Save the whaaat? It seems that the people from PETA are at it again. This time they want us to stop eating fish. Their marketing campaign to that end is to coin a new word for fish and you guessed it, they want us to refer to fish as sea kittens. The thinking behind that is if we think of fish as a type of cute cuddly kitten we won't want to eat it.
Ashley Byrne, campaign coordinator says, "PETA thought that by renaming fish sea kittens, compassionate people who would never dream of hurting a dog or cat might extend that sympathy to fish, or sea kittens."
This must be the most ridiculous thing I've heard of in a long time. I get very tired of this organization telling the public what they should and shouldn't do or eat. Don't get me wrong, not everything they do is crazy and does some good. I'm all for not wearing fur, I think dog and cock fighting are awful, taking wild animals out of their habitat for zoos or pets isn't right but they tend to take things to the extreme. One thing that bothers me is their stand on animal testing. Where would we be today if cancer fighting, AIDS, and other drugs were not allowed to be tested on animals? Should we test them on humans then? I often wonder when this topic comes up how they would feel if their loved one could only be saved or kept alive by a drug or procedure that was tested on an animal.
But back to the sea kittens. Bryne also states that, "Most parents would not dream of spending a weekend torturing kittens for fun with their families, but hooking a sea kitten through the mouth and dragging her through the water is the same as hooking a kitten through the mouth and dragging her behind you car."
I do enjoy fishing but always catch and release. Most of the time when a fish is hooked the hook goes through a thin membrane around the lip. Honestly I do feel bad if for some reason the fish doesn't make it after I reel it in but then it's food for the seagulls and herons. They have to eat too. It's like fast food for them, they didn't have to catch it, someone else did it for them.
How can you possibly compare catching a fish to dragging a kitten behind your car??
PETA claims that fish have feelings, can feel pain, are intelligent, express affection, form bonds and socialize. I suppose maybe they can but their brain must be the size of a pin head. I can't compare them to a dog or cat. My dog loves me, knows when I've had a bad day or am not feeling well and will try and comfort me. My dog can follow directions. My dog has formed an emotional connection with our family. I've had an aquarium and those fish ignored me 24/7 .
If PETA had their way we'd all be vegans. There's no way they will talk me out of meat, poultry and seafood. I'd make a lousy vegetarian. I don't really like veggies. Animals have been feeding man since the beginning, it's all part of the food chain and I'm glad we're at the top.
So this Friday night when I go out for my sea kitten fry with lemon and tartar sauce that cute little kitten/fish isn't going to stop me.
6 comments:
PETA is really out there.. I don't get it and this one is just crazy. I enjoy fishing and I enjoy eating them.
PETA is getting to be almost as bad as the peacniks running around the streets of San Francisco like they did recently proclaiming that we can achieve world peace.....uh huh
What a bunch of nut jobs.
I was a vegetarian for several years in my twenties. For a while, I even supported PETA. I got over it.
I have toyed with going back to vegetarianism for a legion of reasons. However, I really do like the taste of flesh too much to give it up completely. I try to eat with awareness and a certain gratitude that an animal died for my meal. I actually eat less flesh now than in omnivorous years past.
I am not 100% for animal testing. I think a lot of the animal testing that has gone on in the past has been unnecessary and/or frivolous (CYA stuff to whip out in potential product liability lawsuits). I appreciate the necessity of some animal testing. However, I wish there were state review boards to assure that testing was necessary and done in the most humane way possible. More nanny-statism? Yeah, I guess. But, it does bother me.
As to the 'sea kittens' thing. Oh, brother! Instead of trying to rename a species or generate a new image in people's minds, they could have just paraded out "Finding Nemo" and "Shark Tale". Trying to call fish "sea kittens" isn't going to work with most people.
If they really want to get people to stop eating somethings, I think they could raise the awareness of the toxins involved and health impacts of eating those foods.
Most people are far more motivated by selfishness than selflessness. "If I eat tuna on a regular basis, I may end up with mercury-related health issues." Verses, "Charlie the Tuna is a thinking feeling being who deserves my compassion, not mayonnaise and bread."
I'm sorry but catch and release is just as deplorable as cockfighting. The latest study shows that the exact same pain receptors exist in fish as do in mammals. I am not a vegan, but believe in ethical farming and slaughter methods. If we are going to eat the fish, fine, but torture for sport? That's just wrong.
jimminy crickets...man is the dominant species until something else takes his place, and he has been eating animals as he should be for thousands of years. PETA needs to go look for Eutopia in some dark distant part of the world and leave the rest of us alone while they do it....
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