Save the baby veal: Avoid cultural prejudice
Makes you think, doesn't it?
Published in the Nunatsiaq News. The caption underneath the photo reads:
Tommy Akulukjuk and Corenna Nayulia pose in a parody of celebrity “Save the baby seal” campaigns. Nunavut Sivuniksavut teacher Murray Angus created the poster to counter Paul McCartney’s recent anti-sealing campaign.
Tommy Akulukjuk and Corenna Nayulia pose in a parody of celebrity “Save the baby seal” campaigns. Nunavut Sivuniksavut teacher Murray Angus created the poster to counter Paul McCartney’s recent anti-sealing campaign.
The teacher who created the poster issued a press release with some insightful words:
In my opinion, the cultural prejudice spoken of is not only directed towards the Inuit, but towards the sealers. Very few of the people protesting the hunt have been to Newfoundland and know how truly different the culture of a Newfoundland fishing community is from that of other places. To them, fishing and sealing are not merely jobs, they are traditional ways of life. It must be difficult to see your way of life and source of income slowly eroding; especially when international hostility towards you is drummed up by celebrity activists who have never spoken with you, and know virtually nothing about your way of life.
"… all cultures have a relationship to animals and … people in southern urbanized settings should not look down their noses at people whose cultures and economies are still closely tied to the harvesting of animals in the wild"Found via Field Notes. More of the story behind the poster from the National Inuit Youth Council, and Siku News. There's a humorous/interesting article from Kent Driscoll of the Northern News Service.
"There's a kind of cultural arrogance at play" he said.
Inuit don’t participate in the Newfoundland seal hunt or anything equivalent to it, but their communities across the Arctic have been severely affected whenever animal rights protesters have been successful at reducing the market for seal pelts generally …
The post[er] is … meant to give southerners a little glimpse into what it might feel like to have their own culture and animal practices judged harshly by outsiders.
In my opinion, the cultural prejudice spoken of is not only directed towards the Inuit, but towards the sealers. Very few of the people protesting the hunt have been to Newfoundland and know how truly different the culture of a Newfoundland fishing community is from that of other places. To them, fishing and sealing are not merely jobs, they are traditional ways of life. It must be difficult to see your way of life and source of income slowly eroding; especially when international hostility towards you is drummed up by celebrity activists who have never spoken with you, and know virtually nothing about your way of life.
Technorati tags: seal hunt, Canada, Inuit, Paul McCartney, veal
Posted in: Newfoundland, seal hunt on April 01, 2006
Lots of interesting links there, nl-expatriate, on all sides of the issue.
Perhaps I'm not clear though; do you have a particular comment about them?
Skylark that picture of the baby calf is an excellent example of how animal rights groups use "cute" pictures of animals, rather than the barnyard type, to lure the public. It seems that Costco's removal of the capsules is either suspiciously coincidental or it is politically motivated. I tend to think the latter. If that's the case then the ironic thing about what Costco is doing by removing seal oil products, is that they are supporting groups like the Sea Shepherd Conversation Society, and others, who ultimately want places like Costco to stop selling meats, fish, and leather products like expensive couches. They are really supporting their own potential demise in the long run.
As for the Junos, Pam Anderson couldn't have acted much more stereotypically stupid. I am happy she got boo-ed, because the Sea Shepherd Society web site could not say that she was well received. They did mention her saying anti-hunt things, but they need whatever ammunition they can get. What a representative they picked. Hope you have a good day.
Kodak