On a totally unrelated note, I got in a bit of trouble with friends last night for saying that we shouldn't be cleaning oiled seabirds and other animals in the Gulf. According to the studies I had previously read concerning the Exxon Valdez spill, the effort to clean up and rehabilitate seabirds that have been mired down in crude oil is a very public but token waste of resources. It looks good and makes for good (considering the circumstances) PR for the company at fault as
well as companies like Dawn. And nobody wants to admit that the birds and turtles and dolphins who are exposed are goners and we would be much kinder to quickly euthanize them rather than letting them die a slow and painful death. But... it turns out I'm right about this. And it really does suck. We don't want to admit it. We want there to be a happy ending, and for someone to be doing something. But in reality, continuing to capture and transport and scrub up and then release these birds is simply a way to make us feel better at the animal's expense. And that's just cruel.
O god, I didn't know that about the seabirds. It makes sense, tho. Once you get a toxin like that in your system it's not going to make any diffrence if it's scrubbed off of your skin or feathers. Why aren't the environmental groups involved in cleanup efforts saying this? Is it a money thing?
ReplyDeleteYou must be happy that you can get your passport changed now and won't have to hide your balls when going through customs.
ReplyDeleteI let that last comment through moderation just for y'alls entertainment.
ReplyDeleteExcept it's not that entertaining because it implies that being trans is something to be ashamed of.
ReplyDelete@Shana,
ReplyDeleteI agree. But this is like other identity-based insults in that you can refuse to see it as an insult. And it really isn't an insult unless being trans makes a person less-than in your worldview. Obviously in this person's worldview it does, but for those of us who reject that notion, it's a slightly offensive ad hominem. And people who are incapable of responding with anything but ad hominems are kind of amusing in and of themselves.
Yes, no, kinda.
ReplyDeleteHaving a troll imply I'm trans (or lesbian, or fat, or ugly) is amusing to me because it shows he's incapable of really arguing with me or refuting anything I've said. It's not insulting to me, because I don't think trans (or gay, or fat, or ugly) people are inferior, as voiceofreason says.
But, as Shana says, the fact that this is an insult in our culture is truly problematic. So this is why I usually reject these kinds of comments (when I have comment moderation on, like now). On the other hand, I have to let a few of the negative ones through or I feel like I'm somehow managing my public image and making it look like everyone loves my blog and agrees with me wholeheartedly. Needless to say, that ain't true. At any rate, comments like there serve as examples of how privileged people try to silence those who challenge their privilege in some way.
I saw a video today of a bird being cleaned, and it looked terrified. It was being held by its beak and being scrubbed, which I imagine is quite traumatic for a bird that's not used to human contact. I saw the less than 1% statistic earlier today, and it made me feel exactly the way you described here - like we were doing this more for our own benefit than that of the birds. When I see the pictures of oil-covered birds, I cry and want to run right down to the Gulf and clean them up. But sometimes there's no way to mitigate a mistake, and we just have to live with the consequences. I just hope the BP executives are having as much trouble living with their crimes as I am living with the fact that I still drive a car that takes gas and that I haven't been able to get a solar panel to provide energy for my household.
ReplyDeleteChrist, how sad.
ReplyDeleteGood grief, that's horrific. The whole situation leaves a person with a sense of hopeless dread. I'm not certain what to say beyond that.
ReplyDeleteAs for the gracious prose of Anonymous, I love how they have employed cissexism to imply that a woman who embraces feminism isn't really a woman. Two forms of prejudice in one craptastic attempt at humor! That's really creative, man. Anonymous, you should post your missives on the stalls in public bathrooms. People will appreciate your insight.
Eye opening. Thank you.
ReplyDelete