I witnessed the posting by a parent and an animal welfare group on social media of a child holding the sexual organs of a dead black bear hanging from a tree and it was infuriating. In no way should a child be subjected to this abuse. Was either side thinking of the welfare of the child? Were they both using the child to make their point? Has this become a Machiavellian world where nothing is off-limits?
Both sides were out to gain notoriety on social media. But when one thinks about the photograph’s intent, is it moral & ethical? There is a fundamental value at stake here regarding the child’s welfare. The question is, was this child old enough to decide to hold the male black bear’s sexual organ for a photograph? Was it the child’s decision to post the picture online? The bear hunter and the animal welfare activists were not concerned with the child’s welfare in the picture.
Animal rights and animal welfare activists all want to reduce animal suffering. In this instance, they want to stop the hunters from abusing animals by baiting bears, using dogs to hunt them, and harming gray wolves. The hunter displayed rather disturbing behavior by having a child pose holding the sex organ of a dead black bear. This behavior led to the animal rights activist group posting it online. Again I will ask the question, was this child old enough to decide to pose for this picture?
Online or social media animal rights, in this case, black bear & wolf advocacy, has become a world upon itself. It has become a Machiavellian world that exists solely on social media, and in today’s world, it uses it to gain notoriety for collecting funds to achieve its agenda. Thus, nothing is off limits, even utilizing a child’s photograph to make their agenda goals. As a seasoned educator, I aim to protect the child from this type of abuse and was infuriated by this online post.
As a wolf advocate, I have become aware of this Machiavellian world that uses any means to gain notoriety. Any protesting of the behavior displayed in this Machiavellian world has resulted in being chastised. The punishment is expulsion from the Machiavellian world. I was banned from the Machiavellian world some years ago. To be precise, it was back in 2012. After all, my values are not in line with theirs. I believe in compassion and that the lives of both people and wolves matter.
A machiavellian world where nothing is off limits. Not my world!
“The nature of humanity, its essence, is to feel another’s pain as one’s own, and to act to take that pain away. There is nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness.” – John Connolly
I hear you. An important post! Each life matters, ethically, so thank you for blocking out the child. But the image of the bear will also haunt me forever. I don’t need to see this image. Other animal “advocates” who persistently post videos and photos of despicable episodes in public spaces create a huge sense of rage and disgust, but worse, disempowerment/avoidance. They are venting their anger on complete strangers. It can be traumatising. How many will they recruit to the cause? What about the ones who will be hollowed out, the ones who retreat feeling at a loss? I despair that creating trauma for others seems the new standard. But then some HSPs will be greatly disturbed just by simple verbal descriptions. Where do we draw the line? To me, all cruelty and this kind of foul disrespect is a debauched crime, and should be prosecuted as such. More, valuing “life” as central to society – cradle to grave – instead of “aspirational wealth” might just mean the Earth’s axis tilts a little bit more towards compassion. That’s the root challenge, I think. Again, thank you.