Jan. 2021; Who’s the Animal?

There’s some words in the English language that we all have somewhat of an affinity to. Maybe we like the meaning, maybe we just like the way it sounds. My personal favourites include “hippopotamus,” “Constantinople,” and “pomp.” And as there is light, there must be dark. There must be equilibrium. I can’t say I dislike many words per se, but one that’s grown to the point of beyond dislike, beyond nauseating, all the way to loathing, is cute. Ugh, even typing it makes me seethe. It may mean different things to different people. To a US citizen for example it might mean pretty. “Look at that cop, she’s cute.” To a British gentleman such as myself it would mostly be used when describing children. “Look at that little girl dressed as a princess, she looks so cute.” But here in the grand old PR of C it seems to have taken on a life of it’s own. I’ve heard it used to describe so many things. “Look at my cute hat!.” “I like your accent, it’s cute.” “Do I look cute today?” “This cafe is so cute!” But the time I despise it the most is when it’s used on animals. “Hao ke ai!!” are the all too heard quiet screams of girls when seeing most things small and fluffy. Dogs, cats, rabbits and other little things destined to live a short life in a cage. (And don’t get me started on the meteoric rise in popularity of puppy and kitten cafes, some even with baby pigs. What do these morons think actually happens to the little “cuties” when they aren’t “cute” any more?…) My last weeks Sunday scribble was intentionally reserved. No strong opinions or malice, no criticisms of others or intentional sour feelings. But this week I’m back, salty as ever and ready to wipe the smile off a few faces. This week I’m taking a bite out of humanity, or rather I should say, our own inhumanity…

Just before the new year celebrations had us all teary-eyed at the prospect of a year better than 2020 (and it couldn’t possibly be much worse) a news story grabbed my attention and enraged me on so many different levels. The state-affiliated Qinhuangdao Wildlife “rescue,” under the China Wildlife Association, has been caught red handed with evidence to prove over the last 20 years has obtained, butchered and sold over 10,000 animals. And no we’re not talking deer or buffalo, we’re talking about endangered species including rare crocodiles, lions, and Siberian tigers (the grand total of which are currently around 500 in the wild) who were photographed being electric shocked to death and then skinned, with the fur being sold for 700,000rmb per piece and the bones used to make “traditional tonics” which “boost sexual performance.” Now this on it’s own is beyond idiotic, the devolved belief that consuming parts of an animal will somehow fix all body ailments. But no it gets better, this animal house of horrors was also proven to have “served tiger meat dishes as exotic delicacies to officials who would turn a blind-eye to the organisations shadowy business.” So let me get this straight. A state affiliated business to protect endangered animals has been butchering them and selling them for 20 years, earning millions, and the officials were eating the bodies and drinking the tonics to help their pathetic, limp noodles. Twenty. Years. Corruption is alive and well, but thankfully it’s finally started to be exposed.

Now we may consider ourselves the most developed and intelligent of all species, we read stories like this and gasp in horror and condemn those involved. But where do the boundaries of our own interpreted “humanity” start and end? If asked, most people would consider themselves to be ethical, caring, with strong values of morals, what’s right and what’s wrong. But, what’s right to me could be wrong to most others. Keeping these animals in these disgusting conditions to profit from them is immoral to most, but why? Only one word. “Endangered.” If it weren’t for that we truly wouldn’t give a shit. We’ve all walked around the markets and seen terrified animals in cages and tanks, surely to be cut apart that very day, but do we think it’s immoral? No, we do not. We think it’s food, and we want it fresh. We put our already bloated stomachs before ethics. Because it’s not unethical to slice open an animal for food, is it?… We tell ourselves we “need” to eat animals for health and strength, yet we have all the scientific proof right in front of us clearly proving that we don’t. (Stop your internal dialogue, no we do not need meat for protein or anything else, go read a book or a website that isn’t trying to sell you something.) So are we just plain stupid? Ignorant to facts and science? Or do we choose to put ethics aside if something tastes good.. And ridiculously, recently the self acclaimed “environmentally concious” of us in society think that by not using a McDonalds plastic straw we are doing our bit to save the planet, whilst simultaneously chowing down on a Big Mac. “Look at me, I’m saving the ocean and it’s creatures by not using this straw! I’m such a good human being! Mmmmm, fish for dinner!”

(*Side note; Let’s debunk something once and for all. Now I believe it’s fine for any place to have it’s “traditions.” Eating dumplings for spring festival is a tradition, as is turkey on thanksgiving. But eating animals for their “health benefits” is just the blind leading the blind. Eating the bones or parts of an animals has ZERO SCIENTIFIC PROOF in it’s aid to the human body. Zero. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been proven yet, it means it cannot be proven because it doesn’t exist. It’s superstitious rubbish that only the easily fooled believe. Eating dog meat does not keep you any more warm than eating a potato. The Yulin “festival” was created by dog meat traders that appealed to moronic peoples two greatest weaknesses; their stomachs and their gullibility. Drinking deer penis wine does not help a man’s bedroom ability any more than sticking a carrot up your arse. You don’t have to believe me, just read a bit and believe science.)

Another one that caught the news recently was people force feeding animals on websites and apps like Douyin. You can watch delightful videos of people forcing dogs to eat plates of hot chili peppers, and you can hear the dog literally crying as the owner forces her on, whilst commenting below how “she likes to eat them!” And yes, some brain dead imbeciles commented how “cute” it was. Hundreds upon hundreds of videos were uploaded of animals being cruelly overfed, as the authorities said they were banning the videos of human beings doing the exact same thing. So people can’t gorge themselves, we can’t glorify obese infants any more, it’s a waste of food and socially unacceptable, but we can make our pets do it? In our “developed” society we are now torturing and abusing animals for “likes.” This is a real sickness that thankfully most countries haven’t stooped to. The lack of responsibility by apps like Douyin makes aspects of our society look nothing less than medieval in comparison to most others. You may not like reading it, and I sure don’t like writing it, but it’s the damn truth.

But let’s step aside from the consumption and abuse of animals and the torturous meat and dairy industry, and let’s take a peek at the more fun and fashionable side of animal misery; zoos and sea parks. Oh yes, now we’re on to something. We’ve all been to the zoo. We’ve all stared at the bears and wowed at the lions and laughed at the masturbating monkeys. And many of us have been to zoos that made us feel somewhat uneasy at the way the animals were being kept and treated. It’s not a rare sight to watch lions and tigers pacing continually around their cramped enclosures, but do we ever question why? It’s because by that point they have developed mental health and behavioural problems from their unnatural confinement. “Confinement? They have plenty of room!” the more naive reader may say, clearly with zero understanding of how much space these animals are used to in the wild. “But they’re not wild, they’re zoo animals!” is the next statement to bounce around inside the skull of the next gullible soul. Fact check; Huge amounts of zoo and water park animals are taken from the wild, most often by the mother being killed. And of those taken, most (most meaning over 50%) die within the first few months due to stress. Yes that’s right, stress. Their brains and bodies just cannot take the sheer amount of upset caused to them in such conditions. “But surely the governments around the world would not allow this to happen” I can hear you say. Does anyone truly believe the authorities around the world give a crap about the lives of wild animals, compared to the amount of tax these zoos and water parks bring in to the countries economy? Think again.

Water parks are now becoming terrifying popular now in China. Lax rules and enforcement of regulations are spurring dozens of these hell-holes being built every year, all to the delight of parents and children across the country. We all love to see the dolphins do tricks and swim with the keepers, to watch the seals bounce balls on their nose and the other animals perform “cute” tricks for us. It’s entertaining, right?! Fact check; spend some time reading up on the methods used to “train” these animals into doing this crap, for our stupid smiling faces to enjoy and part with our hard earned money on ticket prices. Read about the orcas and dolphins who manage to commit suicide in these water parks, purely out of misery and desperation for normality and freedom. Read about how the keepers treat these animals to keep them in fear, to make them placid and manageable. Then see how entertaining you find it. And while we’re on the subject, the next time you see mentally stunted couples riding elephants and taking their “oh we’re so happy!” photos, think on. Look closer. Take a look at the sharp metal hook the trainers use to stab the elephants just behind the ears. You can see the blood on most. And if you want to read a real nice story before bedtime, read about how the elephants are “broken” into doing this. Chains, whips, beatings, painfully tied up in tiny crates, fire and burnings, electrocution and a lot more, before the (mostly very young, once again often taken after the mother has been killed) elephants spirit is crushed beyond repair. Eventually they totally submit to their human torturers. You can visit elephant rescue centres in places like Thailand and India, and you can witness for yourself how these majestic creatures are mentally scarred for life, exhibiting mental issues and behavioural problems, often for the rest of their lives. An elephant never forgets.

We may consider ourselves the top of the food chain, the most intelligent life form on this planet, but we act like mindless, selfish, irresponsible cavemen when it comes to other species. Humans are truly inhumane when we choose to be. We all reached an agreement that animal lives are there for our food and our entertainment, purely because they cannot speak for themselves and be understood in language form. But we know of their suffering. And we choose to look away and continue feeling smug at our own levitated status. And this will continue, unless a few strong minded and intelligent people speak up, break the silence and try to change some long redundant ideas. You want to be environmentally responsible, so our children and our grandchildren can actually have a planet worth living on? Cut the meat down. Cut the fish down. You don’t have to eat something with a face. You say you care about your children’s future, yet you happily burn and destroy the planet they will inherit. Sound hypocritical?.. So what can we do to be good parents? One thing is to totally boycott zoos and water parks. “Oh but they need to learn about animals and that’s the only way.” Seriously? Think about your responsibility as a parent. What are you teaching your children by taking them to a place where the spiritless, miserable animals are kept in unnatural, cramped conditions and denied their freedom. What are you teaching them, that we are superior to all other life forms? That animals are there for our entertainment? If you are an intelligent, responsible parent how about this; Spend an hour watching a documentary with them about the way zoos and water parks are run. Then explain why you didn’t go there. Now you’re teaching ethics, morality, responsibility and humanity, which most would consider rather more important than watching the bears rock backwards and forwards out of mental damage.

When it comes to human beings, the most serious punishment most countries can give is prison, to take away a persons freedom. Now why do we choose to ignore that animals are exactly the same? Not many parents would take their child to visit a prisoner in jail in an attempt to teach them right or wrong. We know there are better, more humane ways to achieve this. So why do we consider it acceptable to show them caged animals? Animals cannot speak a language to us, we must be their voice. And in a country with absolutely zero animal welfare laws this is even more important. You consider yourself ethical? You say you care about the environment? You consider yourself a good parent? Prove it.

Mahatma Gandhi was unquestionably one of the greatest human beings to ever walk the earth. His bravery, love and humanity should be a life lesson to us all, yet most don’t know near anything about him. I’ll end this weeks rather somber scribble with a quote from the great man himself. We consider ourselves so advanced, so intelligent and we are so self righteous, but let’s ponder these two words for a second. Moral. Progress.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of humankind.”