Great article Henry.
The average person is overly cosseted and urbanised and hasn’t got a scooby doo about these issues. As you mention, they have a highly sentimental view of wildlife that comes from only being exposed to pets, and watching nature on tv/online.
Then there are the minority of types such as Chris Packham – who nobody could really accuse of not ‘knowing’ about wildlife, or being too urbanised, but who occupy some sort of fringe of pro-life animal activism. The first group of people (the majority) like him because he says the sort of things they like.
It makes it harder to export British meat overseas, undermining the agricultural sector and our national prosperity
Not only that, but the majority of people love cuddly cute animals yet still eat meat. This damage to our domestic practices then pushes up demand for meat from elsewhere where animal welfare and quality is further down the list of priorities.
It’s not that they don’t “know” about wildlife, they know little else.
ralph bell
2 years ago
I don’t see these activists/protesters forming a human shield arounds other farm livestock such as friendly cows, it’s just these lifestyle lives stock owned by live-style farmers whole being middle class think they can change the rules to suit their sentimentalities.
This alpaca could cause the death and miserable disease of many other animals if left infected.
D Ward
2 years ago
At last. A voice of reason.
Richard Goodall
2 years ago
This is what happens when successive governments infantiliise the population. When developing a sense of personal responsibility is no longer demanded of its citizens you get childlike responses.
But it seems rather easy to infantalize the population because , functionally, they appear to be quite infantile ! – is that too harsh – maybe i am getting too pessimistic about my fellow humans -or hupersons , or hunonbinary creatures or @#$%^&*(
Hi Chris, just caught your comment. I think having to strive for success makes better people. I think it develops a work ethic and empathy for others. A lot of people seem just to exist rather than lead fullfilling lives,both for themselves and others. They are directionless. If you take responsibility away from people you reduce ( to use an Americanism) their skin in the game (of life).
Socialism takes personal responsibility from people, because of its tenet of “big government”. Everything is the responsibility of the state. No one is responsible for their own health, education, housing – it’s all provided, no questions asked, nothing required in return. No wonder we are a mess.
I think to blame cultural change on government is a bit simplistic. The British have been partially and rather hypocritically sentimental about (some) animals since Victorian times at least. Probably something to do with being the earliest industrial nation where a majority of the population were very remote from food production.
Rats,anyone – pretty clever animals and similar to squirrels except without a fluffy tail?!
Lesley van Reenen
2 years ago
Just quarantine Geronimo. Have we learned nothing?
And make all the cows wear masks. You know it is the right way to go.
If you remember North Korea had an interesting response to controlling covid at first – They basically made having covid illegal, and the penalty was death, and so they shot the carriers… but it did not quite work.
Great article Henry.
The average person is overly cosseted and urbanised and hasn’t got a scooby doo about these issues. As you mention, they have a highly sentimental view of wildlife that comes from only being exposed to pets, and watching nature on tv/online.
Then there are the minority of types such as Chris Packham – who nobody could really accuse of not ‘knowing’ about wildlife, or being too urbanised, but who occupy some sort of fringe of pro-life animal activism. The first group of people (the majority) like him because he says the sort of things they like.
Not only that, but the majority of people love cuddly cute animals yet still eat meat. This damage to our domestic practices then pushes up demand for meat from elsewhere where animal welfare and quality is further down the list of priorities.
It’s not that they don’t “know” about wildlife, they know little else.
I don’t see these activists/protesters forming a human shield arounds other farm livestock such as friendly cows, it’s just these lifestyle lives stock owned by live-style farmers whole being middle class think they can change the rules to suit their sentimentalities.
This alpaca could cause the death and miserable disease of many other animals if left infected.
At last. A voice of reason.
This is what happens when successive governments infantiliise the population. When developing a sense of personal responsibility is no longer demanded of its citizens you get childlike responses.
But it seems rather easy to infantalize the population because , functionally, they appear to be quite infantile ! – is that too harsh – maybe i am getting too pessimistic about my fellow humans -or hupersons , or hunonbinary creatures or @#$%^&*(
Hi Chris, just caught your comment. I think having to strive for success makes better people. I think it develops a work ethic and empathy for others. A lot of people seem just to exist rather than lead fullfilling lives,both for themselves and others. They are directionless. If you take responsibility away from people you reduce ( to use an Americanism) their skin in the game (of life).
Socialism takes personal responsibility from people, because of its tenet of “big government”. Everything is the responsibility of the state. No one is responsible for their own health, education, housing – it’s all provided, no questions asked, nothing required in return. No wonder we are a mess.
Ps. Ckicken or egg.
I think to blame cultural change on government is a bit simplistic. The British have been partially and rather hypocritically sentimental about (some) animals since Victorian times at least. Probably something to do with being the earliest industrial nation where a majority of the population were very remote from food production.
Rats,anyone – pretty clever animals and similar to squirrels except without a fluffy tail?!
Just quarantine Geronimo. Have we learned nothing?
Why can’t he just self-isolate at home?
And make all the cows wear masks. You know it is the right way to go.
If you remember North Korea had an interesting response to controlling covid at first – They basically made having covid illegal, and the penalty was death, and so they shot the carriers… but it did not quite work.