scooter
07-06-2004, 07:10 PM
On The Edge Of Common Sense: PETA says angling is cruel, barbaric
By BAXTER BLACK
baxterblack.com
Opinion
Publication Date: 07/03/04
Do fish feel pain? The animals rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would like to convince people that it is true, and therefore outlaw fishing.
It is part of their bigger agenda to ban all use and consumption of animals. They contend that angling is cruel and barbaric, especially catch and release.
They have tests to prove it.
Trout Unlimited, an organized group of fly fishermen, takes up the defense of fishing by citing studies that show a behavioral response to noxious stimuli is separate from the psychological experience of pain.
If I could give my advice to the TU lawyers, trying to use scientific evidence in a debate with PETA is like trying to potty train a duck. Rule to live by: Don't treat lunatics like reasonable people.
Neither side can defend the simple truths. As any 3-year-old can tell you:
No. 1: Of course it hurts!
No. 2: Fish have been part of the food chain since they learned how to swim.
No amount of scientific evidence, twisted logic, or zealous compassion will change either of these facts.
When you are forced to take a position that flies in face of common sense, you damage your own credibility. Can rampant, uncontrolled overgrazing, well drilling, urban development, political correctness, plastic surgery, or postgraduate education be harmful? Of course! But when applied with reason, all can be beneficial.
PETA is not restricted by common sense or practical consideration, which keeps them flailing at the edge of the omnivorous, reasonable majority who have more pressing things to worry about. I would also suggest that you not even broach the morality of fishing. It is the La Brea Tar Pit of animal rights groups issues. Like religion and politics, it's personal.
You either like to fish, or you don't. You're a Baptist or you're not. You support the war on terrorism or you don't. You enjoy rap music or it confuses you. You have the right to feel the way you do.
The issue is not do fish feel pain, but rather are they preordained to be eaten. Animal cruelty is in the eye of the beholder. TU and PETA have the right to disagree, and it's not necessarily a matter of logic.
For instance, I think reality TV is cruel and unusual. But, according to my logic, I guess some people are born to be humiliated, just like some fish are born to be eaten.
Please pass the tartar sauce.
Baxter Black is a veterinarian and cowboy poet. His column appears weekly and airs each Monday at 6:20 a.m. on KGNC News Talk 710. He can be reached at baxterblack.com or (800)654-2550.
By BAXTER BLACK
baxterblack.com
Opinion
Publication Date: 07/03/04
Do fish feel pain? The animals rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would like to convince people that it is true, and therefore outlaw fishing.
It is part of their bigger agenda to ban all use and consumption of animals. They contend that angling is cruel and barbaric, especially catch and release.
They have tests to prove it.
Trout Unlimited, an organized group of fly fishermen, takes up the defense of fishing by citing studies that show a behavioral response to noxious stimuli is separate from the psychological experience of pain.
If I could give my advice to the TU lawyers, trying to use scientific evidence in a debate with PETA is like trying to potty train a duck. Rule to live by: Don't treat lunatics like reasonable people.
Neither side can defend the simple truths. As any 3-year-old can tell you:
No. 1: Of course it hurts!
No. 2: Fish have been part of the food chain since they learned how to swim.
No amount of scientific evidence, twisted logic, or zealous compassion will change either of these facts.
When you are forced to take a position that flies in face of common sense, you damage your own credibility. Can rampant, uncontrolled overgrazing, well drilling, urban development, political correctness, plastic surgery, or postgraduate education be harmful? Of course! But when applied with reason, all can be beneficial.
PETA is not restricted by common sense or practical consideration, which keeps them flailing at the edge of the omnivorous, reasonable majority who have more pressing things to worry about. I would also suggest that you not even broach the morality of fishing. It is the La Brea Tar Pit of animal rights groups issues. Like religion and politics, it's personal.
You either like to fish, or you don't. You're a Baptist or you're not. You support the war on terrorism or you don't. You enjoy rap music or it confuses you. You have the right to feel the way you do.
The issue is not do fish feel pain, but rather are they preordained to be eaten. Animal cruelty is in the eye of the beholder. TU and PETA have the right to disagree, and it's not necessarily a matter of logic.
For instance, I think reality TV is cruel and unusual. But, according to my logic, I guess some people are born to be humiliated, just like some fish are born to be eaten.
Please pass the tartar sauce.
Baxter Black is a veterinarian and cowboy poet. His column appears weekly and airs each Monday at 6:20 a.m. on KGNC News Talk 710. He can be reached at baxterblack.com or (800)654-2550.