Thursday, June 12, 2008

PC gone too far

[LINK] OK, normally I do not mind it when political correctness pushes the envelope. I actually think it's better to err on the side of there being too much of it rather than not enough. It's important to respect people.

BUT... in this case I have to object.

The Williamson County Animal Shelter is was having a special promotion offering reduced adoption fees for animals with black coats. Black animals are adopted less frequently than others. This is a national statistic. The shelter was calling the promotion "Black is Beautiful". People protested the use of that phrase because of the Juneteenth celebration that is held on June 19th. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery.

Wilco is a kill shelter. "Kill shelter" seems like quite an oxymoron, doesn't it? But the truth is that animals brought there have very little chance of surviving the experience. They are supposed to give unidentified strays 72 hours, and identified ones a week, but that shelter has been notorious for making mistakes and killing animals that should have been kept longer (but that is another issue, along with the investigations of animal abuse and neglect at the shelter). The point is that they (these cats and dogs) need all the help they can get. It's a matter of life and death... and it's mostly death... so shame on the party-planners who have traded political correctness for who knows how many dog and cat lives.

3 comments:

DrDon said...

Hmm...sounds like I might have to change the name of my proposed "White is Right Day."

In all seriousness, I find it interesting that so many supposed animal lovers don't spay or neuter pets so that we end up with so many domesticated animals that don't have homes. I don't own an animal (although before my wife left we did adopt a shelter dog that she has kept) but I feel bad for all these animals. I wish all shelters were no kill facilities but of course I understand the logistic and financial consequences of that. I think for many people their animals are a plaything, just one more possession that they had to have. But if they really cared about animals as a whole, they would not allow their pets to roam free or procreate without thought. Most pet owners are very conscientious but, as with most things in society, the irresponsible ones can do a lot of damage.

As for political correctness, people simply go out of their way to be offended today. The same people who will protest the use of a phrase like "Black is Beautiful" are the ones who won't help police identify killers and rapists in their neighborhoods. It's easy to get all irate about things that make no difference but when it comes to action of substance, all these people, of any race and creed, suddenly disappear.

DivaJood said...

I've had two wonderful dogs, both adopted from no-kill shelters. I am appalled there are still kill shelters, but that's an entirely different rant. Still - shelter dogs tend to be amazingly loving - it's as though they know they've been rescued and they give you all the love in the world. One of the requirements for adopting a shelter animal (cat, dog, whatever) is they must be neutered/spayed. In Illinois, two of the shelters even gave you a rebate for taking the animal to be "fixed."

I wish I could get another dog, or a cat, but I travel so much it's just not feasible any longer. Still, it will always be on the table for me. (and, since I am a sober alcoholic, I will not feed it Peppermint Schnapps.)

Blueberry said...

Spay/neuter, if people would be responsible about it, would prevent an unimaginable number of deaths. It's heartbreaking.