~Sled Dogs vs Egypt~
So im sure by now most of use know about the two big things in the news. The story of 100 sled dogs in whistler being slaughtered because the sled dog company could not afford to feed the dogs after the Olympics, and the calamity going on in Egypt, where the people of Cairo ( Egypt ) decided they no longer what there Leader in power.
Ok the Discussion that im wanting to get into is about a states that popped up on my facebook saying:
"Why do people care so much about those 100 dogs who were killed?
Why don't people care so much about the over 100 people in Egypt who were killed?"
So first off im going to say that the fact that so many people in Cairo are dieing for what they believe in is terrible these people are actually telling news crew that they are going to die in the spots that they stand in. its one of the worst things ive ever heard. these people are getting beaten in the streets and trampled by crowds the death count is still raising as the riots go on right now.
BUT. the fact is that there people choose this option, they knew what was going to happen when they started there riots, the dogs in whistler had no option to live or die, they couldn't fight back, the dogs did nothing wrong but they were still slaughtered. the fact that dogs are getting killed is a greater problem then people dieing. Animals, Children and Elderly Folk have been marked as "Innocent" animals cant talk, children don't know better, and old people are week. so when some one said a dog was killed there more simplicity over it.
In conclusion i just wanted to get that off my chest, id id like to hear what furrys think about both subjects.
~Karo~
You can thank the mass media for that. Over the years of throwing deaths in our face, we become desensitized and detached from deaths, and more so when they are further away and in increasingly large numbers. There is also little recourse for us, that I know of, for the Egyptian people. It's not like I can sign a petition to support the ousting of a leader, but I can support taking legal action against a BC company for slaughtering animals needlessly. Doesn't mean I care any less for the Egyptians - whom I hope succeed without any further deaths - but it's a little harder to open support revolt in a nation half a world away.
Another thing is simple senseless acts, like the dogs, is easier for everyone to agree on: it was wrong. Overthrowing a government, not as much, and leads to political discussions, which usually break down on forums. IMO, the Egyptians are screwed. They will revolt, and win, but another dictator will take over. There are too few cases of revolts putting in decent governments for me to have any faith that this will be different. I hope for the best for the Egyptians, and that their oppression and poverty can be rectified by a properly representative and accountable government. But really, I highly doubt the new government will be any better.
This is not simple matter, but something that is way too common in our society these days. Your post speaks volumes about the sad state of our society and culture.
those are two big things that is happening i think the dog sled one is mostly talked about because of the fact it has happened here in BC close to us which is shocking to most to hear something big like that too happen in BC because hardley anything like that was ever done in BC for awhile now so it becomes the most hot topic in BC.
World wide cairo is probably focused by many people but probably is most focused by people living close to cairo.
all in all both are pretty tragic no living thng deserves to die too soon but naturally everything has its purpose to live.
However this is just one thing that happens along the way in life that most people dont agree too, I myself wish this doesnt have to be the way of life.
: Zen February 02, 2011, 01:14:05 -07:00
You can thank the mass media for that. Over the years of throwing deaths in our face, we become desensitized and detached from deaths, and more so when they are further away and in increasingly large numbers.
Yeah, this. Statistics are cold and bloodless, and current events in Egypt are on such a huge scale that it's hard to get a grip on the details and the human suffering, and between that and its remoteness it doesn't garner the same gut response as the sled dog story.
I think to criticize anyone for that is to miss the point; this is just a consequence of the way our brains are wired.
I find it even more strange that even less people know about the mass cullings happening in Korea right now.
http://www.cetfa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=311:update-live-burial-of-animals-in-korea&catid=1:latest&Itemid=107 (http://www.cetfa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=311:update-live-burial-of-animals-in-korea&catid=1:latest&Itemid=107)
Normally cullings, when done right, should be painless and quick for the animal.
Since November of 2010, Korean animals have been disposed of using methods of live burial and succinyl choline, a "neuromuscular blocking agent which sedates the muscles but leaves the animals fully conscious and aware of their surroundings. The animals slowly lose the ability to use their limbs, and then slowly suffocate due to paralysis of their breathing muscles while saliva pools in their throat due to lack of functional swallowing muscles."
This is over one million animals who have been killed in these conditions.
Another surprising thing to me is that people don't know about these stats.
Canadian Statistics of Animal Lives Lost from Barn Fires
2007 - 3,700 burned alive
2008 - 30,500 burned alive
2009 - 51,900 burned alive
2010 - 115,909 - 125,409 burned alive
2011 (to Jan 25) - 24,114 burned alive
Many of these fires being arson for insurance, others being due to poor fire protection in barns i.e. no sprinklers or even fire alarms.
I think people's priorities are all mismatched.. Not because of who we are but because of they way we were trained to be by school, media, etc.
it's stuff like this ^ that makes me feel like we should solve our own problems before getting involved in foreign problems.
: Cross February 02, 2011, 03:26:07 -07:00
it's stuff like this ^ that makes me feel like we should solve our own problems before getting involved in foreign problems.
I don't think isolationism is an option in a multilateral, globalized world. Even if we decide we're not concerned about conditions for people in other countries - and I think we should be, as compassionate human beings and as citizens of one of the "have" countries that really can make a difference by applying money and pressure in the right places - our country has enough vested interests in other parts of the world that to think we can just keep to ourselves is fantasy.
That's not to say that we should ignore conditions at home, but to suggest that we have to choose between working on domestic issues and working on foreign issues is a false dichotomy.
dinsu's post made me throw up a little bit in my mouth. :x
Personally, I'm more upset about the dog slaughter because I still hear about it every day. But my TV is almost always on Treehouse to keep my son amused, so I haven't seen the news about Egypt, and only hear of it briefly through the internet. Though I suppose part of it is support for them standing up for themselves. Almost makes me think of Braveheart, but with less Mel Gibson, and in a desert...
I agree with Cross, but I'll explain a bit differently.
Because we're all connected and we live in the new age, a "global village" as it were, two things have happened. We've become much more acutely aware of international problems, and two, much like domestic news, we've also become desensitized to it. The news as a medium has become much too invasive and much too sensationalist, with the only real exception in Canada being the CBC, but that's just my opinion. The other two major news networks (Global and CTV) are owned by large businesses that provide cable/internet services to Canadians (Shaw and now Bell, respectively), so you can hardly guess where their bias is. The CBC, likewise, being partially publicly funded, often goes on tangents that lean far to the other side of neutral. But I digress, this isn't about news companies.
Like domestic crime, the international stage has always been fraught with conflict, but it's easy to think we're worse off than we were twenty years ago or more because more of that news actually reaches us. The result, unfortunately, is not beneficial. A lot of people now are disinterested in international happenings because there is always an uprising, always a revolt, always a massacre. And we never actually find out how it ends either, we just get the coverage of the problem while it occurs. The impression you're left with is that half the world is in utter chaos, where most of the atrocities covered in the news are eventually squared, and often, to the benefit of those involved. But you never hear about that, as we've moved on to the next atrocity, as that's what sells newspapers. Resolution never sold a newspaper, or inclined you to tune in to a news broadcast. With all this to consider, it's little wonder people don't care.
We should care, but our attention is being abused by the media. However, we should also be concerned with domestic issues, as we have many. In BC we have a school system and health care that isn't getting any better, more homeless, less jobs, tuition has increased threefold, etc. All of these things loom large for us because they actually effect us personally, so again, it becomes easy to dismiss sensationalist news about the international stage. Its a difficult balance, and it's not made any easier by the media.
The news about the dogs, and the post on South Korea, are both terrible. Yes, Egypt is in great turmoil, but I don't think you can justify saying something along the lines of "oh, it's just a bunch of dogs" in comparison. To treat life, any life, wild or domestic, is inexcusable.
: drewdle February 08, 2011, 01:36:46 -07:00
I agree with Cross, but I'll explain a bit differently.
I agree with the rest of what you said, but you clearly got something very different out of Cross's post than I did. :)
I don't think we should be so concerned with either domestic or international issues that we ignore the other.
: Silvermink February 02, 2011, 01:25:42 -07:00
Yeah, this. Statistics are cold and bloodless, and current events in Egypt are on such a huge scale that it's hard to get a grip on the details and the human suffering, and between that and its remoteness it doesn't garner the same gut response as the sled dog story.
"Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god."
- Jean Rostand
"When you kill one man, it is a tragedy. When you kill a million, it is a statistic."
- Unknown