Ok, really, Grandma started it. She sent us two DVD's of Rodeo Bloopers one year. Last night, being in a random mood and needing a video to pacify the small people, I decided to plug it in while we removed the Thule from the roof of our van. In 20 degrees. Yes, I should have done this at least two weeks ago. Yup, yup, yup. Our keyholes to our car were frozen last night, and the car could only be opened by key-fob, or what I call the bee-bop.
The video we put in shows lots of rodeo funnies, including rodeo clowns' antics, cowboys getting their hands stuck after getting bucked off, the Omak Stampede, and in the other video, they have "mutton busting", which is when us insane country types strap our little five year olds onto a sheep with a rope and a helmet and turn them loose. That is very possibly the funniest part, and something I would have died to try when I was little. One of the two spankings I remember involved me riding my pet lambs when I was told not to. Hey, they wouldn't turn me loose on horses yet, and the sheep were right there! It doesn't hurt to fall off something three feet high.
I know lots of animal rights types scream and holler all the time that the poor animals are suffering, yadda yadda. You know what? The only critters suffering are the cowboys, and someone pays them to do it. And they come back after breaking most of the bones in their bodies. That, I don't understand, but hey, it's a free country.
I don't believe most animal rights folks have ever been bucked off by a four-legged animal. I have. A few times. Make that quite a few times, since age 5. I believe one of my earliest memories was my mom leading "Otis" along, and all of a sudden, I was on my back with my legs up against the mesh fence. I remember being on the other side of it, but my mom tells me that's my imagination. I don't really know. That same horse bit me, ran me under branches, and stepped on me a bit for good measure. Otis, by the way, would have made the supreme champion bucking horse. But Dad fell in love with him for some reason. I think Dad likes animals with "character". Somehow, I still love horses, and can't get enough of them, but am currently distracted by four little people for the next several years.
I want to tell people from my perspective as a person who has been injured by animals, you know what? Those animals are SMILING. If they could laugh, they would. Jolly belly laughs. Really!
I know they have a strap around their nether regions to make them buck, but it's not like someone is yanking on them. They are having a great life. An animal who has made it into the bucking circuit has it MADE. He gets to breed better bucking stock if he gets famous, which all animals truly enjoy, and he gets to eat tons and live a very long life, with many days off a year.
Are you kidding me? Most humans don't have it that good! And if you know animals well enough, you can see them smirking as they trot around the arena. Some of them nearly take a bow, they are so pleased with the cheering.
So, PETA, as with most things you stand for, I suggest you go get some experience with these critters before you tell me how bad they have it.
And read some Baxter Black. It's good fer what ails ya.
LOL! Yeah, PETA is a lot of fun to pick on. Honestly, I don't really know anything about them except the stereotypes . . . I should probably actually do some real research. Taking 5!
ReplyDeleteLOL . . . about 2 minutes in, found this on their site: PETA coffins! No kidding.
Okay, this is more interesting. Why Animal Rights? And . . . yes, I thought that name was familiar. The fellow who wrote "Animal Liberation", the book that PETA is promoting? Peter Singer, sound familiar? If not, check out the abortion section on his article at Wikipedia. I've read some of his articles. Here is a quote from the Wikipedia article that should show why his philosophy would be considered unacceptable by most people: 'Similar to his argument for abortion, Singer argues that infants similarly lack essential characteristics of personhood - "rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness" [23]- and therefore "[s]imply killing an infant is never equivalent to killing a person."[24].'
Wow. I've heard that PETA is all about saving animals but cares less about humanity. Obviously that must be true, if Peter Singer is their spokesperson. He literally argues that killing pigs is equivelent to killing young children.
You sure can learn a lot in five minutes.
It's sad; I think there is some merit to animal rights, in that if we can live good lives without harming our fellow creatures, it is better to do so - all else being equal. Obviously, it's not a priority for me. I have a leather coat and just stocked our freezer with meat. But the desire to value animal life as greater than plant life by changing your diet is a reasonable reason to be a vegetarian, IMO, even if I don't find it personally motivating.
Well, now I can go forth and mock PETA with confidence. I know from where they get their philosophy, and I scorn their source. Joy!