…with western media bias
Once again the “Lychee and Dog Meat Festival” in the Chinese city of Yulin has drawn outraged protests – and worldwide reportage – even here in Guyana. Over the course of ten days about 10-15,000 dogs would’ve been savoured. The consumption of the lychee goes unremarked. Even your Eyewitness raised a jaded eyebrow and felt a slight squirm in his stomach at the mention of eating “dog meat”.
Cause he’s a fella who just loves his Labba in pepperpot! Just goes to show there’s still a lot of truth in the old saw “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”! The British philosopher Julian Baggini considered western meat-eaters “hypocritical” for being outraged by the Chinese eating “cute animals”: “The double standards at play here are numerous, complicated, and not always obvious…Vegans are the only group who can oppose the festival without any fear of hypocrisy”.
But Baggini’s point about vegans raise a deeper question: what’s the reason behind the revulsion towards dog mean? Is it just because they’re cute, as he says? Well rabbits are just as cute, don’t you think…but millions of them are turned into stew and consumed with relish. Pun intended! And how about all those millions and millions of cute sheep that Mary used to frolic with that are then turned to mutton? They’re fair game?
Is the line drawn with dogs by the West because they’ve served humanity for eons as fellow hunters back in the day? Well horses also served us well, didn’t they? Both in war and in work. Didn’t stop the west from enjoying their horse meat. Even if it’s on the sly because they’re a bit sheepish about it. Pun intended!
Then of course, “dogs are man’s best friend”…that’s the rationale most often thrown up. But have you ever gone to India and seen how the billion or so Hindus treat their cows? They’re more than even “best friends” – they’re part of the family…with names and everything. Even called “mother” for their sustaining roles. Yet the west regularly castigates Hindus for rather starving than eating their cows. “Superstitious” is a kind appellation. One doesn’t have to even wonder how they’d answer the analogous question, “Would you rather starve or eat your dog?” In every western city there are annual food fairs where the meat of thousands of cows and sheep are consumed.
The real question we should publicise is whether we can literally afford to eat meat – and especially beef.
Each cow needs 2 acres of space …plus fresh water. Of which the world is running out, as we and China switch to beef.
…to “woo” investment
Did you notice, dear reader, our movers and shakers in government always have to “woo” investors. It’s not by accident, you know. In these matters our leaders have to literally “put out” to get those foreigners to plunk down their money to develop Guyana. You say, they don’t have to “put out” too much after the Bai Shan Lin brouhaha? We’ll see.
Our government worthies just finished their latest courtship of investors at the “Harvard Club” in mid-Manhattan. Last October there was a high-level team that visited Toronto on the same mission and we were told they were “inundated” with offers of investment. Some of the attendees were made “Business Advisors” – no pay, though – to presumably assist the “inundated” officials to prioritise the deluge of investment opportunities. It ain’t easy, is it?
In Toronto, the high level delegation had met at the Riverstoen Golf Club. With Harvard Club they probably had to shell out a pretty penny. But we’re sure the investments will exceed the Toronto deluge.
Avalanche?
… In flooded villages
Wouldn’t it have been better to install pumps in West Berbice with the billion dollars spent on the Jubilee Bash?
Don’t these coalition supporters – who’ve been living with their animals under water for more than a month – count?
