Getting to the Heart of Animal Rights Thinking

The other day while on a trip to Nunavut, Governor General Michaelle Jean helped gut a seal and ate a piece of its heart. Certainly not something I would do unless I was starving but it was an important symbolic gesture none the less. It shows that the GG is in solidarity with Canadians over the sealing controversy with Europe. Most Canadians have shown support for the action given that seal hunting is a way of life for many Inuit and Maritimers. However, her act has attracted outrage from a variety of special interest groups; namely animal rights activists such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In an act which insulted two groups of peoples, PITA senior vice president Dan Mathews said that Jean eating the seal heart was an act of "bloodlust" and proceeded to call Canadians a bunch of "Neanderthals". Wow, I'm quite impressed with Mr Mathews. Offending all Canadians and the Inuit people to boot! This would have been perfect for my racism on the left series.

When I was in high school, I had a teacher who tough native children in in Kenora for years. He said that he never understood the opposition to fur since it was the most natural garment for humans to wear. In fact we've been doing so for thousands of years. Of course there are questions regarding over harvesting of fur bearing animals for clothing but the act hunting the animal for that purpose is not wrong in and of itself. Then there's the question of PETA's existence. They've been waring on anything and everything they consider to be animal abuse for at least the last 25 years now. The group has also attracted a lot of celebrity attention, namely our export bimbo Pamela Anderson. They have also harnessed shock and awe protests such as Gorey signs and nude marchers. They aren't the most radical group out there (unlike the Animal Liberation Front), but they certainly are the most public. They certainly like the attention but I cannot help but wonder whether these people are just insane. Based on what I've heard the group say, it seems to me that they think animals should be awarded the same rights as people. (Both South Park and MAD Magazine classically lampooned this belief) Obviously we can agree that animals are free from abusive treatment but the idea of abandoning ALL animal products is ludicrous. According to PETA, we're not supposed to eat meat, wear fur and leather, own pets, race horses, hunt and fish, or use animals for work. It has gotten to the point where these groups feel that the rights of human beings should be sacrificed by the rights of animals. Surely if I accidentally ran over a possum with my car, they'd jail me for hit and run if they could. Of course animals should have the right to be free from mistreatment. However, telling people to sacrifice their only means of subsistence and then calling them bloodthirsty Neanderthals for refusing to give it up, you're anti-human at best and racist at worst. If PETA really wants to help animals, they'd focus on the puppy mills and helping humane societies rather than lashing out against the poor Inuit hunters.