece of seal heart from the dripping carcass of a freshly slaughtered seal… PETA today likened Jean’s sampling of seal heart to “taking part in the beating of women in the Middle East because it is part of local practice.”
a display that a European Union spokeswoman yesterday called “too bizarre to acknowledge“.
Yep, Governor General Michaëlle Jean is being criticized for experiencing a part of Canadian Culture first hand. But most of those criticizing Michaëlle Jean are themselves hypocrites. Unless you are a vegetarian (actually vegan, since egg and dairy production are quite cruel) , then you are hypocritical in criticizing the seal hunt.
As I wrote before:
Where is the outrage for the millions of fish that suffocate on the decks of fishing vessels? or what about the slaughter of cows? or pigs? or lamb? or the countless other un-cute animals slaughtered each day?
What are the ethics of only protecting the cute animals?
And if you weren’t yet convinced watch this:
The key point comes in at 3:30 in the video:
Is this any worse, really, than eating at the Colonel’s or Applebee’s, comfortably far removed from the actual business of the killing floor. Or is it in fact a more honest relationship with our dinner.
The seal hunt is part of Canadian culture, and as long as it is sustainable (and I have read nothing suggesting it isn’t) then we should accept it. Our society tolerates cruelty to animals (factory farms are cruel, there is no other way to put it); the seal hunt should be treated no differently.
UPDATE: Of course given the fact that bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain and Portugal, the European outrage is even more hypocritical. Hell they even eat horses over there! Why does Europe feel the need to protect Canadian seals while ignoring the plight of European bulls and horses?
That was a brilliant video! I especially loved the “meat-filled Pinata” bit.
As far as I’m concerned, there is no legitimate Canadian argument against this. If you eat meat, you should be intimately familiar with how the animals you eat lived and died instead of paying others to do the dirty work so you won’t have to think about it. And if you’re vegetarian, ask yourself where your food comes from in the winter and what the environmental and societal cost of that is.
Good point about the impacts of vegetarianism. I think you hit the nail on the head when on your site you said: